With all of the talk about the economy right now, it's very unusual to see the lucrative contracts that professional athletes are signed for. The national debt could be paid for by taking half of today's professional athletes' salary. The national pastime is being tarnished by the greed of the players and their agents.

Recently a contract was given to NBA star Ervin "Magic" Johnson for $14.6 million for one year. That is unconditional: even if he gets injured, he still will receive his contract. New York Mets' Bobby Bonilla was signed for $29 million for five years, which will give him a salary of $622.10 an hour even when he is off the field. The Oakland Athletics have 16 millionaires on their current team, and most players are signed through the year 1993.

Today's managers have the stressful job of keeping players healthy. For instance, your star player making $30 million has come to you with a sore toenail and will not be able to play for three years which is exactly the length of his contract. The team is not stuck with a $30 million dollar contract and no player in return.

Baseball has always been there for the American public to enjoy, but the ticket prices are now extremely high because of the exploding salaries. In return, the number of people attending a game will decrease, lowering the total gross of the owners. If the players keep demanding more money, the game will be ruined, professional sports will be no more. n