Is the Union being shortsighted on an A-Rod move?
Here is a a great article on how the Union is not thinking the right way about allowing ARod to decrease the value of his contract to move to Boston.
http://insider.espn.go.com/insider/story?id=1689191 Unfortunatly you have to be an insider to read it so i will grab som key phrases from it:
Bob Hohler of the Boston Globe points out the irony that an organization that fought hard for the unrestricted movement of its members is doing everything in its power to restrict the movement of its members.
Psychological benefit:Doesn't the player's mental health count for something? Think about this: as long as Rodriguez plays for the Rangers, he is going to have to watch an average of six opponents per game run, trot or walk past his shortstop position on their way to the plate. After a while, that has to take a toll on a man. Six runs per game for 10 years. Good gracious! That's something like 10,000 runs! (If one rounds off liberally.) It's enough to drive a sane man stark raving crackers. Surely the Players Association wouldn't stand in the way of allowing one of its rank and file the opportunity to escape that particular brand of madness?
If he were allowed to make a new home in Boston, I put it to you that his financial situation would improve, regardless of what it said on his contract. Why? Because his ancillary financial opportunities would be greatly enhanced. He would be joining a team that represents a region, and with that would come great opportunities for more endorsements. What is more, he would be playing for a team with a good shot at winning it all -- something that just isn't going to happen with the Rangers. As the best player on the best team, he would have even more endorsement opportunities still.
If Gene Orza and Donald Fehr would take a moment to reflect on the ramifications of A-Rod going to the Red Sox, they would see that the so-called "ripple effect" the adjustment of his contract would have would be far outweighed by the benefit it would give to the overall financial well being of the rank and file. What do I mean by this? Consider that for every Red Sox action there is an unequal and outrageous Yankee reaction. The stronger the Red Sox get, the more money Yankee owner George Steinbrenner is going to spend to counteract their gains. That spending isn't going to capital improvements at Yankee Stadium, either. No, it's going toward a larger and larger payroll. Who benefits from a larger payroll? That's right -- players. And who is it that the Players Association represents? That's right players -- hence the name.
The article's own source was http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/articles/2003/12/18/baseball_law_expert_cites_perverse_irony/Labels: Sports
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