IT’S A simple fact that we live in a world obsessed by finances, and money drives the sporting industry. Of course sportsmen have to earn a living, but we have reached the stage where individuals are putting money above success. Lewis Hamilton’s move from McLaren to Mercedes can be construed as the latest in a string of such moves. Surely Hamilton’s best chance of adding to his 2008 World Championship title, was to stay at McLaren?
Every year McLaren are one of the main contenders, whilst Mercedes have only attained one race win in the three seasons under their current guise. Admittedly as Brawn they won the 2009 World Championship, but they started that season with a massive advantage over the rest of the main competitors, and by the end of the season had been caught in the development race. Hamilton will be getting paid significantly more at Mercedes, whilst earning more from sponsorship deals, yet that only justifies my point that he based his decision on money over success.
F1 is not the only sport where this trend occurs; football has been littered with examples for years. One of the most striking was Sol Campbell moving to Notts County, a League Two side. The former England centre half may have passed his prime, but still possessed the ability to compete at a higher level. Yet a pay cheque lured him there, as they have done footballers such as David Beckham, Thierry Henry and recently Tim Cahill to the MLS in America. There is an argument that these moves have been made with potential salary being put ahead of potential career success, just as the same can be argued about former Chelsea duo Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka moving to ply their trade in China.
Test cricket has also suffered due to the potential earnings individuals can make from T20 and in particular the IPL. In the space of weeks, top cricketers can earn more from the IPL than in years of test cricket. As a result the standard of test cricket has been hampered, as youngsters focus on the shorter format of the game where the money lies. The glory and prestige may be in Test cricket, but sponsorship and money is not, and in an industry driven by finance there is only one winner.
The future of English rugby has also been hampered by financial issues beyond the clubs’ control. English sides are restricted by wage caps, but across the channel there are no such limits, so many of the nation’s top players have made the move to increase their earnings, whilst in the process potentially jettisoning their chances of future international recognition. The trend continues; money quite simply plays a seismic role in modern sport.
It’s amazing to think that in 1901, there was a £4 a week wage limit for footballers, and only 51 years ago Johnny Haynes became the first player to earn £100 a week. That’s a far cry to today, when overvalued players earn over a million in a month.
Nowadays it has almost become a necessity to possess money to achieve success. It was inevitable that eventually Manchester City would win the Premier League title, just as Chelsea had done in the past. Therefore it was refreshing to see Montpellier top France’s Ligue 1 last year, yet the chances of emulating that achievement has been hampered by the presence of heavy spenders PSG. Money and success are now heavily intertwined in sport, yet at times the boundary is crossed when individuals put the former before the latter at the jeopardy of their career.