Money, money, money Part 2 -- Shohei Ohtani and Jon Rahm

Last week I wrote about the vast amount of money involved in the world of sports these days. It's always been there. We all know that. What has changed is the dollar amounts.I have to be aware that everything is more expensive today than it was in my heyday. My starting teaching salary in 1972 would pale in comparison to today's wage scale. I'll let you decide if teachers are overpaid. I recently read where Jack Nicklaus made a whopping $33.33 in his first PGA tournament in 1962. He had to share 50th place (last) with two other golfers. Someone else got the extra penny!So I have to be cognizant that I should not compare the money values of today to 50 or 60 years ago. Still, when the contract of Shohei Ohtani was announced, one could not suppress a gaping open mouth look of amazement at the sheer magnitude of the deal. Also, when Jon Rahm opted to sign up with LIV Golf, the amount of money he made before he actually swings a golf club in a tournament, was astounding.Last week I talked about Jimbo Fisher's "decent" buyout deal after being fired. I mentioned the NIL deals for college and even high school athletes that tend to boggle the mind. Today I will dissect both Ohtani and Rahm's contracts and likely state that I can no longer be amazed. But I will be. These won't be the last of mega millions being tossed around as if so much Halloween candy. Whether it's good for sports or not remains to be seen.Let's take a look at the two latest deals to top all deals. Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Jon Rahm spurned the PGA Tour for LIV Golf for a contract that paid him $300 million for just signing on the dotted line. Perks reportedly included travel expenses (including a jet) and a 12 person staff that included a chef. Total value of the deal supposedly reached some $640 million!It's time to give my take on these deals and I will start with Shohei.INITIAL FIRST REACTION: Well, they are getting two players for the price of… I'm sorry, but I am having difficulty writing the word one. Shohei Ohtani is a versatile two-way player. Some people have compared him to Babe Ruth. Others think that is giving the Bambino too much credit.Make no mistake, Ohtani is one of a kind. He toes the rubber every five days and is considered one of the best starting pitchers in the game. On the other four days (and on days he pitches) he can hit the ball as far as anyone and does so with a decent batting average. So if you are looking at getting one of the game's premier pitchers and one of the game's greatest hitters, I guess you are getting two players for the price of one. Split the contract in half and the Dodgers are paying $350 million for a pitcher and $350 million for a hitter. I guess the question would be this: is the $350,000,000 figure too much to pay?UPON FURTHER REVIEW: With his arm surgery recently, Shohei will not be pitching in the upcoming season. One could argue that his salary is overinflated. So the Dodgers, for one season, are getting just one player for their investment.Then word comes out that he is only going to make $2,000,000 per year. The rest (yes that is $680 million if you do the math) will be deferred. I could probably survive on two million, and I'm sure Ohtani can as well. It's interesting to me that most baseball fans are not complaining about the deal. However many clubs are, in particular small market teams, as the bar for future contracts has been raised significantly.ONE FINAL THOUGHT: There are team owners that have very deep pockets. They will continue to spend huge amounts of money to chase a championship. Ticket prices will continue to rise, and fans will continue to fill the seats.I went to two games this past summer at two different venues. It was the first time I had been to that many games in one season in years. One significant reason for this is the physical difficulty I have getting into these stadiums. (Sorry dad, I get it now) In the back of my mind however is the steep prices one has to pay to enjoy the game in person.Will that change? With baseball and other sports price themselves out? I doubt it. We'll just have to deal with it.As for Jon Rahm's contract… golf fans have had a much different reaction.INITIAL FIRST REACTION: You lied to us. The main problem with LIV Golf for the average fan is where the money is coming from. It's true that the game has changed dramatically. Players wear shorts, music blares on the course, the tournaments are only 54 holes and there is no cut. But the problem is the source of the money.Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund provides the multi million dollar prize funds. This is a country that was involved in 9-11, the killing of a Washington Post reporter and has an abysmal human rights record. The money being spent on golf is believed to be part of an attempt at "sports washing" to improve their international image. Many Americans have a dim view of LIV Golf.When PGA Tour players leave for LIV, fans are not happy. Jon Rahm, one of the best players in the world, had always said he didn't play golf for the money. He was not interested in missing out on the best tournaments in the world. He would stick with the PGA Tour. Then suddenly he bolts. It makes one wonder if there is any validity to the phrase that "every man has his price." UPON FURTHER REVIEW: Perhaps I am a bit hasty. People change. Circumstances change. The biggest change is that the PGA Tour and LIV Golf have supposedly merged – well, in a way. So is Jon Rahm actually bolting or just moving to another wing of the company?ONE FINAL THOUGHT: I must admit that I am not happy with professional golf these days. I must also admit that I am not familiar with all the inner workings of the present situation. There are those that say that things will eventually work out and the game will be even better.Perhaps that is true. The question I have is will it happen soon enough to bring me back into the fold?