It is often said that ‘money talks’ and in sport it is a phrase that seems to be borne out with added emphasis on a daily basis.
Cricketers are having their heads turned by the riches of the IPL and footballers are being offered ever higher wages as the dollar proves its pulling power.
This week All-Black legend Richie McCaw bucked the trend as he put pen to paper on contract that will keep him tied to the New Zealand Rugby Union.
Fellow Kiwi Daniel Carter is on the verge of a similar deal which, like McCaw’s includes a clause entitling him to a six-month sabbatical from New Zealand rugby.
While Carter is expected move to Europe next year, most likely to Tana Umaga’s Toulon in France, on a short-term contract that is expected to earn him over half a million pounds.
But flanker McCaw has made it clear he is not intending to take his leave of absence any time soon and when he does it is likely to be to recharge his batteries for the New Zealand cause, rather than to cash in by playing abroad.
The All Blacks skipper had made it clear that captaining the club where he came through the ranks and leading his national side to glory as he is hailed as one of the greats of the game is enough to satisfy him.
Strangely, it seems this type of decision is becoming increasingly rare these days as financial rewards seem to be the ultimate goal of most sportsmen.
It is easy for us to judge when we sit and watch as young men are offered wealth beyond our wildest dreams for possessing talents we do not possess and say dismissively ‘he only went for the money’.
Sportsmen are, after all, human but it seems, as with all humans, some individuals have a higher sense of what is important in life.
While Carter is the poster boy of New Zealand rugby, McCaw is a man of the people.
Without the flashy skills of his Canterbury colleague and lacking the build of some of the fierce Lomu-esque figures to have squeezed into an All Black shirt, McCaw brings a kind of honesty to the game that belies his superstar status.
His immense work rate, brilliant anticipation, deceptive athleticism and reckless disregard for his own well physical being combine to make just about the perfect openside flanker.
His humble nature meant that, despite his success with Canterbury, he wasn’t the automatic choice to succeed Tana Umaga as All Blacks skipper and take up the kind of demi-god status that goes with it.
More doubts were raised when the red-hot World Cup favourites crashed out at the quarter-final stage in 2007.
But the 60-test veteran’s ridiculously consistent levels of performance and the respect he commands within the New Zealand camp mean he is likely to remain as captain for some time to come.
While McCaw has remained true to his roots other Kiwis such as Carl Haymans, Aaron Mauger, Luke McCalister and now Jerry Collins have abandoned the national team as they seek lucrative offers abroad.
The lure cash is also proving too much for many cricketers to resist as well as lucrative Twenty20 competitions begin to threaten the longer format of the game.
In football, if the rumours are to be believed, Brazilian Ronaldinho is preparing to signal the end desire for major trophies at club level by signing for Manchester City at the age of 28. Why? There are reportedly 200,000 reasons a week why.
Meanwhile Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo is being tempted with all the financial rewards he can dream of to join Real Madrid and leave the club where he has just one the Premiership, Champions League, Player of the Year and just about established himself as the best player on the planet.
I’m not saying talented athletes aren’t entitled to their share of the wealth as the money floods into professional sports, it’s just nice to see when the number size of the figure in a contract is not the only deciding factor when they take career-altering decisions.
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