Thursday, April 12, 2012

U.S. Basketball Olympians Want To Be Paid?

In the past two days, Dwyane Wade and Ray Allen have come out and said that the bqasketball players who play on the U.S. team ought to be paid for their services, but now are back tracking quickly.
From ESPN:  Heat guard Dwyane Wade says money is not his motivation for the London Games this summer.
In a statement Thursday, Wade said, "I do not want to be paid to go to the Olympics."
Wade was quoted Wednesday saying he thinks "guys should be compensated" for playing over the summer and noted the schedule demands of being an Olympian.
"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."...
The biggest thing is now you get no rest," Wade said Wednesday. "So you go to the end of the season, [Team USA] training camp is two weeks later. You're giving up a lot to do it. It's something you want to do. But it's taxing on your body. You're not playing for the dollar. But it would be nice if you would get compensated."
Wade said Thursday that he was responding to a question about Olympians being paid, and never said he needed to be paid to play.
http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/7805591/miami-heat-dwyane-wade-backs-compensation-olympics
First, to say the players won't get paid when in the Olympics is false.  Every time a poster or a jersey or something with the players name on it, the player gets paid and they will sell a lot of basketball merchandise at the Olympics and at home during the Olympics.
And to be in the Olympics is supposed to be about pride and playing for your country, not getting paid.  No one is forcing the NBA players to play on the U.S. Olympic basketball team.  Further, the team is treated like royalty when they play in the Olympics.  They don't stay in the Olympic Village but in a 5 star hotel, they eat whatever they want and their families are well taken care of. 
They also have very high paying jobs, unlike most Olympians who barely scrape by. 
So, to Ray Allen and Dwyane Wade, I am glad you guys have come to your senses, or at least your management people told you what to say.  Play for the U.S. and not for the money.

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