Worst Contracts in Sports

To meet the demands of a passionate fan base, professional sports team often sign big name players to big time contracts. Everyone wants to snap up the next Wayne Gretzky/ Michael Jordan before a competitor does. Sometimes, these deals go terribly wrong and end up on my top 10 worst contracts in sports list:


10. In 2000, the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez to a 10 year/$252 million dollar contract. He is a future hall of famer, unless voters aren't sympathetic towards his admission to drug use. His time in Texas was futile so he was eventually shipped off to the Yankees so they could deal with the mess. So how many world series championships did he bring his baseball teams? 1. I think he is a good player, maybe even great. The hardware is what matters and 1 world series title just isn't good enough.

9. David Beckham was given a 5 year/$250 million dollar contract to bring fans and legitimacy to the MLS. Yes he does have quite a bit of fan fare everywhere he goes but the dude was way past his prime.

8. Jerome James was given a 6 year/$30 million dollar contract by the New York Knicks following the 2004-2005. He was touted for his decent performance in the playoffs for the Supersonics (12.5 ppg, 6.8 rpg). Truth is, the fellow barely belonged in the league. He averaged 3.1 ppg and 2.1 rpg for the Knicks. The man was paid $5 million a year to score 3 points per game. Isiah Thomas for the win.

7. I was a University of Kentucky fan growing up and also a fan of their legendary coach, Rick Pitino. In 1997, the Celtics brought him to the NBA under a lucrative contract of $70 million over 10 seasons. That's a huge contract for a coach, that's Phil Jackson caliber figures. Sorry but coaches shouldn't be paid that much unless they have a few NBA rings (as coaches) in their trophy case. Sure enough, Pitino was a bust. The Celtics didn't return to their glory under his tutelage and he was fired in 2001. They didn't even make the playoffs.

6. The 1998 NFL Draft would future two of the games future Hall of Fame quarterbacks, but it didn't. The first overall pick, Peyton Manning will go down as one of the great quarterbacks of the NFL. The second overall pick, Ryan Leaf will go down as the biggest bust in NFL history. Leaf and his 4year/$32.5 million dollar contract will be enshrined in trivia questions for future generations.


5. Grant Hill was the face of Sprite because image is everything. In College, he was the man. To this day Hill is still remembered for his successes with Duke. Right from the get go, Hill was a superstar in the NBA. He was one of the best all around players in the game. With his talent he was destined to end up in Cooperstown. The Orlando Magic signed him to a 7 year/$93 million dollar contract. Big money for a future hall of famer seems justified right? Here's the but. Injuries hampered his career and Hill only played 47 games in his first four seasons with the Magic. He never regained his superstar status. Although, he still made some All-Star games solely based on his popularity.


4.3.2.1. The worst contract in sports history was awarded to a farmer boy from Gans, Oklahoma by the name of Bryant "Big Country" Reeves. He played for the woeful Grizzlies when they were in Vancouver and was given a lucrative $61.8 million dollar/ 6 year contract extension following two good seasons. He was an imposing physical presence with a decent mid range jumper. His next season (1997-1998) would be his best year, where he averaged 16.3 ppg, 7.9 rpg and 1.08 bpg. The big man had delivered for the franchise but only for that one season. He came into training camp overweight and the dream was over. Bryant Reeves would retire from the NBA in 2001-2002.

I read somewhere that Pavel Bure's 5 year/ $47.5 million dollar contract was a bad one. The man produced 58, 59 goals in his first two seasons and was still a point a game player the following three seasons. Knee injuries forced him to retire but Bure was still a great player. Florida wanted him to be the next great one, but there's only one and that's Gretzky.

Sports Digest

The C.F.L. is Canada's Football league where the field is wider and there are only three downs to every drive. It's an 8 team league where the stakes are low. I support Canadian everything but lately it's hard to pay attention to this game. I do love the fact that the B.C. Lions do give a lot back to the community that supports them. They send out tickets to local elementary schools and send players to give speeches about pride and respect. I am not really bothered by the number of teams in the league, but rather how easy it is to make the playoffs. In the NHL, there are 30 teams, 15 in each conference. 8 out of 15 teams in each conference are given a playoff birth (just over 50% of the league). In the C.F.L. 6 out of 8 teams make it. You could potentially be the worst team in a division of 4 like the Lions are this year and still have a shot of competing for the Grey Cup. I think the owners and the commissioner need to sit down and rethink this whole thing. I propose that the top two teams in each division make the playoffs not the best 6 out of 8. A league that lets 66.66% of its teams make the playoffs is one that I'm about to tune out. For the love of the game, lets make it a 4 team playoff scenario.



