For the Love of the Game or Money

For the Love of the Game (or Money) Have you ever wondered whether or not athletes play for the love of the game or just to see a seven digit number on their paycheck? A true athlete would take a pay cut to stay on his or her team. Players that skip training camp for more money not only hurt themselves, but affect their whole team. A true leader would give anything for their team and would not even think about avoiding a chance to help his or her team.

Athletes pay agents to get teams to sign them to large, lucrative contracts. Some players make millions before they even play a game with their team. These players are only looking out for themselves and consider self-image more important than team success. These kinds of players will miss key practices that help their team just so the athlete can increase his already gigantic payroll. Some players have been known to miss part of the season to take up rolls in movies or television shows. There are few true athletes in today’s world of sports. Their glory is not found in the bank vault, but in the championships that he and his teammates earn. Recent championship teams consist of true athletes. These honorable men and women take pay cuts and sacrifice their bodies for their teams. Players like this are a coach’s dream come true. True athletes are the glue that hold their team together. A star athlete in any professional sport should do whatever they can to help their team. A team could win a championship with average players as long as they play as a team. This has been done before and will continue to be done in the future. A true athlete acts like a coach on the field, helping younger players make the adjustment to the professional league and providing a key player necessary to win a title for the veteran players. Although their numbers are dropping, there will always be true athletes. That is what a true athlete would be. Their population has dropped since the past but there will always be players who sacrifice their body and soul for their team. It is these players that hold their teams together when they need it the most. When a pressure situation arises, the leaders of the team will shine like never before. Without true athletes, the world of sports would be a very different place.