The Crabtree Corollary

While I promise not to be too topic-centered in this space, the NFL has triggered an interesting mind puzzle for me over these last few days. In conjunction with Obama fans, today I will visit the sense of entitlement in young America. Obama fans seem to love entitlements, while normal people who may or may not have voted for him can be of different viewpoints on the matter.

Michael Crabtree is a young man with outstanding abilities in relation to catching a thrown football and advancing it to the end zone, scoring points and achieving the goals of any given football team. In two years of collegiate football at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Crabtree scored 41 touchdowns and had several games with gaudy statistics, helping his team to success the likes of which has not been seen by the Red Raiders in school history. The 21-year old saw his production hampered slightly in his second year, as teams focused more of their defensive planning on him, but that focused caused other teammates to be open and score at will. With little argument, Crabtree was the class of this year's college football at his position.

Knowing this, the sophomore entered the NFL Draft. Many of the experts felt he would be one of the first 5 players taken, as many teams have a need for a talent of his caliber. His selection of agent, one Eugene Parker, did not suggest that he had outlandish expectations for his contract or team that he would play for.

Oops.

As it turns out, Crabtree was drafted 10th by San Francisco, and there was another, lower-rated receiver taken in front of him. Not a problem in and of itself, but thngs got complicated when Crabtree and Parker insisted that the 49ers pay him better than the receiver taken 7th by the Oakland Raiders. Darrius Heywood-Bay of the Raiders was given a deal worth about $38 million over six years, while Crabtree was offered a reported $30 million over 5 years. The next receiver taken, Jeremy Maclin, signed a 5-year deal for a touch under $16 million, but he was taken 19th overall. With this in mind, Crabtree's offer seems like it was in line with what the market bears for new talent. Crabtree believes he should get more than Heywood-Bay based on where he was ranked by these experts in the pre-draft magazine articles. In response to not getting the money he believes he deserves, he has threatened to sit out the year and re-enter the draft in 2010.

I will repeat that statement: He believes he should get more money based on where people speculate he should have been drafted. Chew on that for a second. If you went to your bosses and told them that you should be paid more than someone else hired by a different company based on what a third party wrote that you should be worth based on how you performed somewhere else at a different (and lesser) skill level, even though that person was picked from the same talent pool as you, yet they were selected before you, what would they say? Better yet, would you then be able to threaten to not work the entire year, as Crabtree has done, and try to be selected again at a higher pay point, even though you cannot perform your trade that year?

Even taking into account the bizzaro world of professional sports and its absurd relationship with current financial situations, this is outlandish behavior by Crabtree, possibly on woeful advice from Parker, possibly from his own ego. While the real world does not have a 'draft' when leaving college, it must be noted that Crabtree voluntarily entered this draft, did so two years earlier than it was designed to be entered, and did so knowing that the pay scale is tied to the point of selection.

Every employer has specific considerations when coming to work there. Non-profits don't pay as well as for-profit companies, while Google offers their employees a game room. Some match on 401(k)'s, while others offer stock options, etc. These are questions one asks going in, and these are considerations that go into the decision one makes about a profession.

The process to become an NFL player is difficult and selective, and the rewards are significant. In conjunction with that, there are rules of entry that are to be considered. Crabtree was not under a financial hardship to enter the NFL, as his earnings (by NCAA mandate, another column for another time) are already at or near zero, plus he had two years of scholarship eligibility remaining (for a free education valued at $15,795 for the upcoming academic year). There is also a potential lockout of the league and union pending after the 2010 season. With that in mind, Crabtree's decision could play out like this:

-New draft in 2010 lands him at, let's say the 7th pick (four good QB's are coming next year, plus a fresh crop of undergrads leaving early), netting him a $40 million contract. He will not go higher, as now he has 'signability' issues, using the current sports parlance. The team drafting 7th will undoubtedly be worse than the '09 49ers, as this team is improving to the point of being a playoff outsider in their weak division.

-He signs and plays a year, shaking off some rust from not having been in a competitive format since the 2008 Cotton Bowl. He has an average year for a featured WR, catching 60 passes for about 950 yards. He watches the Pro Bowl, where very good players go as a reward for theis season, from his house.

-Teams are locking their players out for the 2011 season, using replacement players (God forbid) at lesser salaries, then play an abbreviated season with union players. He will not go to the Pro Bowl, as the season stats will be skewed and more popular players are selected.

-2012 is the first year without salary restriction that are in place now, causing Crabtree to hold out for more money because "he's better than" some receiver with a bad contract.

-The team cuts him, and Crabtree signs somewhere else for less money, just to play.

Since the NFL is the true "at will" employer in this country, Crabtree will basically lose about 30% of his value if the league locks out in 2010. He also looks like a chump to most casual fans of sport, due to his naked greed. No matter how good he is, he appears to be motivated by nothing that makes people fans of sport. Oh, and I may not have mentioned he has not ever taken the field for an NFL franchise.

There is a trend amongst many coming into high-profile professions in recent years to demand bigger pieces of the pie, and that is usually a good thing. Many established business models have for many years been in the seat of power in determining earnings and exposure for young talent. There is a reason for this limitation on young talent, however, and it is the liability of paying all of those who suck at their profession when performing it at a higher level.

It is estimated that the average record label signs over 1,000 acts to deals for every one that produces even one gold album (Gold is achieved by selling 500,000 copies). Since this is the case, many bands get money for producing music that no one will even wipe their...counters with. That money comes from somewhere...the sky, maybe? The same premise holds true in pro sports. Each year, teams sign dozens of players, then have to cut them or send them to the minor leagues or what-have-you, all in the hopes of finding a few stars to help them sell tickets and merchandise. And all while paying them on their contract, regardless of performance.

If someone is an established talent, the market pays them accordingly (i.e., Alex Rodriguez, Peyton Manning, etc). If they're not yet established, paying them big coin on a 'maybe' in the performance range makes little sense, even if paying on potential superstardom.

Therefore, I introduce the Crabtree Corollary. The corollary states:

When one enters a given profession, one must adhere to the guidelines set forth until one demonstrates either extraordinary need or extraordinary ability in said profession before attempting to change said guidelines.

This allows for a realistic assessment by all involved of an employee's worth before the employee can run roughshod over years of proven methodology. If there is a need for a rule or law change due to disability or illness, or if performance far outpaces expectation, adjustments can and should be made. Seems fair to me. And everyone else who has ever had to go looking for a job, don't you think?

As an aside, will the NFL allow me to order a Crabtree 49er jersey with the number '$' on it?

There will be a non-sports column tomorrow..promise.