The NFL is just a mighty fine league. Remember when Michael Vick was sentenced to two years in jail for animal cruelty and lack of judgment? Well, he's back this year playing for the Eagles and there has not been much media coverage around him. Truth is, he has yet to provide that extra punch that Andy Reid was touting when they signed him. Once, Michael Vick was an exceptional athlete with exorbitant amounts of wealth, fame and fans. Now, he sits on the pine waiting for coach to let him experience that field he used to dominate.
One a happier note, 40 year old football legend Brett Favre still proving that he has got game. Surrounding by a good set of receivers, rushers, offensive linesmen and solid defense, Favre has brought the Minnesota Vikings to 7-1 start. Packer fans sure were/are/always will be angry at him for signing with their division rivals. Favre is 2-0 versus the Packers this year throwing 7 TDs while torching their secondary. Some athletes have had a hard time retiring from the game they love and end up hurting their careers even though they have nothing left to prove (Pedro Martinez, Alonso Mourning, Ken Shamrock, Allen Iverson, Chuck Liddell, John Daly, Peter Forsberg, Claude Lemieux), Brett Favre still has it. A few years from now if he is still chucking the pigskin around he might have to join that list. It's tough for athletes to go from a life on the road, structured practices, routines they have been going through for most of their adult lives to retirement. When you have been competing for as long as many of these guys have been, your mind doesn't want to stop but your body does. I applaud the likes of Chris Chelios for still having that desire to compete, even at the age of 47. He signed an AHL contract with the Chicago Wolves so he could continue to play hockey at a high level. He's not only sharing locker room space with kids half his age but best of all he is sharing his love for the game.



The NHL - The Leafs suck but are no longer the worst team in the NHL. That dubious honor goes out to the Carolina Hurricanes.
Andrew Raycroft has been stellar in net for the Canucks as Luongo's backup. Kessler and Burrows continue to prove that they deserve every dime in their contract extensions. Maxim Lapierre is as soft as the inside of a banana. Steven Stamkos is making a serious case to be included on the Team Canada roster for 2010. Anze Kopitar is a burgeoning unknown star in the NHL who is currently on top of the leaderboards. Rick Rypien is just waiting for the sucker to challenge him to a fight (David beats Goliath Part 7). The lucky loser point continues to make a big impact on the rankings of the teams. Darcy Hordichuk records his first goal of the season. The Colorado Avalanche continue their impressive start to the season. San Jose Sharks putting up Ws in the regular season as usual.



The NBA - I was having a discussion with my brother earlier today on the players in the league. He might be one of only a hand full of people that I know that enjoy the game and know a bit about it. Die hard Lakers fans who just yell out "Kobe. Kobe. Kobe." do not count in my book. We decided that the Top 5 players in the league are Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard. Honorable mentions: Chris Paul, Chris Bosh, Steve Nash
This list isn't based on what these players have achieved throughout their careers, it's about the present. The draft class of' '03 is incredible considering Lebron, Carmelo, Wade and Bosh were all drafted that year. If only Darko would only emerge from the shadows of mediocrity and live up to the expectations of scouts when he was drafted 2nd. When the woeful Grizzlies left Vancouver for greener pastures in Tennessee I decided that Toronto would be my new team. It feels like a crime to support a team based out of Toronto, but I live in Vancouver and people here really only care about the Canucks (when they are winning). Back to the Raptors update.

Since last January, Andrea Bargnani has shown the Toronto Raptors that he is worthy of that number one draft pick. He's a good three point shooter with a good free throw percentage averaging over 20 points per game. He's one of few European big men to be able to shoot like that beyond the arc, Dirk Nowitzski being the other. I miss the energy that Jamario Moon brought every night and the perimeter defense that Anthony Parker provided. I think Jarrett Jack and DeMar DeRozan will bring more to the table for the Raptors. Moon, was often misguided and took many ill advised shots that hurt the Raptors. There's been a lot of buzz around injured newcomer Reggie Evans. He is known for his rebounding, tenacity and hustle; skills sets that will make him a very valuable role player for this playoff bound team. Bosh is about to hit free agency and this might be his last year playing for the Raptors so I hope that they go far.

FIFA - Congratulations to Honduras on qualifying for the World Cup. One day Canada will be there.

Those are my ramblings on sports these days. As a present to anyone brave enough to have read up to this point, here's a nice picture of a hot canucks girl.