Gr$$n$r Grass

As a former NFL agent, it was my job to negotiate contracts for my clients, usually attempting to extract the highest possible amount from the team.

Though not always.

Or at least once.

Let me explain, and then further elaborate.

One of my clients had made approximately 17 million dollars in his career up until the point at which he was to become a free agent. In today’s NFL, as a quarterback, this would have probably been more like having made 100 million or so.

At any rate, he said something very close to, “Phil, I do not need any more money. Just get me somewhere that I can win a Super Bowl.”

In other words, he felt like a paltry 17 million was enough. Go figure!

He went on to make another 40+ million in his career AND joined the exclusive club of Super Bowl-winning QBs.

This is not a statement on the true value of winning a Super Bowl, though that discussion could be had (and will at some point). This is about money and perception.

Many players leave teams that they actually love, and cities where their families feel at home, for the greener (think dollar bills) pastures of massive contracts. In other words, though they have more money than they could possibly ever need, they usually run after the biggest contract out there, regardless of other considerations.

Hey, I’m not judging. It seems to be the thing to do. It’s just that I have witnessed firsthand that the extra money does not do much for the player. Perhaps - and this may be the most significant aspect of the whole deal - it is seen as validation of the player’s abilities and worth. But how much better is it to make 250 million in a new place versus 235 million where you love it, just so you can say something like, “Hey look at me, ain’t I worth a lot?”

This is just a partial analysis, of course, and one that I could not see in as clear a context all those years ago, but it speaks to the psyche of our culture, doesn’t it? Get everything you possibly can, the rest of the equation be damned.

Of course, none of it actually brings the life we truly desire, fame and fortune falling flat forever (how do you like that literation?). But it does paint a picture of one aspect of our conditioning - more is better.

I think not.

Peace…