What if Professional Athletes had to Compete for Contracts Against Street Athletes?

To know me for an hour is to know that I’m a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. For two of his first three NFL seasons, I was definitely a Dak Prescott supporter.

And then Dakota forgot where he fell in the NFL Draft.

Sure, Prescott had an awesome rookie season that pushed Tony Romo into retirement. Prescott was humble, he was aggressive and far more durable than Romo. His rookie season was one for the record books. And then came a sophomore season, in which Prescott appeared to leave behind some of the skill and prowess that gained him so many fans in his NFL debut.

Now Prescott, soon to begin his fourth NFL season would like a salary comparable to Super Bowl - winning quarterbacks.

This story isn’t actually about Prescott. It’s not about his teammate Zeke either. This isn’t even about the Dallas Cowboys.

I want us to ponder for a moment how professional sports in this country would look if athletes had to compete for contracts against hungry, eager and equally as talented athletes from the neighborhoods and communities.

Running backs decline physically season by season. It’s the nature of the beast - the game is obviously hard on the body. But how many athletes expedite their decline by becoming lazy and not asserting themselves as much after acquiring huge contracts?

NBA players miss several games because of sprained toes and spasms - injuries that they play through when in high school and college, longing for NBA careers. When many arrive in the league, they become unable to play through minimal injuries, hiding under the guise that they’re preserving their careers. What if these men had to compete against the skilled and aggressive men playing at Rucker Park and the gyms and recreation centers around the country - many of whom were collegiate athletes as well?

In just about every other career in this world, employees must perform to earn. Professional athletes in this country are gifted extensive contracts and many never live up to the expectation because of this verbiage “guaranteed money.”

So many athletes start off in high school with dreams of becoming professionals. Colleges and universities are loaded with talented All-Americans, hoping to one day enter the draft for their respective sport. Only a few are chosen on those faithful draft days. While some work diligently throughout their professional careers, there are many others who “just make money” for several seasons. They get too comfortable.

Perhaps competition needs to return, even for the big-name athletes. Being a high draft pick five seasons ago shouldn’t entitle a man to a forever salary and roster spot when there are other men who would work harder and perform better. Teams would benefit. Fanbases would benefit.

A quarterback who can’t average more than two touchdown passes per game should be more worried about competing for his roster position, than he is comfortable asking for $40 million per 16-game season.