There seems to be some animosity towards athletes, not because of the attention they are allotted; but they make too much money in some individuals' opinion. Often negative statements are made about athletes such as, "they are all greedy...they are not worth the money they are paid."

Let me remind everyone that professional sports generally bring big money to the cities that are located in. Also, many cities are identified by their sport teams rather than a thriving business. For example, no one ever asks me, when referring to Indianapolis, Indiana, how is Guidant or Anthem doing; it is all about the Indianapolis Colts or Pacers. How is QB Peyton Manning doing? I don't expect to get a question about Guidant's CEO!

Being a professional athlete is a job. Well the next know it all will probably ask, how would you know? Your right, I was never a pro athlete, but I played football in college and let me tell you I worked hard, even if the scoreboard did not reflect the effort. I wake every morning with an ache caused by college football. Think about it, if you are an athlete are you not always on the clock, while in public or at practice. How many pro athletes do you see hanging out at mall? It is rare, because they cannot get a moments rest in their favorite store.

The difference between my job and a pro athletes is simple, someone is paying big money to see Peyton throw a pass or Pacers' Jermaine O'Neal dunk a basketball. There is no one coming to see Jason Cunningham. Who are these people who give money back money to their employers, because they are believed to be overpaid. Well athletes will continue to make more money than the majority of us as long as we thirst for sports entertainment.

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