Dwyane Wade is in the news, again. But this time, it’s not for his performance; rather it’s about what he said about competing the Olympics. Wade said on Wednesday that athletes should be “compensated” for their performances in the Olympics. Is competing out of pride and admiration for your country not enough, Dwyane?
Thankfully, he retracted his statement on Thursday, saying that he doesn’t need money to play for his country. But here’s my take on his comments.
Does Dwyane not know that he makes a salary of nearly $16 million ($15,691,000) a season. That salary doesn’t include endorsements, either. That’s just what the Miami Heat pays him. And there is no state income tax in Florida, where the Heat plays half of their games every season.
But back to his comments about wanting to be compensated for the Olympics. This is another example of the typical modern-day athlete. They always want more, more, and more for themselves. When is playing for and representing your country not enough for you?
He made a statement about selling Olympic jerseys and such. Well, Dwyane, college players sell jerseys, too. Their jerseys just don’t have their name on the back of the jersey. But a college player getting paid is a different story. Wade will be playing with the best players, not only in the NBA, but in the world when the 2012 Olympic Games roll around in July.
You really want to be compensated for beating teams by 30 or 40 points and having a semi-close game with Spain in the gold-medal game?
Perhaps he made those comments to take some pressure off the Heat? The Heat has struggled, going 5-5 in their last 10 games and 12-9 in their last 21 games.
Dwyane, if you win the Olympics, you get a gold medal.
And in the Olympics, gold medals are the only things that matter.