In Economic Downturn, Should Athletes "Bleed" Too?

Before I start this article, I have to preface it by saying I feel a little bit like a hypocrite.

I am a big New York Yankees fan.  Upon hearing they signed C.C. Sabathia to a record $160 million dollar deal, I launched into a cartwheel right in my bedroom, and immediately thought how after last year's disappointments, this year would be better.

For the record, I am also a huge Alex Rodriguez fan, and he alone makes more than the Florida Marlins entire team, but I digress.

While in between one cart wheel and preparing to do another, I was suddenly stopped by my thoughts. I couldn't help but think about the same thing everyone is constantly stressing about: the economy.

The economy is beyond sagging; it's completely dragging, and pro-sports are finally starting to feel the pinch.

Wait, what?

While C.C. Sabathia is a fantastic pitcher, and now has his family set for life, I wonder if the thought of thousands of jobless Americans went through his head.

It's not just the everyday Joe who is suffering; it’s those right below him.

People working hard to make the MLB the fine-tuned machine it is are having their jobs cut.

That's not anything new or surprising.

But does the fact that MLB players are signing its richest contracts ever offer any solace to them?

I doubt it.

And what about the NFL, who also announced yesterday they have joined MLB, NASCAR, and the NBA in laying off their workers?

While the NHL isn't laying off any of its workers, a spokesperson for the league announced they are in a hiring freeze, and layoffs aren't that far off.

Every time a league's commissioner speaks about league job cutbacks, there is one constant phrase that is rolled out like that dilapidated old housecoat your dad wears at Christmas Eve to watch the kids open presents.

"Everyone is going to bleed."

In the past year I have read that phrase spoken in Sports Illustrated, and The Hockey News.

Even the NHL's most profitable franchise, the Toronto Maple Leafs, is feeling the effects.  Like the league itself, they aren't laying off, but they aren't in a hurry to fill any vacant positions either.

Instead, like a lot of home-town factories, they are counting on current employees to do two or three jobs, rather than the one they were hired to do.

So, back to the phrase that pays…or in this case doesn't.

"Everyone is going to bleed."

My question for you today is: Should athletes "bleed" too?

On one hand it's easy to side with the players. 

After all, they are the ones doing the rigorous training, playing through the demanding travel and schedule.  They put their bodies on the line every night, no matter the sport, to entertain us.

It's so easy to make the case that they deserve every single penny they get.

On the other hand, however, is the respect for the fellow man.

If every player in every league were to take a certain percentage of a rollback, would it save jobs for the office workers who quietly work to make the leagues as successful as they are?

I'm not willing to paint anyone as a bad person, particularly someone I will be cheering for from April to (hopefully) November.

But if everyone is truly going to bleed, then C.C. Sabathia will have $160 million to spend on health care to fix himself up.