Two Athletes, Quite a Contrast in Character

Every once and awhile, when the urge hits, I will spill a rant or two onto these pages. Things that might not appear to have anything to do with sales. But, then again, almost everything can be tied to sales.

Interesting contrast in stories about two professional athletes in Phoenix. These were in the same day’s Arizona Republic sports section.

First, just wondering…what would happen if you said and did this about your job, boss,and organization: you called them liars, and would not talk to your boss anymore, saying that you had no relationship.

That’s the case of Arizona Cardinals football player Anquan Boldin. Two years ago the Cardinals renegotiated his contract–even though they were not required to since his existing contract had a couple of years left–as a reward for good performance. He signed a four-year deal that pays him over 4 MILLION dollars per year. Now, two years later, he wants to rip up that contract, and wants ANOTHER new contract that pays him even more money. The Cardinals are willing to negotiate with him, but apparently not at the level Boldin feels he should be paid.

So, he’s acting like a bratty child. There is no “I” in Team, Anquan, but there sure is in “BoldIn.”

I am so sick of professional athletes not living up to their contracts when they feel they have performed well, therefore thinking they are entitled to more than they agreed to. HULLO…that’s why they call them contracts! I wish, just once, some athlete would say, “Well guys, I did not have a great year like we all expected, so I am going to give half of my money back to you, and play for a lesser amount this year.”

Ok, for the other guy, the refreshing news out of the athletic world. The Phoenix Suns basketball team is signing one of their top draft picks, Goran Dragic, a 22-year old now playing professionally in Spain. When talking about joining the Suns, Dragic gushed, “This is like my dream come true. I’m the happiest man on Earth now.” He added, “I’m really blessed. I must practice hard in hopes I can replace Steve Nash in the future. I must practice hard to become one of the best players in the NBA.”

And, oh, because he is leaving his Spanish pro team, a $1 milliion payment to them is required to buy out his existing contract there. Which he is paying out of his first year’s salary with the Suns. And he is happy to do it. When asked why, he again said, “Because this is my dream. My dream has come true in Phoenix.”

The stories of these two young men say so much about personal responsibility, grattitude, teamwork, character, and success.