Abraham Lincoln once said, “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Marlon Brando gave it to us like this, “If you want something from an audience, you give blood to their fantasies. It’s the ultimate hustle.” Then Fred Lebowitz sounded like an O.G. from around my way when he said, “Contrary to popular opinion, the hustle is not a new dance step – it’s an old business procedure.”
It’s the same procedure that suckered the Dream Team into playing for the USA for free twenty eight years ago. I sat down and watched NBA TV’s documentary of the Dream Team and they were like rock stars on world tour. The treatment they got was unbelievable. Everywhere they went people were lined up to see them not only play the game but just walk down the street. They were bigger than the Beatles and Michael Jackson. Well…not that big but you get what I’m sayin’.
Let’s keep it real or all the way 100, whichever comes 1st! In 1992 that team was out to prove to the world that America had the best players on the planet and that they did. Unfortunately, they got hustled in the process.
It was like Don King promoting a prize fight in Vegas. You know how ole boy would hype up the fighter with one hand and then have him sign the contract for peanuts relative to what they should be making with the other. Yeah they came in with the, “We’ve got to prove to the world that we’re the best” speech! Got those boyz fired up and nobody thought about all of the bread that they were leaving on the table. It’s easy to do that when you’re rich. Now let’s be honest, none of these cats are struggling twenty eight years later but it’s the principle homeboy!
However, in 2014 these young boyz didn’t have anything to prove to the world because the Dream Team already did it for them. It’s a proven fact that players in the NBA are the best players on the planet and 90 precent of them are from America. So now the Oaky Doke shouldn’t have been able to be ran because the Dream Team had already been the guinea pigs. But guess what? Boyz still fell for the “It’s an honor to play for your country” line and were still playing for free. Paul George darn near ended his freakin’ career messing around with some cats that “Goldied” him. If you don’t know who Goldie is go rent the movie “The Mack.” In a nut shell he got hustled because he risked his career playing for free when boyz were making a profit off of him running up and down the floor that sad night in Vegas.
Sure he could have done it in the gym with the fellas but he didn’t. He did it when other cats were getting paid off of him. Ask USA Basketball how many Paul George jerseys they sold after he hit the stanchion? I bet they’ll never tell you but some cat is still in the back room counting money.
Over the past twenty few years we’ve seen the amount of bread generated from the Olympics and especially the income generated by the USA Basketball Team skyrocket.
So I was in complete agreement with both Dwayne Wade and Ray Allen in 2012 when they said that players should be compensated for playing in the Olympics. Just because these guys make millions of dollars as players doesn’t mean that they should become Pons in the game and continue to be taken advantage of like the Dream Team was.
“It’s a lot of things you do for the Olympics — a lot of jerseys you sell,” Wade said after a Heat practice before they played Chicago during the regular season that year. “We play the whole summer. I do think guys should be compensated. Just like I think college players should be compensated as well. Unfortunately, it’s not there. But I think it should be something, you know, there for it.”
Now don’t get it twisted, Wade was the leading scorer on the 2008 Olympic team that won a gold medal in China. So he wasn’t speaking about something that he’s heard. He watched these cats take advantage of him. These guys aren’t stupid not to say that the Dream Team was. Well…yeah they were. I should say that they were naive because they just got caught up in the hype and didn’t pay attention to the money. So yeah, they got hustled and unfortunately all of the other teams since that time including the one they’ll soon put together will get hustled too. It hasn’t been a major problem because nobody up to this point has suffered a serious injury. But now boyz will be paying attention to the hustle a little bit closer.
I hear people making the reference that cats like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt aren’t asking to be paid. What? Let me put it where the goats can get it bruh. Cats like Michael Phelps and Usain Bolt get paid as a result “OF” the Olympics. Nobody watches swimming or track but every 4 years. They wouldn’t be making the money that they’re making now if it weren’t for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics that made them famous. You didn’t know who those guys were before then.
Mary Lou Retton(1984 Gold Medalist) became rich and made it to the cover of the Wheaties box because OF the Olympics. When was the last time you watched gymnastics on television? The Olympics were on 4 years ago and you aren’t gonna watch swimming or track and field again until 2021 now that the pandemic has pushed things back. Why? Because it’s of no significance until the Olympics are about to pop off. But you’re always watching the NBA win it’s on.
So again, why was Paul George playing a freaking pick-up game for USA Basketball when he had a $92 million contract with the Indiana Pacers at the time? Because the Dream Team got hustled twenty eight years ago and some dun told him that it would be selfish of him not to play.
NBA players are already famous so the USA Basketball needs them not the other way around. It’s called leverage and leverage is power all of the time. Why do you think Money Mayweather refused to fight Pacquiao? I used to think that he was running scared but it’s all about the bread. Mayweather didn’t want to split the purse of the fight 50-50 and Pacquiao does. However, Mayweather owns the company that would have been promoting the fight.
Therefore, he had to make more of the money because he was taking on all of the financial risks. He could fight “no-name” fighters and make just as much bread. So why fight Pacquiao because he’s in the business of making money not proving who the best fighter is. He’s a legitimate businessman and boxing is just the car that he drives to work in.
Believe me, the most disrespectful thing a person can do to you is to take advantage of you. When your boss/manager/supervisor comes to you and asks you to work optional overtime this weekend. What’s the first thing you ask him? “Am I gettin’ paid for this?” Now if he starts running the “company line” by sayin’, “No my man, do it for the team! Look at the big picture etc!” You’d immediately say, “No thanks I would do it but I’ve got a family commitment this weekend!”
So why do we try to run that same “be patriotic” line to the players just because they’re rich. Rich or making good money is all relative. Don’t you hate when folks try to size you up when you say, no I can’t spend money like that and they come back with the “Man you got it!” response. Don’t be counting my money bruh. That’s the same thing Dwayne Wade and Ray Allen we’re saying before they let the pressure force their hand and they backed off of their stance. By the way, neither of them ended up playing on the Olympic team in 2012. Wade was out due to his knee injury and Allen just didn’t make it. However, I respected them for at least speaking up and keepin’ it 100.
How are you going to run the “be patriotic” line on a boy and you are selling his jersey right in front of him? Be patriotic and give up some of that bread that you’re making when you fly them around the world charging boyz to see them play in what are called “Exhibition Games.” They should play for free when there’s no admission fee to the games and when they start giving away jerseys. Otherwise, they’re getting hustled just like the Dream Team did. According to Forbes magazine, the Brits stood to make more than $26 billion dollars off of the Olympic Games thru 2017 because of the new construction projects etc.! Why? Because everybody else decided not to work for free.
The formation of the Dream Team was the biggest heist in sports history because cats continue to feel obligated to play for free as the money keeps piling up. If the Dream Team hadn’t fallen for the Oakey Doke these cats today wouldn’t still be getting taken advantage of 28 years later. Let’s keep it real! None of the media covering the joint on when PG went down in Vegas were working for free nor was the Olympic committee, Coach K and Jerry Colangelo. I’m just sayin’ and stop me when I start lyin’!