Blow Me

Dear Jeremy Roenick,

Earlier in the week you attacked fans who call athletes spoiled. You said we could all kiss your ass, and that we were jealous of you.

I don't call you spoiled because you make millions of dollars to play a game. Sports is big business -- there's a lot of money going around in that world and I think players deserve a lot of it. The money is relative. Your bosses make a ton of money and you have the power to force them to share the wealth. Good for you. If a high school principal made $100M, then certainly the teachers should be millionaires, too. But that kind of money doesn't float around the teaching profession, so they all make considerably less. Unfair? Maybe. But players aren't to blame for the fact that people are willing to spend so much money on sports.

So like I said, I don't call you spoiled because you make millions. I do, however, call you spoiled. Not because you squabble over millions, but because you squabble over millions and didn't play. You think we think you're spoiled because you make money? Please. You're spoiled because you used the game we love so much. You used it. You don't make millions to play a game -- you make millions to play a game for us. You have pride and desire, and the thing most on your mind when you take a slash to the knees is a determnination to not let your teammates down, but none of that matters without me. I -- as the fan and customer -- am the single most important thing in your professional life. Without me watching, there is no reason for you playing -- as a paid professional.

Also, you don't want fans in the arenas who think you're spoiled? Athletes in other sports make more money than you. Those sports don't have millions of dollars worth of television contracts because people think they're spoiled. It's not a question of being spoiled. And even if it was, you'd better hope anyone and everyone shows up. You can only make all those millions if people pay to watch.

And as far as me being jealous? I'm not jealous of anyone whose boss just made them a bitch.

You bitch.

Sincerely,
Kevin