Social reaction: Would you take less money to help your team financially?
Is it truly all about the money? Tom Brady reportedly agreed to a contract extension with the Patriots that is well below market value, while the Dodgers' high-priced Zack Greinke said he would do something much different.
Help yourself, or help the team? We wanted to know what you would do, so we took to social media to find out. Here are some of the responses. Tell us below, or on Twitter or Facebook, what you would do.
TWITTER
@yahoosports It would depend where I was in my career, what I had achieved, and what future earning potential I had. #SportsDebate
— Robert Dougherty (@RobertDougherty) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports Seriously when you are getting 100+ Million how much difference is 3 million going to make #SportsDebate
— DodgersBeat (@DodgersBeat) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports You gotta get paid,esp if you were on a rookie deal, but you should structure it any way possibleto help the team #sportsdebate
— Felic(@RfElic_412) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports you got to take less bc you cant win a championship by yourself #SportsDebate
— Payton Hedrick (@HopefulHeismanP) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports I would only take less if it was likely my last contract - you only get 1 maybe 2 chances to get a max contract #SportsDebate
— Gach (@BlubberToRunner) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports Depends what stage of your career you are & money already earned. If Brady - yes. If a rookie - absolutely not. #SportsDebate
— Jay Jarrahi (@JayJarrahi) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports You should for one contract take your value. Other than that, help your team #SportsDebate
— Ryan Tate (@Tot12Tator) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports if u truly want to win & believe that u have a better shot w/ a team offering less $ its a no brainer..take less #SportsDebate
— Danny Burke (@burkie8912) February 26, 2013
I play for my team, and for a title. For sure take a pay cut to make my team better. #SportsDebate@yahoosports
— ben taylor (@btail08) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports no blanket answer, 2 many factors - the balance between sportsmanship and business don't always equalize #sportsdebate
— Jennifer Shiarla (@jshiarla) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports It depends on my/my team's status/stature in the sport. A leader compromises for the greater good.#SportsDebate
— Anthony Washington (@antnupe) February 26, 2013
@yahoofinance @yahoosports No, never take less. Leagues are notorious for throwing players under bus after using them for gain #SportsDebate
— Rebecca B (@rbesprit) February 26, 2013
@yahoosports I would get every penny I could and then claim it wasn't about the money. #SportsDebate #showmethemoney
— James Moran (@Jiggs44) February 26, 2013
FACEBOOK
Kimbe A.: its all about the money money money of course....
John W.: I think it depends. Early on in a career you may want to maximize what you earn. You never know what could happen injury wise, etc. Later on, you may do that to give the team flexibility to ensure a strong team around you and finish off any chances at a championship.
David W. C.: It's hard to know since we are just regulars... but obviously if you are making millions a year then it is hard to say. It depends on how deep your passion is to be a champion vs being as rich as you can be!
Andy R.: Easy... Get paid.
Tommy H: At the money every athlete makes today(The Big 4), taking a "cut" to play and help your team should be easy. It's a disgrace that the attitude remains to get the most for me, in today's America.
Christian W: I would choose the team that I would start at. I wouldnt want to trade and ride the bench. If I got more money so be it. Its not about the money. Its about helping your team and the love of the game.
Jeff R.: Depends on the team. Most have no loyalty to players, so why be loyal to them? Take the cash.
Patrick M.: Like the line in Jerry McGuire---SHOW ME THE MONEY cause the team could cut you WHENEVER they want star or not
Christopher G.: Depends on your situation. Brady's wife is richer than he is. No-brainer on his part but not everyone is married to the most famous model in the world.
Christopher K.: most contracts have bonuses in them, say you win the League championship, theres an extra 500,000 and then you win the championship its an extra million so I would take less so we could win it all
Javier G.: Just take the money, you ruin the competitiveness of the game by taking pay cuts to assemble "super teams".
James P. S.: I would LOVE to say I'd do the latter but I have to be real. Unless I'm part of a legendary tandem and have the world's greatest coach, I'm taking the money. Even if I am overpaid to begin with, I'm going to ask for MORE. Just like the NBA players bring up... they never make ownership money but they are the ones putting people in the seats and selling merchandise. From that point of view and the standpoint of how long an athlete can stay healthy and effective, makes sense to get all the money while it's there.
Shawn S.: its TEAM....be loyal and do whatever it takes to make the team better...period
George A.:
I think its easy to say you would take less because we aren't in that situation. I would want to be paid comparable to others with comparable numbers and not less