Poll: Big Bucks or Good Reputation?

[ckissick]

Ryan Braun (power hitter for the Brewers) has a guaranteed contract for $100 million. He was caught doing performance enhancing drugs and is now known as a cheater. His reputation is shot. But his cheating got him $100 million. He's not the only one. Let's assume for the sake of argument that without the PEDs he never would have made it to the bigs. (He probably would have.)

So... Would you rather be a famous person who gets no respect but has 100 million dollars, or an unknown, poor, working class rat racer who is loved and respected by everyone you know?

[RANDY P]

money.

[GH85Carrera]

For 100 million???

I can forever disappear and never be seen or heard of again. 100 million, yea I am thinking that is my price.

[Seahawk]

The easy answer is, no, a reputation is all you have, your intellectual DNA, etc.

The Psychology 101 answer is if the playing field is askew anyway, and you are not hurting anyone directly by using PEDs, then by all means take the $100M and use it for the greater good.

The more interesting question, one I don't know the answer to, is would I have taken a PED to make to the majors, to compete at that level, in baseball?

[scottmandue]

Hold on... let me call LeBron James and see how it worked out for him...

[mb911]

what they are talking about locally is that he goes back to re do the contract and give the 130 million contract up and have him re earn the contract next year (maybe sign for 30 million) . The following year would be up to negotiate.

Also some speculation that he new the hammer was gonna come down so he signed the big contract knowing he was gonna get caught but did not care as long as he had the money.

Me I would not have done it to begin with but regardless a mans handshake means more to me then all the money in the world. That's me though

[masraum]

For 100 million???



I can forever disappear and never be seen or heard of again. 100 million, yea I am thinking that is my price.

That's certainly my first thought but

I guess I can't really imagine a total loss of respect. If my wife and family had no respect, and if I lost my self respect, that would be a deal breaker

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by masraum

That's certainly my first thought but

I guess I can't really imagine a total loss of respect. If my wife and family had no respect, and if I lost my self respect, that would be a deal breaker

100 million can BUY you a LOT of respect.

I fully understand the respect and doing the right thing. I do just that 100% of the time. But there is no 100 million lure in for me.

Stop and think how much 100 million really is. We hear about government spending way more than that and it does not sound like a lot. Now go look at your current net worth. Divide 100 million buy your real current net worth.

It is all just like the old joke about asking some pretty lady if she will have sex with you for a million bucks. Most would say yes, but if it just 50 bucks the answer is "what do think I am?" The answer is I know what she is, we are just negotiating a price.

[saxen]

For 100m there isn't a lot I wouldn't do...

[porsche4life]

100m is what I call F U money.... With that much I don't care what anyone thinks of me, I'll be laying on a beach all summer, and in a ski lift all winter... Anyone gives me any grief.... F U.

[aap1966]

If you can't look your wife, your kid's and yourself in the eye, no amount of $$ is worth it.
If you CAN, and the act harms no-one else, then maybe. Depends on the fine print.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

100m is what I call F U money.... With that much I don't care what anyone thinks of me, I'll be laying on a beach all summer, and in a ski lift all winter... Anyone gives me any grief.... F U.

The bigger problem is not with what others think, it is now what we think about ourselves in the midnight hour: Cheat on your wife because, well, the woman was HOT. You can't say F U to yourself.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

The bigger problem is not with what others think, it is now what we think about ourselves in the midnight hour: Cheat on your wife because, well, the woman was HOT. You can't say F U to yourself.

Hey, now you are changing the rules. Cheating on your spouse is different than cheating in a GAME of baseball.

[Jim Bremner]

I have fallen on my own sword for a lot less. I'm able to look at the mirror

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Hey, now you are changing the rules. Cheating on your spouse is different than cheating in a GAME of baseball.

You're right.

But you cheated an owner, the fans, etc. It is, in my mind, not about others, it is about looking, as aap1966 wrote, yourself in the eye.

For me money has nothing to do with it. If taking HGH would have gotten me to play in the bigs at Candlestick, third base where Al Gallagher played, that is the dilemma for me.

[porsche4life]

Its about job performance.... He is paid that big money to WIN! If he increased his chances of helping the team win...


I don't have a problem with juicing. If they want to wreck their bodies to be better at the game, let 'em...

[dan88911]

I for one had never herd of Ryan Braun (power hitter for the Brewers).
Of course I'm not that kind of baseball fan (tracking names, stats and so forth)
Same with other sports I watch them sometimes , so unless someones name is mention a lot in the media I don't know their names.
And would probably not recognize them in public.

That being said, "show me the money".

[Baz]

This is why I stopped watching baseball.

It changed when they didn't have a post season or world series one year....because of a dispute amongst players and owners.

When the game is no longer about the integrity of the game and the fans......why should the fans even care?

For those who continue to buy tickets....congratulations....now you know where your money is going.

[stealthn]

He (and everyone else) should have to give back all the money and be tossed from baseball. Same for all sports as we need to get back to the heart of these games!

Flame on

[Zeke]

In the context of sports I'd take the money so fast you wouldn't have a trace. There is nothing in sports that deserves any respect any longer. There is not enough here on the table to even ask the question. That is what Seahawk was going to say, but he's more eloquent than I.