EPL Talk - Latest Comments in How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Brandon — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:11:42 -0000

I'm not going to knock anyone for how they spend their money. Especially pro athletes who spend their wages on lavish toys and the lot. There just happens to be a lot of money floating around. What are they supposed to do with it?

I'd reckon that many of them, Stevie G included give a decent amount to charities and youth groups as well. Obviously that's not going to reported as much.

Disposable income is disposable income no matter how much money you have. If I blow some money on a DVD it's the same as Gerrard buying a gym. We just happen to live in different economic planets. His just happens to be Mars.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 00:41:21 -0000

If these guys are paid as much as we excitedly discuss they are paid, they must keep the money moving -- what good is it just sitting in a bank? The banks are failing anyway. I'm sure the financial planners have advised the wealthy to invest the money in things that will re-invest by itself -- not cars very much, but property always. It is obnoxious how much they are paid, but this is now an old topic.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Steve Colclough — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:46:44 -0000

Wow, Gaffer. Never took you as a closet socialist. In case you haven't figured it out yet, it's the fans who willingly choose to pay what they pay to watch these footballers play. In your world, who should reap the benefits? Maybe require the proceeds from television contracts, ticket sales, and licensed apparel be redistributed amongst society? Or perhaps governments should just set a cap on what athletes are allowed to earn, thereby reducing the incentive for some of these guys to work so hard to become brilliant athletes and diminish the interest in sport which creates a market for those who earn their livelihoods by running websites which celebrate the exploits of the world's sportsmen.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Eladio — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 22:19:05 -0000

Gaffer, would you prefer that the players get paid 40k/year, and the owners pad their pockets even more? There's a lot of money to be made in the EPL, and I'd much rather it be spread around to the players than the owners hording it all.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Adam — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 19:47:48 -0000

This article's ridiculous. Next time Steven Gerrard trips over his wallet on the pitch, post this.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

LemmusLemmus — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:51:14 -0000

"So no one here is disgusted by the exorbitant amounts of cash that these players are earning and how they’re spending their money on cars, mansions and the like?

No one finds this excessive at all?"

I'm not, and I don't. Like many people, you seem to think that you know what the "right" or "fair" wage for doing something is. I believe there used to be an experiment along those lines in the 20th century; it didn't work. I, for one, am glad I live in a market economy.

And I can find nothing wrong with a person spending his honestly earned money on a gym. If he commits assault, that's a different issue.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Raatzie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 16:10:43 -0000

@ Chris:

It's not that people get paid what they're worth. It's that people get paid the value assigned them by society. Lots of folks (police, fire, teachers) get paid less than their value to society. But it is what it is. Like I said, whether it should b otherwise is another matter.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

50 — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:45:50 -0000

pay attention to american sports much?
EPL wages are nothing comapared to what NBA,NFL,& MLB players make.......and flaunting? the NBA instated a dress code just to tone down how the players looked coming & going from games.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

jm — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:28:27 -0000

Gaffer,

I have some sympathy with your position. I, after all, do not think it is right for people to do "whatever they want with their money." (Note, however, that this does not license the government to tell people what to do with their money either, something can be wrong and your own business - e.g., an extramarital affair).

I think part of my negative reaction is that I think it is missing the forest for the trees to look at how Premier League players spend their money. The issue seems to me to be that the game is awash with money, at costs all passed on to the consumer through ticket prices, television rates, etc. Within that institution I'd actually rather the players are the ones getting the money than the owners, and I'm also not "sickened" by people failing to live up to ethical standards I know so very few of us manage to. What sickens me is the general social trends in the stratification of wealth, particularly here in the States.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Karthik Balasubramanian — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:51:32 -0000

its his money.. he can spend it how he wants.. if ur really sick to your bones.. dont watch him play.. if more of you think that way.. maybe stadium attendances will fall and liverpool may not be able to pay him those astronomical wages..

Its not right to blame the footballer for the money he is making.. the average football fan has become football crazy in terms of spending money.. u cant have the best of both worlds my friend..

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

lsmetana — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:13:07 -0000

This article caught my eye....very topical :)

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/new...

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

AtlantaPompey — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:52:47 -0000

I don't begrudge anyone the right to spend their money how they see fit, as long they are acting within social norms, or at least being private about it so I don't have to hear. If Stevie G wants to build a gym, fine with me. If he wants to give it away to charity, fine with me. If he wants to give it to me, really fine with me.

