The Validity of Contracts in Today’s Sports

Every year, in every sport, there is something called the coaching and free agent “carousel” that occurs. It is when both player’s and coach’s change teams as a result of a variety of reasons. Every major sport goes through this in their respective off-seasons and it can be one of the most exciting or disappointing times of year. However, with each passing year it seems as though it has become more about personal gains. Take a look at the recent saga that broke out between the Denver Broncos and Jay Cutler. 

A rumor was leaked that the Broncos had tried to get quarterback from the New England Patriots while also listening to trade offers for their current quarterback, Jay Cutler. Cutler, who heard about the rumors from the media, became angered by the fact that they had tried to trade him and felt the Broncos were not honest with him about what actually happened. Due to this, he publicly demanded to be traded out of Denver. It is troubling to see a player acting like this because he did not like the business aspect of these major sports. Millions of dollars are poured into teams like the Broncos in order to put a winning product out on the field. When players like Cutler refuse to honor the contracts they signed by demanding to be let out of it or to be traded, they are lessening the importance of contracts in sports. 

If a player can act in this manner, they just show how unimportant the contract has become in today’s contract has become. As shown in this situation, the way the system works gives the player almost a complete advantage in the situation. The team has almost no choice but to work things out and give the player what they want or get rid of him. Even when trying to get rid of the player, the team is at a disadvantage. They cannot simply release the player because, as done in the MLB, they have to honor their side of the contract and pay the player what he was promised. And when trying to trade the player, the team almost certainly gets less than market value because the other teams know they need to trade the player more than he is wanted and thus do not have the same bargaining power. 

Although it is can be said that the sports organizations also have the ability to violate the contract, the obvious power resides with the player. It is sad to see our society make such things as the Cutler situation or a coach voiding the rest of his contract in order to get that “better looking” job. Players have forgotten what it means when they agree to terms with a team. They are getting more and more money every year, the least these players could do is respect their side of the contract more. Not to say that both side could make some changes to avoid these situations, but players to understand the importance of their signature on the “dotted line.”