image courtesy of mlb sluggers
While watching the latest 60 Minutes story highlighting Albert Pujols, first baseman of the St. Louis Cardinals, I began to wonder, what makes not just a professional baseball player but other sports and entertainment professionals more valuable? Is value based on talent alone, commitment to the community, or is it how popular they become in the media?
For Baseball fans young and old, Spring means more than flowers blooming and birds chirping. It is the first little league practice as the snow is still falling, the first pop-up caught in the outfield, or the crack of a bat as the first ball of the major league season is hit. Every year, boys and girls, take to their community fields with dreams of becoming just like their favorite professional ball player. Players like Pujols, believed by many to be one of the greatest ball players in the league today. His talent for the sport speaks for itself. He’s “never hit below .300, never had less than 30 homeruns, and never less than 100 RBI’s, not to mention he hit his 400th Home Run in August of 2010” (60 Minutes Overtime).
When evaluating a player, stats are crucial, but communities should expect professional baseball organizations to look beyond what a player does on the field. Do they volunteer their time, give back in more ways than just donating money, is their character one that represents the organization and community? Pujols, for example, is not only committed to being a great ball-player, but also dedicated to improving lives of those living with Downs Syndrome in the St. Louis area and those struggling to survive in his childhood home of the Dominican Republic. In 2008 Pujols received the Roberto Clemente Award for the work he did through the Pujols Family Foundation and had this to say, “At the end of the day, when all is said and done playing this game, it doesn’t matter what you did in the field, it’s what you do off the field and the lives you touch off the field.”
So, if Pujols has the professional drive and talent and a strong commitment within the community, why then is he not among the top 20 highest paid players in the Major Leagues? Could it be that he doesn’t insist on being in the spotlight. That he doesn’t take opportunities like giving his 400th homerun bat to a boy with cancer and make it a media spectacle? While this trait helps him to be well respected, does the lack of media attention diminish his potential star quality?
With his contract pending, the Cardinals have to decide what Pujols is truly worth, what is most valuable to them. Do they only look at his statistics and talent or do they look beyond that to what he offers both on and off the field?
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