On Yahoo Sport Blog was a post about the recent NFL study that I mentioned here and in “When Your Football Hero Husband Has Dementia“–an article for the online version of More magazine. This has absolutely nothing to do with CS, but I was struck by the ignorance of two comments in particular:
im sorry but everyone who keeps talking about the poor insurance and pension plans. They made millions of dollars during their carrer. they should have enough money to take care of medical bills or buy what ever insurance they want. If not then they should of had a better accountant.
who cares? they’re all wealthy, and making money they don’t deserve!
Here’s something I didn’t write in the article about the Mackeys: John’s first year on the Baltimore Colts, he made $17,500 plus playing bonuses. The most he ever made in a year–his last in 1972–was $50,000. No doubt, the biggest bonus he earned was for catching the 75-yard-pass that clinched the 1971 Super Bowl. But his ten-year career total didn’t even add up to $500,000–less than supporting players now make in a year. He was left with a pension that netted him less than $30,000 a year before taxes. It might be different for players today, but the game of football didn’t make John Mackey “wealthy.”
According to a recent front page article in The New York Times, “