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Originally posted by djmcmath
+1 Insightful to PoP. I would happily classify baseball and football the same way (except different). Back in the day, there were athletes that you could look up to and respect -- they were involved in their communities, and they weren't criminals who used their money and celebrity status to get off the hook for doing things that would land those of us in the "unwashed masses" in the Big House for the rest of our lives.
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I go to quite a few pro sports events for business reasons. I don't really care what the athlete does off the court (Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, etc. were no saints). What I find offensive is guys getting paid millions per year to compete, and then refusing to seriously compete.
Pro basketball is the worst because of the guaranteed contracts. These guys all play to get the big long term guaranteed contract, once they get that, many really just check out. To use the Clippers as an example, look how big a stiff Chris Kaman became before the ink even dried on his ridiculous $50 million contract. The difference in the intensity of his play was noticeable immediately.
One of the biggest thing NBA scouts now assess when looking at new players is "How will the $$ affect his play?" Nobody wants to waste their #1 pick (or any high pick) on the next Kwame Brown.
Football isn't as bad because the contracts aren't guaranteed. So the player has to perform each year. And, lack of complete effort and concentration by a football player can result in his head getting taken off.
Baseball was ruined by free agency and the transient rosters of most teams. No loyalty anymore.