Everybody does things with their money that others might find wierd. I spend $100 a month on Directv's HD package plus the sports packages so I can watch the EPL. I know lots of people who think that strange. One person's normal is another's strange.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Chris — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:28:24 -0000

Wow Gaffer, interesting choice of words. Disgusting...sickening. You must really despise professional athletes.

People get paid what they are worth, in all walks of life. Like an earlier poster said, he has a skillset that is incredibly rare. His skillset also happens to be incredibly valuable, which is why he gets paid so much. His home and gym cost him less than half a year's wages from the club. My home certainly cost a larger percentage of my income than his did. I personally don't know anybody that has a home that cost a smaller percentage of their income than his did.

What would you have Steven Gerrard do with his money? Why shouldn't he be able to spend his hard earned money to improve his home? Should he not spend his money in an attempt to not offend jealous onlookers?

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Jordan — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:15:34 -0000

I would rather see the Players be greatly rewarded than the team owners. If the players didnt make as much more would go to ownership.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

mike — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:11:36 -0000

Sure it's excessive what rich people buy, but a $700,000 gym is pretty low on the frivolous spending scale. It would be great if every wealthy person gave back to charities or lived more modestly, but then that is a challenge to everyone living in the West if we're honest.

If you are upset about how much money players and teams make, then vote with your wallet and don't buy their merchandise, tickets, etc.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Simon Burke — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:01:13 -0000

Sorry gaffer, its not exactly news to anyone. What did you think they were earning? You thought they gave it all to charity? In a perfect world my friend but in real life its fast cars, nice houses, bigger houses which are still nice and then the racetrack. I am not so offended by it unless its flaunted at me.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

The Gaffer — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:50:20 -0000

So no one here is disgusted by the exorbitant amounts of cash that these players are earning and how they're spending their money on cars, mansions and the like?

No one finds this excessive at all?

Cheers,
The Gaffer

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

tyduffy — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:22:43 -0000

I don't really have that much problem with a gym. It's not as though he can pop down to the local gym without being mobbed.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Raatzie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 11:53:33 -0000

Society places a high value on the players vis-a-vis other professions. Whether it should is debatable, but entirely another question. I agree that of all the ways Stevie G might spend his money, this isn't really near the obttom of the list.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Hank — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:48:09 -0000

Athletes are making millions of and buying mansions?! If only I had known that before watching them on TV, buying their jerseys, and paying to see them play!

Uhmm...

Anyway, isn't this blog called "epltalk"? If we all started watching pickup games in our local park, where would I come to read articles like this? :)

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Chris — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:41:32 -0000

Maybe it's time we gave up on capitalism and democracy too. Let's all take a vow of poverty and promise to never enjoy ourselves ever. Who's with me???

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

jim — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 10:06:04 -0000

U Mad?

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

jm — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:58:19 -0000

I sympathize with the Gaffer's point, but I think it is unfair to lay the blame so squarely on the athletes themselves. The problems here are institutional, with the amount of money in sport and that the costs are mostly placed on us, the ticketholders.

As ChrissMari rightly points out, the money is either going to the incredibly wealthy owners, or to the wealthy players. The problem, then, is in the structure.

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

sean — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:40:06 -0000

Why is it such a bug deal if he spends his money like this?

He had to work extremely hard to get to where he is now, and you think he should live in a 2 bedroom apartment??

Of course not, and it also makes sense for him to build a gym. Especially for in the off season, its a good way to stay at top shape with out having to drive to the training fields and back,

Re: How Premier League Players Flaunt Wealth Is Absolutely Sickening

Lonnie — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 09:38:30 -0000

I'd rather see Gerrard invest money into his home/property then watch him blow it on booze, drugs and gambling. All impressions seem to be that he is a hard-working decent fellow, who as Phil points out is being richly rewarded for his physical skills.

I don't see this as any different than film/TV actors who command huge salaries. They buy themselves lavish homes and cars as well. It seems like a lot of money to us working joes but their scale of economy is quite different than ours.

The gym might look ugly to some but it does include some interesting architectural elements:

"Gerrard won planning permission after including plans to install a living 'sedum roof', which includes grass, moss and other plants and helps cut fuel bills by keeping the building warmer in the winter."