You know kids these days…..Or “hey man, kids today.” That’s the impression I get when I watch this video of Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers. That doesn’t mean he’s wrong though. I think the “Kansas Comet” is spot on.
Sayers talks about how he only made $25,000 a year in his day, and he just can’t understand how NFL running backs these days are turning down $30,000,000 contracts.
Gale Sayers is right though. Being a tailback means you have a very short shelf life. NFL players in general have an average pro career expectancy of less than five years, and running backs have the shortest earning window of all.
Got to capitalize when you can. Remember, don’t hate the player. Hate the game. Now to echo the sentiment of Chicago Bears icon Gale Sayers, go get off my lawn.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports and Yahoo! He’s been a guest on news talk shows all across the world. He’s also a special contributor to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Banks has been featured in numerous media outlets including NFL.com, Forbes, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, ESPN, NBC, CBS, the History Channel and more. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)