Loyalty or Professionalism

Professional sports and it followers seem to be bipolar.  We, and I include myself here, seem to want two totally different things from both our sports and our stars.  To the fans sports is simply fantasy.  This is the reason we exalt our sports stars.  To us it is not real life or real people.  We long for the days before free agency, when players spent their whole careers with one team, but we want our sports stars to carry themselves like professionals.  I hate to break it to you sports nuts but we can not have both ways.  The only reason that  I bring this up is the situation that I have come to call; The Cutler Crisis.  

In the afore mentioned Cutler Crisis, Jay Cutler and the Denver Broncos have found themselves on two very different sides of a debate between sports fans that has spanned more than a decade.  Is professional sports a big business where players are just commodities, or is it entertainment in which loyalty to a team or a player is mandatory?  Recently the Broncos fired long time head coach Mike Shanahan and replaced him with a young coordinator from the Patriots, Josh McDaniel.   McDaniel is from a very arrogant organization and brings with him that arrogance.  He has already made some good moves in free agency.  But, also, he has done something that seems slightly questionable, he apparently put his 26 year old quarterback on the trading block for a one year wonder in Matt Cassell.  Cassell is a career back up that had one good year in a system that could make me an NFL superstar.  Cassell is a nobody that happened to have a good year.  Cutler is a proven started in this league that is starting to find his rhythm with the weapons that are surrounding him.  I as a sports fan am outraged, but I as a business man say;  What the hell it will save you some money give it a shot!

No one seems to be more upset about this than the outspoken Cutler.  He has said that he loves Denver and that he didn't even know he was on the trading block.  He is furious with the organization and won't even fly out to meet with his new coach to go over the new offensive scheme.  It seems that he is being childish, but he has been the face of the organization for the last three years.  Jay is a fantastic athlete that plays, and obviously lives, with an unwavering passion.  The new coach obviously has more faith in super backup, Matt Cassell, than he does for the franchise quarterback.  I mean it's not like Cutler is in his late thirties and all washed up, he was the first round draft pick three short years ago.  He has a strong arm and great football savvy.  I am with ya Jay, get 'em.  Hold out if you have to.  There goes that football fan again, but then the business man says; suck it up and play, after all you signed the contract.

It is a slippery slope, as they say, to choose sides in this debate.  I am a huge Denver Bronco, and not to mention, Jay Cutler fan.  I was absolutely astounded when this news broke.  I cannot imagine that the organization would have given up on him already.  All I want is for someone to be honest.  The organization is denying that they ever wanted to trade Cutler they claim they were just fielding inquiries.   I don't know but I do know that I, as a fan, want Jay around for as long as possible.  But I as a business man want what will cost me the least money.  who's side are you on?  Live like no one is watching and remember it's your business.