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Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen think Olympians should be paid | Ball Don't Lie - Yahoo! Sports
They dont make enough money in the regular season and through endorsements? Now they dont even want to represent their country unless they are paid. I can understand the concern of getting injured, but they can simply pass on the invitation then. It is an honor to represent your country and win a gold/silver/bronze medal.
They dont make enough money in the regular season and through endorsements? Now they dont even want to represent their country unless they are paid. I can understand the concern of getting injured, but they can simply pass on the invitation then. It is an honor to represent your country and win a gold/silver/bronze medal.
This summer, a contingent of NBA stars will head to London to represent Team USA. There will be lots of discussion about how they're doing it for pride in their country and love of the game. It's a nice promotional exercise for the league and its corporate partners (chiefly shoe and apparel companies), all of whom can make money while talking about abstract values like honor and integrity. Everyone wins!
Yet, while players get to luxuriate in those values for a couple weeks, they don't actually get paid for the experience. Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen don't agree with that policy. Here's Wade, as reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com (via SLAM):
"It's a lot of things you do for the Olympics -- a lot of jerseys you sell," Wade said after the Heat's practice on Wednesday in advance of Thursday's game against Chicago. "We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it's not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it."
Wade said he hasn't thought about how much players should be paid for their time. But he said there is a demanding schedule that comes with a commitment to the national team. This summer, NBA players whose teams advance deep into the playoffs could have only a couple of weeks of down time before the start of Team USA's training camp in late July.
Those comments came one day after similar sentiment from Ray Allen, who spoke to Chris Tomasson of FoxSports.com (also via SLAM):
"You talk about the patriotism that guys should want to play for, but you (need to) find a way to entice the guys," Allen said. "It's not the easiest thing in the world if you play deep in the playoffs and then you get two, three weeks off and then you start training again to play more basketball where it requires you to be away from home and in another country. It's fun, but your body does need a break.
"Everybody says, 'Play for your country.' But (NBA players are) commodities, your businesses. You think about it, you do camps in the summer, you have various opportunities to make money. When you go overseas and play basketball, you lose those opportunities, what you may make… If I'm an accountant and I get outsourced by my firm, I'm going to make some money somewhere else."
Yet, while players get to luxuriate in those values for a couple weeks, they don't actually get paid for the experience. Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen don't agree with that policy. Here's Wade, as reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com (via SLAM):
"It's a lot of things you do for the Olympics -- a lot of jerseys you sell," Wade said after the Heat's practice on Wednesday in advance of Thursday's game against Chicago. "We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it's not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it."
Wade said he hasn't thought about how much players should be paid for their time. But he said there is a demanding schedule that comes with a commitment to the national team. This summer, NBA players whose teams advance deep into the playoffs could have only a couple of weeks of down time before the start of Team USA's training camp in late July.
Those comments came one day after similar sentiment from Ray Allen, who spoke to Chris Tomasson of FoxSports.com (also via SLAM):
"You talk about the patriotism that guys should want to play for, but you (need to) find a way to entice the guys," Allen said. "It's not the easiest thing in the world if you play deep in the playoffs and then you get two, three weeks off and then you start training again to play more basketball where it requires you to be away from home and in another country. It's fun, but your body does need a break.
"Everybody says, 'Play for your country.' But (NBA players are) commodities, your businesses. You think about it, you do camps in the summer, you have various opportunities to make money. When you go overseas and play basketball, you lose those opportunities, what you may make… If I'm an accountant and I get outsourced by my firm, I'm going to make some money somewhere else."
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