Like Most Fans, I Too Sometimes Forget That Professional Sports Is A Business....

Like Most Fans, I Too Sometimes Forget That Professional Sports Is A Business....

I was new to this country when my father introduced me to what is now and still is my favorite Sport, which is American football; then, my father’s fan loyalties belonged to the Silver & Black - those Al Davis’ Oakland Raiders. However, when the late Mr. Davis decided to move the Raiders team to Los Angeles, my father never forgave the iconic team owner and subsequently became a fan of the across the bay team, the 49ers. I benignly criticized my dad then, because, he, like I, sometimes forgot that Professional Sports is/was a business… and the point was at the fore today when it was reported that Dwyane Wade, after playing for thirteen years, had signed with the Chicago Bulls after winning three National Basketball Association (hereinafter NBA) championships Miami Heat.

From an emotional Miami Heat fan point of view, Pat Riley, the Miami Heat President, comes off looking like greed personify, or moreover, ungrateful… with the scarlet cloak of disloyalty. Lest we forget that Dwyane Wade gave up a lot of loot for Lebron James to take his talents to Miami and that Wade’s largesse was on display once again, when he gave up millions for Chris Bosh to be a Heat, which paid off because the Miami Heat secured two championships… adding to the one that Wade won with Shaq.

The Miami Heat might have forfeited this basketball season, but next year there is a cornucopia of free agent players - Russell Westbrook, Blake Griffin, etc - to be had and with the salary-cap room that Wade’s departure leaves, from a long term, business Machiavellian point of view, Pat Riley will look like a genius because he will have the financial latitude to potentially sign one or two of these young free agents next year.

After all, notwithstanding player loyalty and the negative public relationship’s perception, Dwyane Wade is in his mid-thirties, and objectively, his basketball skills are dwindling; and with Wade asking for some $50 million for two years, we can see the dilemma that Pat Riley was in. With all that said though and the business logic that probably was foremost in Pat Riley’s mind, how do you think that Wade felt, knowing his past monetary sacrifices… and moreover, further knowing that, as recently as last week, that Mr. Riley was vigorously wooing the Oklahoma Thunder perennial Superstar, Kevin Durant, and was willing and able to pay him Bill Gates’ money?

Wade signed with the Chicago Bulls for $47.5 million and you may say that compare to the typical employee, look at the millions that the parties were haggling over - but that is now the lucrative nature of professional sports. Now, I, for one, am salivating to see the first game between the Chicago Bulls and the Miami Heat – you know that the NBA is going to place that game on its schedule and broadcast it in prime time… as Terrell Owens would say: get your popcorn! I have used Van Morrison/John-Lee-Hooker's, Gloria, to help flesh out this blog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAXLRAj8xOo