Professional sports

[BurbankHibee]

I really am becoming more cynical of professional sports, particularly football.

John Terry became England’s highest-paid player yesterday by signing a new five-year deal.

Terry, the England and Chelsea captain, has doubled his earnings to £135,000 a week – more than £7 million a year – taking him above his team-mates,

The Times

This just seems obscene to me.

[Keepitgreen]

It's pretty gross BH.

To break it down though, the money the clubs are getting is mainly through the tv deals, right?

Which are basically the satellite companies.

These companies make their money (mainly) from subscribers.

So, you pays your money to be entertained, in this case by watching a game of fitba. Where should that money, that you fork out to be entertained, go?

As the game has evolved this money has gotten through to the people that do the entertaining. Footballers.

It might be gross and way way above what it 'should' be, but this is the cost of entertainment in the Western world and well, the money has to go somewhere.

*I've shorn out the middlemen in this little breakdown but I'm sure you get the drift.*

Personally I think its fundamentally wrong and our emergency services/hospital workers should be on these wages but it's a particular, and inevitable, quirk of capitalism isn't it?

Wow I feel all Cowsheddy now.

[Forzahibs]

Originally Posted by BurbankHibee

I really am becoming more cynical of professional sports, particularly football.



The Times

This just seems obscene to me.

So the rumours of him signing for Rangers aren't true then

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by Keepitgreen

Personally I think its fundamentally wrong and our emergency services/hospital workers should be on these wages but it's a particular, and inevitable, quirk of capitalism isn't it?

point of order; that's the one thing it isn't.

my mate's auntie is a nurse in the US, where medical services are provided via the market; and she drives a lexus.

NHS staff's wages are the result of it being a state run service. not commenting on whether that's good or bad, just that that's why wages are as they are.

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by BurbankHibee

I really am becoming more cynical of professional sports, particularly football.



The Times

This just seems obscene to me.

i agree.

it's disgusting, and for those who see it as akin to a 'victimless crime', i'd point out the cost of taking two kids to see chelsea, and the impact of that on an average wage earner.

it just rubs salt into the wounds, the way they all seem to inevitably be vapid materialist tossers, with an excerable taste in clothes and 'bling'.

[BurbankHibee]

I always regarded going to a football game as working class thing. A real gritty piece of the social order. Those days are long gone now I suppose. I'm just a bit lost on how football players (and professional athletes in general) have become so iconic that they can get this type of money. Seems to me the game has fallen into the hands of dodgy entrepreneurs laundering their dodgy earnings. Although Terry is an exception rather than the rule, I still think there is way too much money being thrown at these radges. I'm sick of the sight of Beckham already and he hasn't even kicked a ball in anger yet !

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by BurbankHibee

I always regarded going to a football game as working class thing. A real gritty piece of the social order. Those days are long gone now I suppose. I'm just a bit lost on how football players (and professional athletes in general) have become so iconic that they can get this type of money. Seems to me the game has fallen into the hands of dodgy entrepreneurs laundering their dodgy earnings. Although Terry is an exception rather than the rule, I still think there is way too much money being thrown at these radges. I'm sick of the site of Beckham already and he hasn't even kicked a ball in anger yet !

i think the truth is bleaker still, ie, this is what people want.

football is merely part of the wider celebrity culture that is so dominant now. i find the beckham phenomenon inexplicable but it's real.

i used to think he was just used to market football to burds and bufties and so on. i couldn't believe that any football supporting male over the age of 8 would actually consider him to be anythimg more than a pretty good footballer, who carries on like a fucking cock.

but then how does one explain his merchandising success? adult men are buying the products he endorses, in feckin spades. it's fucken remarkable.

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by BurbankHibee

I always regarded going to a football game as working class thing. A real gritty piece of the social order. Those days are long gone now I suppose.

You are right Burbank - those days are long gone.
Football is not a working class game any more - not even close.

I paid £35 to watch Newcastle last season. My mate James in London regularly pays £50 to watch Chelsea and my wee Hibby Met Copper mate Nick got his renewal for his Spurs ST..... £1500.

And we are being asked to pay £33 to go to that fucking dump of a bus shelter a week today - for ONE match.

