Board Bard
Dane-O-Mite
- Jun 7, 2014
- 7,888
- 5,055
Player agents will get the best deal for the player, they make their money by doing it. Players don’t ask for more because of pride , they want the best deal for what they are worth. Players always want to get the best contract because they don’t know what the future holds. Also there is a big difference between 50-60 million and 80 million.
If you think players don't ask for more because of pride you're either seriously kidding yourself or you haven't paid much attention to pro sports over the years. There's plenty of literature out there about athletes wanting to get the same as (or more than) some other guy because they think they're being disrespected if they don't. Any time a player wants to renegotiate a contract, it's likely to be because he feels he's being disrespected by being paid "only" X number of millions compared to someone else.
Agents work for players. They don't twist their arms. They have discussions, and based on those discussions go to the team and do the clients' bidding. If Laine wants to take a team-friendly deal, that's what his agent is going to arrange. If an agent violates a player's wishes, he's going to lose that player as a client.
For an ambitious pro hockey player who is going to be paid like a king regardless, there's a big difference between having your name engraved a couple of times on the Stanley Cup and living life as a very wealthy man afterward vs. spending the last 50 years of your very wealthy life thinking "If only..."