Matthew Stafford's Deal Epitomizes What's Wrong With Sports and Society

As a lifelong Detroit Lions fan, I did not expect to have this type of reaction after hearing the news that the hopeful savior of the franchise was finally under contract.

Shouldn't this be a joyous day? When the rumors were floating around earlier at the size of the contract,I started to feel a little uneasy. I hoped that the rumors weren't true and gave my Lions the benefit of the doubt.

But now with the confirmed news that Matthew Stafford has been signed to a contract close to $80 million—with $41.7 million guaranteed—I think I'm going to be sick. Literally. I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight because of how nauseous I feel right now.

And I have been supportive of picking Stafford for a long time now. I am optimistically eagerly hoping that maybe, finally, mercifully, the Lions have found their franchise QB.

But I just can't shake this feeling of disgust that I have over the size of the contract. I have lost a lot of respect for the Lions. I'll break it down into five reasons why I feel betrayed and ashamed as a Lions fan:

1. Every NFL expert has agreed that this draft is weak at the top.

There are no sure things in any draft, but that was especially true this year. The guaranteed money at the top of this draft should have been LESS than in previous drafts. The fact that it's the highest in the history of the league is grotesque and embarrassing.  The reality that it's the Lions paying out just epitomizes how this franchise has become the laughing stock of the league.

2. The Lions have been saying (lying) for several weeks that they have targeted multiple players with the No. 1 pick.

They were going to use this to their advantage when negotiating the contract. Of course we all assumed that this meant they understood the meaning of the word "negotiate." How silly and naive us Lions fans can be.

3. Aaron Curry provided the Lions with leverage gold by publicly announcing that he would be willing to sign for below market value as the No. 1 pick.

It was out there for the Lions to use to their advantage. The Lions had all the leverage. Stafford needed the Lions much more than the Lions needed Stafford. His agent had to know the risk of his client slipping several spots if the Lions passed on him. That would have cost him and his client millions of dollars.

It was a great bargaining chip for the Lions. Basic negotiating skills were all that were needed in order to pull off a reasonable contract. Instead, the Lions look like incompetent cowards that inexplicably caved to the demands of superior negotiators.

4. Not only were the Lions unable to negotiate a smaller contract, they agreed to a deal that exceeded the previous high for a guaranteed rookie contract by $10 million.

They made the JaMarcus Russell signing look like a steal for the Raiders in comparison. Maybe Stafford pans out, maybe he even exceeds expectations, maybe he earns every penny of his contract. That's not the point. This draft is already tainted due to how it will negatively effect future drafts. And that brings me to my final reason.

5. instead of seizing a golden opportunity to take a stand by refusing to be pressured and bullied into continuing to pay exorbitant rookie contracts, the Lions failed.

I am well aware that this is just how the game is currently played and the Lions aren't the first team to overpay for a rookie. But they could have pioneered a new trail. Already bad teams are put in horrible position of being forced to fork over obscene amounts of money for their so-called "compensation" of getting the No. 1 pick. In reality, getting the top pick is a punishment that sets bad teams back even further.

The Lions failed. Instead of offering hope for a solution, they perpetuated the problem.

The Lions have set the money bar so ridiculously high that it would truly only be justice if they found themselves in the exact same position next year: Forced to pay the increased penalty that they perpetuated. 

This embodies everything wrong with sports and society. For a brief moment there was a refreshing gesture on the part of Curry who most likely opposed his agent's wishes by announcing that he would accept less than what would be expected.

What a novel concept! And it was received extremely well by Detroit Lions fans. Even those that didn't want Curry had to admit that it was a refreshing approach. And I was naive to hope that maybe it would rub off on Stafford, that he would recognize the value of the bigger picture in taking less money up front in exchange for public respect, adoration and the betterment of the sport from which he is receiving so much.

Nope. Forget that. I'll not only take what's mine, but I'll take about 10 million more just for good measure. I'll continue the trend of squeezing every drop of integrity and decency out of professional sports and what do I care about the future consequences? It's the American way, right?

All I know is I'm going to bed tonight having lost a lot of respect for the Detroit Lions and Stafford. Of course, there is no reason why I should have expected anything different. This is just the way it is. Maybe someday a hero will come along, and for the first time ever a professional athlete, will put something truly inspirational and beneficial to society ahead of the almighty dollar.

I won't hold my breath.