Working class game? Those days are gone.

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

but then how does one explain his merchandising success? adult men are buying the products he endorses, in feckin spades. it's fucken remarkable.

2 lads in our 5 a side game turned up in their LA Galaxy - Beckham 23 shirts last week.

I'm still trying to work out why?

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by AndyM

My mate James in London regularly pays £50 to watch Chelsea

it's mental when you think about it. what other form of regular entertainment would you pay near on 35 quid an hour for. well, legal kinds anyway

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by AndyM

2 lads in our 5 a side game turned up in their LA Galaxy - Beckham 23 shirts last week.

I'm still trying to work out why?

how old are these fellas andy?

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

it's mental when you think about it. what other form of regular entertainment would you pay near on 35 quid an hour for. well, legal kinds anyway

[JollyJackTar]

It's especially obscene when you consider that during the recent program "The Million Pound Footballers Giveaway" Chelsea were the only club who "couldn't find time" for the presenter Noreena Hertz to visit although they "promised a donation".

Nurses are the lowest paid professionals in the public sector at £24,000 (which incidentally is a lot more than I get) and Terry's on £135,000 a WEEK.

At the last count 255 Premiership fooballers had signed up as well as 31000 fans.

Premiership Players:

Arsenal – 3 players Theo Walcott, Thierry Henry, and Justin Hoyte
Aston Villa – 2 players Steven Davis, Ashley Young
Blackburn - 23 players including David Bentley and Morten Gamst Pedersen
Bolton - 22 players including Nicky Hunt and Kevin Nolan
Celtic – 1 player Neil Lennon
Charlton – 8 players Matt Holland, Luke Young, Hermann Hreidarsson, Ben Thatcher, Darren Ambrose, Darren Bent, Marcus Bent, Scott Carson
Chelsea - 0 players, donation from club to Mayday for Nurses Hardship fund
Everton - 8 players on board including Alan Stubbs
Fulham – 28 players, the entire first team squad Carlos Bocanegra, Michael Brown, Jimmy Bullard, Philippe Christanval, Simon Davies, Clint Dempsey, Papa Bouba Diop, Simon Elliott, Ahmad Elrich, Adam Federici, Heiðar Helguson, Claus Jensen, Collins John, Zat Knight, Jan Laštuvka, Brian McBride, Robert Milsom, Vincenzo Montella, Antti Niemi, Elliot Omozusi, Ian Pearce, Mark Pembridge, Franck Queudrue, Tomasz Radzinski, Liam Rosenior, Wayne Routledge, Alexey Smertin, Moritz Volz
Liverpool - 12 players Craig Bellamy, Jamie Carragher, Peter Crouch, Robbie Fowler, Steven Gerrard, Mark Gonzalez, Harry Kewell, Dirk Kuyt, Jermaine Pennant, Pepe Reina, John Arne Riise, Bolo Zenden
Man City – 6 players Michael Ball, Joey Barton, Richard Dunne, Georgios Samaras, Nicky Weaver and Micah Richards
Man Utd – 2 players Gary Neville and Ryan Giggs
Middlesborough - 0 players, manager Gareth Southgate on board
Newcastle - 12 players Titus Bramble, Celestine Babayaro, Pavel Srnicek, Nicky Butt, Stephen Carr, Damien Duff, Shay Given, Stephen Harper, James Milner, Scott Parker, Peter Ramage, Nolberto Solano
Portsmouth – 1 player David James
Rangers – 2 players Gavin Rae and Barry Ferguson
Reading – 27 players, the entire first team squad Mikkel Anderson, Alan Bennett, Andre Bikey, Oliver Bozanic, Aaron Brown, Bobby Convey, Ulises de la Cruz, Kevin Doyle, Michael Duberry, Brynjar Gunnarsson, Marcus Hahnemann, Greg Halford, John Halls, James Harper, Stephen Hunt, Ívar Ingimarsson, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Dave Kitson, Leroy Lita, Glen Little, Shane Long, Péter Máté, Graeme Murty, John Oster, Nicky Shorey, Steve Sidwell, Ibrahima Sonko
Sheffield – 23 players
Tottenham – 20 players including Paul Robinson and Jermaine Defoe
Watford – 28 players, the entire first team squad including Malky Mackay
West Ham - 26 players, the entire first team squad including Nigel Reo Coker
Wigan – 1 player Arjan de Zeeuw


