How Pro Sports Could Save Our Schools

Yikes! Almost five months since the last post. A busy season, to be sure.

This post deals with the current budget crisis in our public schools. "What does this have to do with worship," you ask? Well, perhaps not much. Or perhaps quite a bit, since faithful stewardship of our resources is a key worship element. And Christ, Himself, said that how we care for the children among us is indicative of how we view Him, and by extension, the Father (paraphrasing and interpreting Mark 9:37). So perhaps it has everything to do with worship.

Before I go to my point, let me first say this: I am a capitalist. I believe in an open, free market. I make my living as a salesperson (selling primarily to public schools, it so happens). I believe a person or organization should have the right to leverage the principle of supply and demand and sell a product or service for whatever price someone is willing to pay, provided he do so legally, and ethically. And said person or organization has every right to get rich doing so, and no one and no government should have the right to limit that earning potential or redistribute that wealth that was fairly earned.

But I also believe in compassion and charity. In altruism, benevolence, and philanthropy. We should look out for our fellow man. I believe that those who are blessed with much should use those blessing to help those less fortunate. In fact, I would go so far as to say that is WHY they have been blessed: so that they might help others. But such an attitude cannot and should not be forced or mandated.

Now to my point: I said I believe in compassion and charity. Compassion and charity of the sort demonstrated by Dallas Cowboys player, Marion Barber, who just last week donated $500,000 worth of computers to the struggling Dallas Independent School District. That touched me. It impressed me. And it got me thinking: our professional sports leagues, teams, and players could rescue our public schools from their current budget crises, if they wanted to. Or at the very least, lesson the burden dramatically. And it would be honorable. Noble. Praiseworthy. It would feel right, because it would be right.

Let's face it: there is probably not a single person in America who truly believes it is right that the teachers who teach our children should make $30-50k per year, while pro Athletes make 10 times that amount to warm a bench, with marquis players making $10-20 million/year. Do these players have the right to make that much money? Of course. They are a commodity in high demand, and those salaries are fueled by a consumer culture that is obsessed with pro sports. They are the most skilled in their field. They are the elite and have the right to get paid whatever the market will bear. But we have to remember that having a right doesn't make it right.

Of course the pro sports industry is not responsible for the budget crisis in public education. It's not their responsibility to fix it. What's more, throwing money at a problem without identifying and addressing root causes is not a long term solution. And I believe there is MUCH more wrong with our public schools that just a lack of funds. But there is an immediate and desperate need, and the pro sports industry has the means to help out now in that time of need. Just like the plight of the hungry in our nation is probably not your fault or mine, but if we have the means to provide some meals to those in need, wouldn't it be the right thing to do?

Detroit Public Schools are facing a budget shortfall of $327 millions. I heard that story and it occurred to me (which will probably surprise some of you who know me well) that Detroit is one of those larger cities that boasts a franchise from each of the four major pro sports leagues: Lions (NFL), Tigers (MLB), Pistons (NBA), and Red Wings (NHL). Oh my. The combined player's salaries from those four teams? $369 million, according to various Internet sources, including ESPN.com, Sportscity.com, and others. That $369M is spread across 145 players.

Imagine for a moment if those four teams came together and said, "We are going to cover the budget shortfall of Detroit Public Schools. 100% of it. That would leave a combined player salary budget of $42 million. Spread equally among 145 players, that's $289,000 per year. Which is the top 1.5% of salaries in the U.S. The schools have what they need, and the players get to stay rich. Just not as rich.

How about Marion Barber's home town? The Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex also boasts four pro franchises. The player salaries for those teams equal $233 million spread across approx. 103 players. Not as much as Detroit. And Dallas area schools are in almost as much trouble. The combined 2011 budget shortfalls for the area's top 3 districts (Dallas, Fort Worth, and Arlington) is $329 million. But if DFW's pro athletes were willing to take that same $290k salary, they could cover $203 million of that shortfall.

I imagine the numbers would present similar opportunities across the country. And what if the PGA, and NASCAR, and *gasp* Hollywood joined in the fun?

But it won't happen. It would require unprecedented acts of selflessness, humility, cooperation, and compassion from leagues, teams, unions, and players. A pipe dream, I am sure.

Maybe there are whole teams full of Marion Barbers just waiting for the right moment. Now is the moment.