Sorts of Sports

Straight Cash

On the heels of Carmelo Anthony signing his extension with the New York Knicks and the rich getting richer, I wanted to take a look at other athletes that get paid an absurd amount of money for what they do. It has always been my stance not to hate on an athlete's salary since the market demands it, but I figured I would just bring it to everyone's attention. Oh by the way, the Cleveland Browns just franchised their kicker Phil Dawson. Dawson will get about $3.25 million next year. What's more crazy is that that is the average salary of the top 5 kickers. How hard is it to kick?

As if that wasn't enough. Look at Shane Lechler, punter for the Oakland Raiders. As if the Raiders don't do enough dumb things, Lechler was given $16 million over 4 years. I'm guessing this guy was a former high school soccer player that was picked up to kick a ball in practice and no one got to touch him. Years later, he is making $4 million for 77 punts. Do the math, I can't.

Getting away from the major sports VanDam hauled in a cool $500,000. Not the famed Jean-Claude Van Damme who teamed up with Dennis Rodman in "Double Team" or the one who saved the NHL in "Sudden Death" but I'm referring to Bass Fisher Kevin VanDam who just won $500,00, upping his career earnings to over $5 million. 28 pounds of fish for $500,000... are we at Legal Sea Foods?

Trevor Bayne just collected $1.5 million in prize money for winning at the Daytona 500 in his second career race. He is only 20 and he just went around for several hours pushing other cars along until the last lap in which he took the victory. I'm not going to hate on NASCAR but that is outrageous. 500 miles for $1.5 million, and after you subtract what he owes for gas it is a wash.

Jamie Gold took home an easy $12 million in 2008 for winning the World Series of Poker. All he had to do was act like an arrogant prick for a few days, pushing out players left and right. I don't even think he worked up a sweat, unlike Greg Raymer who took in $5 million for his winnings in 2007. After the massages and $1 tips for drinks and food, I think Raymer lost money and Gold probably got in some legal trouble and owed half of it to a buddy.

College coaches bring in a lot of money for their schools, if you assume that coaching, not improper benefits, translates to wins. Wichita State gave their head coach, Mark Turgeon, $750,000 for putting a competing team on the basketball court. That might be justifiable but when the Florida Gators' former women's coach, Carolyn Peck, gets $300,000 when being fired after going 0-11 in the SEC. Juanna Mann anyone?

I could go on but the point I'm trying to make is that if you don't like it, don't watch it. But I'm still scratching my head on Carolyn Peck's contract. No one does watch women's basketball already.