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Health & Fitness

Double Standard for Pujols?

Is Albert Pujols to be scorned as a greedy man for considering a career move? Is His Christianity in question? Let's think about that.

The man who has hit 455 career doubles, all for the St. Louis Cardinals, is currently being held to a double standard by many. As most everyone knows, Albert Pujols just became a free agent. The biggest question on every baseball fan’s mind is whether or not he will stay with the Cardinals. There is little doubt that he will be offered considerably more money from other teams. It is true that he already has been offered an exorbitant amount from the Cardinals and many wonder how he could hold out for more.

Many people seem to think that if Pujols decides to go elsewhere, he will show himself to be a greedy man, worthy of our scorn. What’s the difference between 14 million per year and maybe 20 million per year, they say? What’s a few million dollars? Isn’t staying in St. Louis worth more to Albert than that? Doesn’t he have any loyalty at all?

These questions are nothing short of ridiculous. The double standard is so obvious. Think about it. We don’t put this standard on anyone else, do we? We don’t put this standard on ourselves. Actually, I do, but I’m a pastor so that’s different. I’ve had multiple opportunities to go make more money in different churches throughout my career. Currently I still pastor the church I planted from scratch, and it isn’t big. I could have gone elsewhere for more money. Why have I stayed? Well, boiling it all down, I’ve stayed because I wanted to stay. I wanted to do what God has called me to do. I wanted to stay. The point, however, is that pastors decide to “move up” to bigger churches (partially enticed by more money) all the time, and what do we say? We say they were called there. Ironically, pastors and sports figures may be the only ones scrutinized for such a thing. Sometimes, perhaps, pastors deserve that scrutiny, but Albert is not a pastor.

What about everybody else who is in a “normal” career? What about a school teacher who is offered $45,000 to teach at Rockwood instead of the $30,000 she was being paid at Wright City? Do we fault this teacher for one second in her decision to go to Rockwood? Do we call her greedy? Do we ask why she did not have more loyalty to her previous school? Of course not. That’s 15 grand per year. Yippee.

If there is one thing we should all know it is that money is relative. People who squeak by on $30,000 think those who make $75,000 are filthy stinking rich. Meanwhile people making six figures are losing their houses and can’t pay their bills. Even people who make $300,000 per year think they’ll never be “wealthy” until they can stop working for the man. The relativity of money never stops, but it’s not like a million dollars ever becomes negligible, much less the $20 million Pujols may stand to gain. Is it greed that would drive Albert to take the job paying millions more? Or is it just common sense? I don’t know his heart. Do you?

I can’t even think in terms of $200 or $220 million dollars. I honestly wouldn’t want to have to try to manage that kind of money (and we all will answer to God for the stewardship of what He allows us to have on this earth). Sure a case can be made that these numbers are ridiculous and perhaps we all should denounce professional sports completely. But even if you have a problem with the exorbitant amount that sports figures are paid, it is ridiculous to expect Albert Pujols to somehow turn down the millions that baseball team owners are lining up to pay him. Do we really expect him to say, “No thanks, I’m good. Why don’t you just keep your millions of dollars and lower the beer prices at the stadium?” On that note, one can certainly ask the question, would the owners do as much good with their money as Albert Pujols does? I say let Pujols have it. I believe he at least tries to think about what God would want him to do with it.

I hear that Pujols gives away perhaps millions to charity, helping folks back home in the Dominican Republic as well as financially carrying his organization to benefit those with Down Syndrome. Yeah, a lot of good comes from the money Pujols is paid. But it wouldn’t really matter whether or not Pujols gave away a penny. It would still be a double standard to say he should stay in St. Louis for less money. Our judgment is unfair and inconsistent.

I hate the Cubs. I am a Cardinals fan to the core and have been since I was born. My memories go back to the '82 World Series. I remember it well, and everything in between, but if the Chicago Cubs offered me 20 million dollars to become a fan, I would burn my Cardinals gear and become the biggest Cubs fan around, overnight. We’re talking about loyalty to a sports team people, not converting from one religion to another. 

As God is my witness, I don’t even want to be rich. I am content. But when I think of someone offering me $20 million, and when I think that it might even be God who has decided to entrust me with the stewardship of 20 million dollars, well... what kind of idiot would I have to be to say, “Nah, I’m good? Keep your 20 million. Go Cards!!!” Do we really expect Albert Pujols to be so loyal to the Cardinals that he would spurn this kind of money?

What if the difference is a lesser amount, you say? What if it’s only $1 million difference? Well, the point is that it is up to him, and there is nothing inherently greedy or wrong if Albert decides the money is worth the change. What would it take for you to move and change jobs? I’m not sure what it will take for Albert, but obviously he wants to stay here if there is little or no difference. Why would he leave? He would leave if he can make a lot more money somewhere else. How exactly do we think we can judge that without being hypocritical?

Nobody wants Albert to stay more than I do. But I think the least we can do is let the Pujols family make their decision the same way as any of us would make a similar decision. We need to be thankful for the time we’ve had them and stop trying to tell them they are bad people if they decide to make a career move that most of us would probably make were we in their shoes. Let’s put the double standard to rest, even as we continue to hope Pujols is hitting doubles as a Cardinal for ten more years.

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