KHL amps up rhetoric

I can't imagine that there aren't some sort of "perks" that go along with being on the national team. I'm sure that the teams find ways of compensating their players adequately, so that they have enough incentive to cut into their time off.

Acrobat wrote:I can't imagine that there aren't some sort of "perks" that go along with being on the national team. I'm sure that the teams find ways of compensating their players adequately, so that they have enough incentive to cut into their time off.

I'm not a professional athlete, but my incentive would be pride. How many kids here in Canada dream of playing in a gold-medal game at the Olympics?

PKC wrote:

Acrobat wrote:I can't imagine that there aren't some sort of "perks" that go along with being on the national team. I'm sure that the teams find ways of compensating their players adequately, so that they have enough incentive to cut into their time off.

I'm not a professional athlete, but my incentive would be pride. How many kids here in Canada dream of playing in a gold-medal game at the Olympics?

That's you. I agree with you, and I'd say eighty percent of athletes are like that, but definitely not 100%.

Look at the NHL All-Star Game (unpaid - minimal compensation, some non-NA players are starting to say "no") or the MLB All-Star Game (same thing, several players have declined, some openly stating that they would go if they were being paid).

For most, there is the pride of achievement and success in competition. For some, there is only the pride from attainment of material goods. (Wow, did that ever sound like a sermon...)

Acrobat wrote:

PKC wrote:

Acrobat wrote:I can't imagine that there aren't some sort of "perks" that go along with being on the national team. I'm sure that the teams find ways of compensating their players adequately, so that they have enough incentive to cut into their time off.

I'm not a professional athlete, but my incentive would be pride. How many kids here in Canada dream of playing in a gold-medal game at the Olympics?

That's you. I agree with you, and I'd say eighty percent of athletes are like that, but definitely not 100%.

Look at the NHL All-Star Game (unpaid - minimal compensation, some non-NA players are starting to say "no") or the MLB All-Star Game (same thing, several players have declined, some openly stating that they would go if they were being paid).

For most, there is the pride of achievement and success in competition. For some, there is only the pride from attainment of material goods. (Wow, did that ever sound like a sermon...)

I understand your point. But the All-Star game in every sport these days is a farce. I don't understand how the overall idea of the All-Star game got lost over the decades, but its technically supposed to be a showcase of skill and a competition to see which conference has the best players. Now its just a showcase of break-away skills, slam dunk competitions, home-run hitting and touch down passing. It's just a glorified pick up game where the All Stars look so ridiculously nonchalant that might as well not even be wearing any equipment but wearing sandals and shorts.

PKC wrote:

Acrobat wrote:
Look at the NHL All-Star Game (unpaid - minimal compensation, some non-NA players are starting to say "no") or the MLB All-Star Game (same thing, several players have declined, some openly stating that they would go if they were being paid).

For most, there is the pride of achievement and success in competition. For some, there is only the pride from attainment of material goods. (Wow, did that ever sound like a sermon...)

I understand your point. But the All-Star game in every sport these days is a farce. I don't understand how the overall idea of the All-Star game got lost over the decades, but its technically supposed to be a showcase of skill and a competition to see which conference has the best players. Now its just a showcase of break-away skills, slam dunk competitions, home-run hitting and touch down passing. It's just a glorified pick up game where the All Stars look so ridiculously nonchalant that might as well not even be wearing any equipment but wearing sandals and shorts.

Agreed. But even at the Olympic level, you would have to be naive to believe that the elite athletes from China are treated equally to those "worker-bees" at the factory who make our iPods, DVD players, and LCD screens. Even in the US, "amateurs" live a fairly luxurious life once they reach elite status, due to external funding, grants, and other forms of "assistance". In the case of someone like Mez, he is a pro, so there is nothing stopping the national sports authorities from granting him all sorts of "assistance" above and beyond that which is permissible to amateurs (keeping in mind also that regulatory oversight is somewhat less stringent in some - not all - Eastern Bloc countries).

The flip side is that the government could elect to make his life difficult should he elect not to be eligible to skate for the national team. That may be an even greater incentive. Heck, if the Canadian government decided to make my life any more difficult, I would certainly get pissed.

Acrobat wrote:

Agreed. But even at the Olympic level, you would have to be naive to believe that the elite athletes from China are treated equally to those "worker-bees" at the factory who make our iPods, DVD players, and LCD screens. Even in the US, "amateurs" live a fairly luxurious life once they reach elite status, due to external funding, grants, and other forms of "assistance". In the case of someone like Mez, he is a pro, so there is nothing stopping the national sports authorities from granting him all sorts of "assistance" above and beyond that which is permissible to amateurs (keeping in mind also that regulatory oversight is somewhat less stringent in some - not all - Eastern Bloc countries).

The flip side is that the government could elect to make his life difficult should he elect not to be eligible to skate for the national team. That may be an even greater incentive. Heck, if the Canadian government decided to make my life any more difficult, I would certainly get pissed.

Thing is, we're not talking about Olympic sports. A sprinter *has to* go the the Worlds and the Olympics because, without it, he'd never get his mug on a box of Shreddies. NHL players make $450K minimum, and the one who are good enough to be invited to even try out for international competition are making (or about to make) way more than that. International exposure does not equate to a bigger paycheck.

As for the All Star games, those sports (MLB, NHL, NBA) have very long seasons, especially if you go deep in the playoffs. The All Star break is a chance for them to spend time with their families. This is especially true for those with young kids. I believe the ones who say they would attend if it was paid are in the minority.

wprager wrote:
Thing is, we're not talking about Olympic sports. A sprinter *has to* go the the Worlds and the Olympics because, without it, he'd never get his mug on a box of Shreddies. NHL players make $450K minimum, and the one who are good enough to be invited to even try out for international competition are making (or about to make) way more than that. International exposure does not equate to a bigger paycheck.

As for the All Star games, those sports (MLB, NHL, NBA) have very long seasons, especially if you go deep in the playoffs. The All Star break is a chance for them to spend time with their families. This is especially true for those with young kids. I believe the ones who say they would attend if it was paid are in the minority.

I agree they are in the minority - perhaps 20% is a high estimate (I've been very cynical lately), but it's certainly at least 5% if not 7-10%.

EDIT: International exposure may not equate to bigger paycheque, but you can't argue that, at least in certain countries, being on the national team does equate to an elevated status, and therefore will lead to some form of either monetary or non-monetary compensation. We saw this in Ottawa - several (I can confirm this) of the Senators had in fact been pulled over for various misdemeanors, but were released by the cops on the spot with just a warning because of who they were. To be fair, it doesn't happen just to hockey players, it happens to MPs, judges, and even high level doctors and lawyers (remember Dr. Keon?) At a national level, the ability to get away with things (and get "stuff") increases. [I'm not referring to drugs as I do not have any information regarding involvement, nor do I want such information].