Pro athletes who are drunk drivers, sexual predators, and spouse pounders are regularly in the news, so it is good when we hear of the ones who have a strong Christian faith and a desire to share their wealth.
Until recently Albert Pujols of the St Louis Cardinals was considered one of the "good guys" for a number of reasons. This very gifted baseball player is an openly evangelical Christian with a family foundation that does a lot for others. There is a book about him called Pujos: More Than the Game which is about his Christian convictions.
Still, the author of the book and many others are wondering why Pujos has turned down a multi-year contract worth $200 million. It is rumoured that he is holding out for a ten-year, $300 million deal, an obscene amount of money by just about any standard. It would be the largest contract in baseball history.
Some feel that if the market will bear that huge contract he should go for it, and then spread the goodies around. Others figure that the verse in Timothy which says "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith..." should be tattooed on Albert's forehead so he sees it every time he looks in the mirror. After all, greed is a sin, and he sure sounds greedy.
Is this a matter of "market value" and okay if the athlete shares the love? Can anyone hold out for that kind of money and still call him/herself a Christian?
This is exactly the reason I become less and less interested in professional sports. It seemed like in the 70's and 80's, big contracts were not often talked about with these athletes. But now, it seems like playing "for the love of the game" is a thing of the past.
ReplyDeleteWhy sports figures earn so much more than our prime minister, surgeons...in fact almost any occupation...is beyond me.
While these people have their $300 million dollar contracts, we have people going to food banks and losing their homes because they were laid off.
It also seems that many of these athletes have egos as big as their contracts. They certainly seem to exaggerate their own importance. I wouldn't cross the street to see Pujos. He definitely does come across as greedy!
I imagine capitalism and Christianity collide more often than not when pro athletes of faith like the one you mention head into contract talks.
ReplyDeleteI'd personally take the money and run. With $300 million, I could brighten up a lot of lives and pump life blood into many charities.
Provided he does something like that, why not?
It's not like he is holding back food from a starving person.
ReplyDeleteWho is it he is asking to pay that kind of money? He's asking someone who has much more than $300 million. There is a better chance that Pujos will do good with some of the money, than the team owner who is willing to pay it.
If that is his market value then more power to him.