SebastianBlue said:
Shaelumstash said:
I completely agree with you in terms on entrepreneurs and people in the business world. It is often their drive for wealth that helps them to become wealthy. Their success is measured by how much money they can make. Sportsmen are rather different though. Success is not only measured by wealth, and it is certainly not the only motivation for them.
I think your point is valid when related to Seluk, as he is a business man who's seemingly only motivation is money. I don't personally believe that is Yaya's sole motivation. I think he craves success on the pitch, and also craves the kind of recognition that the top players in the world receive. Whether that is winning personal accolades, or being the highest paid player, I don't think Yaya's sole motivation is money.
I agree with your points regarding business people and his agent. However, I think the footballing world is changing. In the past I would agree the greatest motivation for footballers was glory. But generational focuses change and I believe status has begun to become just as important. Unfortunately, in a capitalist system status is usually equated with material wealth, which requires money. The more money the more possessions one accumulates. I won't go into a long winded analysis of hyperreality in the world of sport but in short I think money and recognition are equal drivers of today's adult athletes (as is the case for the population at large). There does seem to be trend away from that with the younger generation demanding ethical satisfaction, which has its benefits and concerns, but I don't believe Yaya is of that generation (and it requires conditioning, which is where the trend has originated).
Still, these are just my thoughts.
I completely understand where you are coming from, and in the main I agree with the points you are making. However, I think sport, and football in particular, there are other measures of a player's status that are more important than personal wealth.
Samuel Eto'o was one of the highest paid players in the world at Anzhi, but if anything his status fell when he went there. Messi could have doubled his wage if he's moved to Anzhi, but he would have had no chance of winning the Balon D'Or or the Champions League, so he'd rather stay at Barca.
As I said earlier, I do think being the highest paid player is important for the top footballers, but I think their motivation is more about being seen as the best. Messi becoming the highest paid player in the world probably helps to validate his opinion that he is the best player. I think that is more important to him than the extra 3 million cash a year.
I think winning is the primary motivation for most sportsmen. You have to have that personality type as a kid to stand out in the first place. Of course the money is important, but I think it's more about what the money represents - i.e. the recognition.
The difference I think with money driven people in the business world is that the money, and material possessions are the measures of success which motivate them. They could care less about the industry accolades, because they grew up imagining having the Ferrari and the Yacht. Whereas I think most footballers grow up imagining winning the World Cup, Champions League, and Balon D'Or.
