Relationship Free Agency and the Pursuit of the Ring By Abstrack

Of the many things taken for granted and go extremely unappreciated in this world today, I would have to say that grammar ranks at the very top of my list. The ability to build sentence structure and phrase one sentence ten different ways is a fascinating aspect that goes overlooked oh so often.

Another captivating facet of grammar is the ability to create various metaphors and analogies. Both of these useful grammar tools can and is a very creative play on words that I have found very useful in many conversations and debates.

Well recently due to the professional off seasons of baseball, football and in a couple of months basketball free agency in all these sports is almost as exciting as the actually season themselves, a moment ago the perfect analogy dawned on me. Being single is like being a free agent in professional sports.

Now for those of you that may not be keen on the ins and outs of free agency let me briefly explain how it works. Free agency is defined as the state of a professional athlete who is free to negotiate a contract to play for any team. During this free agency process athletes visit various teams whom he/she may be interested in or vice versa. They (team owners) show the athlete the facilities, the city and various other attractive things that may sway this player to sign a long term deal.

Some free agent pools aren’t as great as others. There was one NBA off-season that found names like Michael Jordan, Reggie Miller, Patrick Ewing, Gary Payton and Juwan Howard just to name a few all as free agents. Other seasons you may find the pool not as deep but teams can still come out just as big a winner (remember this sentence). Nevertheless, the objective for owners is to sign a player not to only win games and fill up stadiums, but to win a championship.

Well when I look at singles (including myself) today, I know that the goal for the majority of us is to find a mate and eventually settle down and get married. Being the analytical and sports loving person that I am I can easily equate “finding a mate” to signing a long term contract with a sports organization and “getting married” to winning a championship ring.

If you are single, you are a free agent. There is absolutely nothing wrong with entertaining offers from multiple teams, which means dating more then one person is fine. As long as it’s not serious, (don’t be ready to call the press meeting to announce your signing and you’re still negotiating with other teams on the low) it is only right that you weigh all of your options and settle down with that team that is going to be a perfect fit for you. If you don’t weigh your options you are doing not only yourself a disservice but the team you sign with. Because sooner or later if you are not with the right team, it is going to show in your play and attitude. One thing leads to another and you find yourself either going through turmoil with the organization and your never happy, or you get cut (the trade rule doesn’t quite fit into this analogy).

Earlier I asked you to remember the statement …”other seasons you may find the free agent pool not as deep...” Well I said this to say, when searching for a “player”, don’t always look for the best athlete, but the best athlete for your team. How would Joe Montana and Dan Marino fit on the same team? Two great quarterbacks, but only one could play at a time. Someone would have gotten cheated of playing time and their talent would go untapped, as good as it looks on paper, it doesn’t look good on the playing field. When looking at potential mates, you must find someone that is compatible with you, your likes and dislikes the way you act or think. Don’t go signing that good looking, high salary man or woman if he or she does not take your team to the next level. The person that could help you win a championship may be a player that isn’t a part of the highly touted free agent class, only you really know what your team needs; don’t let friends or family members cloud that vision.

Well people, the warm seasons are here; this is when a lot of free agent athletes have been working out in the winter months getting certain aspects of their game together so they can show them now. Many will be are wined and dined, but remember weigh your options. Don’t sign with a team too quickly, after all don’t we all want that ring and our face on the Wheaties box?

Peace

Abstrack