I will say this as I had this same discussion earlier in the week with some of my friends. It was relative to Manny Machado signing with Padres for 300 million dollars. Call me ignorant call me whatever you want, blah blah blah I’m not a professional athlete, the top of my career was DIII baseball. Whatever. The athlete in me simply can not comprehend putting money as the end all be all. Manny Machado could literally hand pick the next decade of his career. Maybe the Padres develop something but in all likelihood Manny Machado will be playing meaningless baseball during the prime of his career. He could have taken a shorter deal, same average salary and gone to a contender like the Yankees. Or taken a similar deal for maybe 50 million dollars less and gone to a different contender. Point being when discussing the difference between 250 million and 300 million my simpleton brain can’t comprehend giving up the chance to play for championships.
Comparing this to Zion, it focuses on a competitive spirit. We play these sports from the time we can walk until the time when our body gives out. Athletic competition is what drives us all. To tell a kid like Zion, sit down, cash your check, you’re asking him to sacrifice a life experience that he’ll never get again. He has spent the last however many months with this group, bonding, working, striving for a championship. To get this far and have sone fluke injury persuade you to give up and bow out, goes against the competitive spirit of an athlete. I think it goes against everything Zion has shown since coming onto campus.
Money is great, it provides a whole heck of a lot in this world. But Zion has been playing ball his entire life. He could have suffered an injury at any point. People ask the question, what does he have to gain? He has a life experience to gain, with his brothers. He’s an athlete man, let him compete.
