Parker: money ruining game
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Parker: money ruining game
Former England defender and eurosport.yahoo.com resident expert Paul Parker is fast becoming disillusioned with the huge sums of money involved in football and believes the game is under threat as a result.
With the recent report stating that by 2010, the Premiership will have its first £10 million-a-year player, alarm bells have started to sound loud and clear as football edges closer to a complete meltdown.
The sums of money involved in football these days are frankly ridiculous. And the thought that a Premiership player is earning more in just one week than most people do in years of hard work is quite a scary one.
But the bad news is that the escalating levels of money in the game are showing no sign of levelling off, with global interest at an all-time high and TV rights worth billions worldwide.
The current state of affairs comes as no surprise when you consider the amount of people out there who are willing to pay to watch their favourite team play, or to buy the latest club shirt or duvet cover, or invest in any number of the multitude of other club-endorsed spin-offs.
It's simple for me; as long as there are people who want to pump cash into the game, there will be money circulating in the industry.
But such grotesquely high levels of money are threatening to ruin the game, from the very top, right down to grass roots level.
At the top end, Premiership footballers - some of the most highly paid athletes in the world at the moment - and their spiralling wages are damaging the fabric of what football is all about.
These days, it only takes an average Premiership player to become a millionaire, whereas 15 years ago, when I was a player, to reach that level of income, normally you had to play for a top side as well as your country, and have a few personal endorsements on top.
Today, you do not have to have endorsements or a boot contract to make your money. You don't even need to worry about playing in every single game, or scoring so many goals in a season because you are guaranteed enough cash to live a lavish lifestyle from your weekly wage alone.
And that affects how the modern player approaches the game. There is no longer the same desire to stretch or push the limits anymore simply because there is no need. Players do not have to worry about missing a game or rushing back from injury - they will be looked after whatever.
The hunger of the modern player has been changed by money and there does not seem to be the same appetite to play as there was in my day. Rarely do you see 22 totally committed players out on the pitch these days, and that affects the paying fans' enjoyment of the game.
It is these fans who are lining the players' pockets, but for me they are getting terribly short-changed on their outlay.
Long gone are the days when a supporter could relate to his hero on the pitch and it is sad to see that the link between fans and players has all but disappeared. Very few Premiership players want to speak to the people who pay their wages these days - just look at how they all rather mysteriously have to take phone calls just as they are getting off the team coach and have to walk past their adoring fans - and rarely does a player stay behind for a drink in the players lounge after a match anymore.
With ticket prices reaching record levels, fewer and fewer people are able to afford to watch their heroes in the flesh, and that cannot be good for the long term health of the game. Speak to the majority of Premiership players now, and they will tell you they were inspired to succeed by standing on the terraces as youngsters, marvelling at their idols just metres away from them. Where will the same inspiration come from if the only people who can afford to go to matches are corporate executives?
And I would even question the suitability of today's players as role models for youngsters these days. The frequency with which debauched stories involving top flight players have hit the front pages of the British tabloids this season has been ridiculous, as more and more players succumb to the vanities of fame and fortune at younger and younger ages.
In a way, it is not their fault - they are given too much too soon, and they do not know how to deal with it. But wherever the blame lies, football's reputation has been given a battering this year.
The only solution I can see is just to wait until the bubble bursts. Because it will; it has to. There has to be a downturn before things can pick up again. There needs to be more logic applied and more common sense used to the amounts being spent in the game before the game can rediscover its glory.
And once the bubble bursts, players will be able to reassess why they are playing football in the first place - and that should be for the love of the game, and not for the love of money. -
i feel money is burying some bright homegrown young talents....
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i feel the same too.Originally posted by The man who was death:i feel money is burying some bright homegrown young talents.... -
I agree with what he said. Imagine a footballer's annual salary is far greater than most of us probably wouldn't be able to earn in a lifetime.
I think it wouldn't be long before kids ambitions change from the usual doctor, lawyer, teacher to footballers because of the lure of money.
Cheers.
