Josh Sweat active vs. Giants as he reportedly seeks new contract

Sweat wants a new deal less than halfway through this one? Every year, I get a little less interested in sports, and it really has to do with entitlement around these contracts. A team provides a multi-year deal to a player. This is at significant risk to the team because they're on the hook for the money (granted, I guess Sweat is running out of guarantees) regardless of what happens (hence, the Cardinals are paying Kyler to play in Minnesota). However, the idea is supposed to be that while they're taking some risk, they're securing that player at current market rate for a while. If the market goes up, the team supposedly made a good investment. However, it never works that way. If a player becomes unhappy, they just pout and "hold out" and the team is forced to do whatever they want. So, the team is always forced to hold their end of the bargain, but the player is never forced to. I would love the NFL or NBA to say to a player holding out that he is fired. He isn't kicked off the team (that's often what the player wants). He is simply fired. He refuses to hold up his end of the contract, he is out of the league and will never play again.

Similarily, I keep hearing about Katel's no trade clause and should the DBacks ask Katel's agent which teams he would be willing to be traded to. Contracts need to have contigency. They should be written in a way such that if the player simply refuses to show up to work (as Katel has done multiple years in a row), he has invalidated parts of his contract.

Why are athletes making millions of dollars not required to honor contracts? It's a spit in the face to the fans who invest in the product. Sweat makes a million dollars a game (roughly). In two games, he makes roughly $2m. A teacher making $50k a year who works for 40 years makes in a lifetime what Sweat makes in two weeks (the math isn't perfect because it fails to consider inflation and such, but close enough).

Anyway, end of rant. I just wish the leagues had the guts to fire players who refuse to honor contracts that they signed instead of coddling these egomaniacs and making everything one sided to where the team is the only side that has any risk. I have honor. If I sign a contract, I honor what I said I'd do. It's call integrity & honor.