OK, it’s a rather creepy question to ponder, but one that I’d not be so quick to ask if the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Jeff Schultz weren’t so quick to distance himself from, “some cynics who not only question Chipper Jones physically, they wonder if money is his primary motivation.” No need to name names, however, because, “This accusation generally comes from the short-sighted, ignorant and disturbed segment of the populace that vents on sports talk radio and posts comments on blogs, all behind the comfort of anonymity.”
If they think I’m doing this for the money, they obviously haven’t seen my bank account,” he said. “I’ve never played this game for money. Nor will I. My mind doesn’t work that way. I play this game because I love my teammates and they wanted me to come back.
“I still feel like I have something to offer, and the cynical fan can really kiss my ass. I really don’t care. There’s a bunch of true fans and the people who actually want to take the time to get to know me know who I am. The guy who sits in his mom’s basement and types on his mom’s computer, I couldn’t really care less about.”
Jones has made over $141 million in his career, including $127 million in the last 10 years alone. To blow through that much cash would require dropping paychecks into a food processor or possibly just being your average former heavyweight champion.
Doing it for the money?
There are a lot of reasons to be cynical about pro sports today. Chipper Jones isn’t one of them.