CK -
money is the revolving issue in all highly regarded matters nowdays. but in the case of football, its simply obscene for players to paid that much. 10 mil a year? it might come sooner than expected. there's no way to halt or reverse the cycle. the rich will only get richer
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Imagine John Terry not happy with his 120,000 (?) pounds per week because he wants 150,000 (?) pounds every week instead.Originally posted by CKeer:I agree with what he said. Imagine a footballer's annual salary is far greater than most of us probably wouldn't be able to earn in a lifetime.
I think it wouldn't be long before kids ambitions change from the usual doctor, lawyer, teacher to footballers because of the lure of money.
Cheers.
CK
Outrageous, I'd tell you. -
The most common argument used is that these footballers have a limited time span to which their skills are used. Thus, it's a case of getting as much as you can in this time.
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The death of soccer is looming.. Amen..
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Ya, can you imagine that the so-call "best EPL player" is a serial diver & his champion team a group of cheats?Originally posted by The man who was death:i feel money is burying some bright homegrown young talents....
There's no room for real talent now. Soccer is dying.
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Its all Abramovich's fault. Offering big sums to clubs for world class players and Chelsea won the title, that attracted other foreigners to the EPL
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And before RM & Champs Chelsea in 2004-06,Originally posted by glacer:Its all Abramovich's fault. Offering big sums to clubs for world class players and Chelsea won the title, that attracted other foreigners to the EPL
.... who was buying & paying mountains of $$$ for star players like RuDD, Veron, Rio, Wayne & the lists goes on to the early 70s??
Ans;= Man Utd ! -
Players did not used to cost so much. Roy Keane cost only £3.75 million back then, and that was a British record transfer fee.Originally posted by innosaint:And before RM & Champs Chelsea in 2004-06,
.... who was buying & paying mountains of $$$ for star players like RuDD, Veron, Rio, Wayne & the lists goes on to the early 70s??
Ans;= Man Utd ! -
Originally posted by innosaint:
hey, asshole, quit the sore-losers talk..
[b]Ya, can you imagine that the so-call "best EPL player" is a serial diver & his champion team a group of cheats?
There's no room for real talent now. Soccer is dying. [/b]
Your chelsea did all the cheatings and diving, and two league titles for that.
Now, finally the FA and refs wise up and stop you...
You go around and get refs retired...
If you really that good, prove it on the field.
Win the European cup or something..
If you can't think or see big enough pass your blue b*lls, stay in your chelsea forums. -
yes, MUFC did, but only for EPL. But Roman came in and screwed all over the entire world...Originally posted by innosaint:And before RM & Champs Chelsea in 2004-06,
.... who was buying & paying mountains of $$$ for star players like RuDD, Veron, Rio, Wayne & the lists goes on to the early 70s??
Ans;= Man Utd ! -
and end of day, who suffer??
we all do, cause we need to pay $25 per month more for EPL. -
Can you imagine a soccer fan spending more time hating another club than supporting his own club?Originally posted by innosaint:Ya, can you imagine that the so-call "best EPL player" is a serial diver & his champion team a group of cheats? Soccer is dying.
If more fans become like you, then soccer really is dying. -
Hey mother-fvcker, quit yr goddamm denial...Originally posted by iceFatboy:hey, asshole, quit the sore-losers talk..
Your chelsea did all the cheatings and diving, and two league titles for that.
Now, finally the FA and refs wise up and stop you...
You go around and get refs retired...
If you really that good, prove it on the field.
Win the European cup or something..
If you can't think or see big enough pass your blue b*lls, stay in your chelsea forums.
ManU literally taught every soccer team to dive & cheat since early days of soccer!
Refs use to kelong for devils, only now hv a foreign coach to expose them to oblivion(retirement). They hv the 9 titles to prove it in ManU cabinet of tainted cups!
I suggest you stay in some ManU fansite or something. Cos you just can't hide here, EVEN wif the retard ManU mod covering yr ass! -
Soccer is already dying cos of yr fav team & it's fans! .... (read riot in france & Italy CL matches)Originally posted by SumOne:If more fans become like you, then soccer really is dying. -
like moving further away from the topic. -
Do you even know what's my favourite team or if I even have a favourite team?Originally posted by innosaint:Soccer is already dying cos of yr fav team & it's fans! .... (read riot in france & Italy CL matches)
Again, what is it with you that you spend more time hating other clubs than supporting your own club? What's the point?