Superstar outfielder Juan Soto etched his name into the record books on Wednesday, signing a 15-year, $765 million deal with the New York Mets. It is the largest contract in the history of professional sports.
By crossing his t’s—he didn’t have to dot any i’s—Soto became a villain across town, turning his back on the New York Yankees after one spectacular season with the club. Now 26, Soto hit .288 with 41 home runs and 109 RBIs during the regular season before slashing .327/.469/.633 during a playoff run that ended with a World Series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Yankees came up just short in the Soto sweepstakes, with the New York Post reporting that their 16-year, $760 million offer wasn’t enough to bring back the four-time All-Star.
Surely the $5 million wasn’t the be-all, end-all when it came to Soto’s decision. Had he really wanted to play for the Yankees, he would have, as long as the financial figures were close to those of the highest-bidding team.
And they were.
That $5 million had to have at least some impact. And it’s just another example of how utterly ridiculous some athletes’ perception of money has become.
Over in the NFL, there are always those who hold out—or hold in—because they aren’t in line to make as much as Player X if they were to sign the new contract that was in front of them. Sometimes no comparisons are even needed, and they simply feel like they are worth more than what is currently on the table.
It isn’t just a problem in the NFL. No professional sports league is immune to greedy players, and this isn’t some new, groundbreaking issue that just popped up this decade, or even this century.
But it’s gotten to a point where we have to start asking ourselves, where does it end?
Ten or 20 years from now, will we be seeing athletes signing contracts upwards of $1 billion? What do sports look like in 50 years? 100? Do players ever become content with a check worth more than what the average person will earn over the course of their entire life?
Players should be advocating for themselves. Like any profession, you want your employees to know their worth. However, a little humility wouldn’t be the worst thing either.
Athletes should be making millions. There are those who complain that it’s unfair for them to have these gaudy salaries when doctors and surgeons are making less, but millions of people across the country aren’t paying for seats in the operating room to go act as spectators. Sports are, and always will be, bringing in crazy money. There’s always going to be enough of it to go around.
Still, we can only hope that someday, it isn’t just all about the money. Maybe your favorite athlete will stay with a team simply because they enjoy playing for it, even if that means they miss out on $10 million in the process.
