Here’s an interesting situation regarding player safety and salaries. Often, we hear fans talk about player safety and concussions in terms of “they know the risks”, and “they’re getting paid millions”, often assuring people that they would absolutely do it for those salaries.
OK, but would you do it for less than $50,000? Some XFL players may be about to do that:
“The XFL informed agents a week before its Oct. 15-16 draft that non-quarterbacks would receive $2,080 every two weeks they are under contract, for a max base salary of $27,040 for the season. There are $1,685 bonuses for being on an active game-day roster and another $2,222 for players on the winning team. A player who is active for all 10 games and is on a team that goes 5-5 would earn $55,000 for the season.”
Now, Corey Vereen opted out because his day job actually pays more, and I cant really blame him for that. Why take a pay cut on top of the health risks unless you are fairly sure there’s a bigger pay day down the road, which is nowhere near likely for many of these guys?
But for guys who don’t really have another career to jump into? Who didn’t finish college and then washed out of the NFL? This may be their last shot at making money from football, but it also feels a little exploitative, doesn’t it? That’s a 10-game season worth of practice, workouts, hits, and travel for a salary that would only be enough to live on for one year if you played every week and won half the time.
That’s not much.
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/27920957/xfl-draftee-corey-vereen-play-low-pay
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