Additional Supporters:
(Those whose playing days are over, and other footie type people who have also commited their cash and got our thanks.)
Steve McClaren, Aidy Boothroyd, Gareth Southgate, Terry Venables, Chris Coleman, Sir Alex Ferguson, Martin O'Neill, Sam Allardyce, Glenn Roeder, Gianluca Vialli, Freddy Shephard, Graeme le Saux, Jamie Redknapp, Andy Gray, Clive Tyldesley, Adrian Chiles, Geoff Shreeves, Tim Lovejoy, Ramon Vega, Terry Byrne, Alastair Campbell, Craig Cohon, Mohammed Al Fayed, Mike Forde, and the agents and advisors Sky Andrews, Tony Finnigan and Rob Segal.

I'm not shocked that only one Celtic player has signed up just that it was Neil Lennon. Likewise Barry Ferguson. Only 2 Man Utd players!

[wee 162]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

point of order; that's the one thing it isn't.

my mate's auntie is a nurse in the US, where medical services are provided via the market; and she drives a lexus.

NHS staff's wages are the result of it being a state run service. not commenting on whether that's good or bad, just that that's why wages are as they are.

The highest mean wage in any state for nurses in the US is $65,000 a year in California. So about £33k. I would suggest that if someone is driving a Lexus they are a fair bit above the mean...

Oh aye, the average family health insurance bill in the US is over $10k a year as well.

[egb_hibs]

Originally Posted by wee 162

The highest mean wage in any state for nurses in the US is $65,000 a year in California. So about £33k. I would suggest that if someone is driving a Lexus they are a fair bit above the mean...

must be the divorce settlement then

but still, 33k is much higher than here (although i take your point it's the US high watermark). but doctors are fucking minted over there, and i think paramedics and so on are much better off too (i think to be fair that the lady in question does a job that is not exactly analagous to your avg UK nurse. she's sort of more trained than a nurse, but not a doctor, if you know what i mean).

Oh aye, the average family health insurance bill in the US is over $10k a year as well.

really? it's crazy. i know you didn't like undercover economist, but i was tickled by the fact that the US govt still pays more per head into the US health system than the UK govt does into our, despite it being private and these vast figures you allude to. it's bananas.

[BurbankHibee]

Originally Posted by AndyM

2 lads in our 5 a side game turned up in their LA Galaxy - Beckham 23 shirts last week.

Say it isn't so !

[Keepitgreen]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

point of order; that's the one thing it isn't.

my mate's auntie is a nurse in the US, where medical services are provided via the market; and she drives a lexus.

NHS staff's wages are the result of it being a state run service. not commenting on whether that's good or bad, just that that's why wages are as they are.

I was meaning more that capitalism is why footballers get paid loads

[brianmac]

Originally Posted by AndyM

2 lads in our 5 a side game turned up in their LA Galaxy - Beckham 23 shirts last week.

I'm still trying to work out why?

I really don't understand that at all

The wee man gets new strips every year but the only time i ever buy one is after they are out of date and i get them for about a tenner to wear to my work. And i dinnae get a name on the back

[wee 162]

Originally Posted by egb_hibs

must be the divorce settlement then

but still, 33k is much higher than here (although i take your point it's the US high watermark). but doctors are fucking minted over there, and i think paramedics and so on are much better off too (i think to be fair that the lady in question does a job that is not exactly analagous to your avg UK nurse. she's sort of more trained than a nurse, but not a doctor, if you know what i mean).

really? it's crazy. i know you didn't like undercover economist, but i was tickled by the fact that the US govt still pays more per head into the US health system than the UK govt does into our, despite it being private and these vast figures you allude to. it's bananas.

It was a quick google to get the figures and that's the midpoint of the highest paying state.

It would be fair to point out that nurses in the UK who do extra stuff or go higher than a staff nurse also get higher wages as well. They are badly paid at the lowest levels but much like teachers there is plenty of room for progression.

[AndyM]

Originally Posted by BurbankHibee