Top Ten Highest Payed Athletes

10. Matt Ryan (NFL)
Ryan has a five year $103.75 million contract with a $28 million guaranteed signing bonus. He has earned $43.8 million as of June of this year. Ryan is the all time leader in passing yards for the Falcons as of last year. However, Ryan has never won the Falcons a Superbowl, making it to the playoffs in some of his seasons but never making it to the Superbowl. Ryan has only won one postseason game in his career with the Falcons and finished his 2013 season at 4-12. It is arguable that his very expensive contract may not be the best decision.

9. Rafael Nadal (Tennis) 
Nadal has $44.5 million in earnings, $30 million of which is from endorsements. He was ranked Number 1 in the world in 2013, winning two grand slams, and in 2014 was a runner up in the Australian Open, won the French Open for the ninth time, making $14.5 million in prize money alone. Tennis is not a contract or team sport, so you get payed if you win an important tournament and in endorsements. Tennis players who make a lot of money are unquestionably good.

 8. Phil Mickelson (PGA)
Phil makes almost $50 million in endorsements alone. In total as of June 2014 he makes $53.2 million. He has 42 PGA wins, and 5 major titles. Mickelson is not the golfer he used to be at the certainly old for sports age of 44.

7. Roger Federer (Tennis)
Federer has won the most single titles ever in tennis at 17. He also has the record for the most career prize money earnings. Between 2005 and 2010, he was in 18/19 of the Grand Slam Titles. He also gets $52 million in endorsements.Like Nadal, Federer is only really payed if he wins, he doesn't get a salary to play on a team. His earnings are well deserved.

6. Tiger Woods (PGA)
Woods makes $55 million in endorsements, and has made only $6.2 million in winnings alone as of June 2014. Woods' career took a big hit when he had back surgery in March, and he didn't appear in the Masters for the first time since 1994. Personal problems also effected Woods' many endorsements, making him less money around that time. Tiger hasn't been doing as well recently as he has done in past years but still is an amazing golfer.

5. Kobe Bryant (NBA)
He had the highest salary in the NBA in the 2013-14 season for the fourth year in a row at $30.5 million, almost $8 million higher than the next highest payed player. Bryant has won the NBA championship 5 times, but none since 2010. On the NBA's all time leading scoring list, Bryant is fourth. Despite missing most of the 2013-14 season his jersey still was the third most bought jersey in the NBA.

4. Lionel Messi (La Liga)
Messi won the  Ballon d’Or four years in a row and is Barcelona, UEFA, and La Liga's all time leading goal scorer. Messi also won three European Golden Shoe Awards, the first person to ever do that. His salary is $41.7 million and earns $23 million in endorsements. He recently signed a contract that will earn him $50 million a year until 2019. He also has his own shoe with Adidas. 

3. LeBron James (NBA)
LeBron's salary is only $19.2 million but he makes $53 million in endorsements. He has four MVP awards and won the NBA championship two years in a row with the Miami Heat. He has signature Nike shoes and helped sell Beats to Apple. In total, he made $72.3 million in total

2. Christiano Ronaldo (La Liga)
In 2013, after being named most valuable player in the world in sports for the second time, he signed a $200 million five year contract with his club Real Madrid. His current salary is $52 million and he makes $28 million in endorsements such as Nike, with which he has a signature shoe. He has won three Premier League titles and one La Liga, his current league.

1. Floyd Mayweather (Boxing)
Even with no endorsements, Mayweather's salary earnings are more than every other athletes at $105 million. According to forbes.com, "His September 2013 fight against Canelo Alvarez set records for highest PPV gross ($150 million), live gate ($20 million) and total revenue (roughly $200 million)." For one fight, he earned $32 million guaranteed just to fight. He has won ten world titles.

Common Soccer Injuries

        Playing such an intense and competitive sport like soccer, injury is common. I've had my enough  sprains, strains, and bruises playing soccer to last a lifetime. There are varying degrees of injury and whether it be mild or career ending, injuries are always something to be aware of while playing soccer.

Ankle Injuries: 
An ankle sprain is the most common injury in the sport of soccer. Even though this may not seem as severe or as painful as a break, it is nevertheless still serious. If a sprain doesn't heal properly, it can keep bothering you and cause future pain and problems relating to your ankle. Also, if you have already had an ankle sprain, you are at a much greater risk to hurt it again than you were before. It is recommended that you wear a brace while playing to try to avoid further injury to it.

Knee Injuries:
One of the most severe, and common, injuries in soccer is an ACL tear. However, a number of knee injuries can sideline you. Direct or indirect contact with the knee can hurt the ligaments, cartilage, or tendons. You can dislocate your knee, tear your meniscus, tear a tendon, or fracture your patella. When landing from a jump, or pivoting, it is best to try to keep your knees straight, as landing with your knees inwards can cause a tear.

Hamstring Injuries:
Another common injury in soccer is one to the hamstring. The hamstrings are a muscle group at the back of your thigh. Most are non contact, meaning there is no impact from the ball or another player when this occurs. This type of injuries occur when you have had previous injuries such as pulled or strained hamstrings, or if you have weak thighs. Prevention of this is limited, but you could stretch and do exercises to strengthen the muscle to try to prevent pulling of it, which will help with more severe injuries to it.

Head Injuries:
A concussion is another common soccer injury, and it can be life altering depending on the circumstances and the severity. Concussions can alter memory, concentration, problem solving, and more. In a sport like soccer, it is nearly impossible to prevent concussions, you could just avoid heading the ball, but there is still a risk every time you step on the field. The best advice is that when you're in doubt, sit out. If you feel odd after getting hit in the head, you should take yourself out of the game or sit out your next one. It is better to be safe than sorry, especially when it comes to injury to the head. Head injuries are not something to take lightly, no soccer game is more important than your health, current and future, as a severe or a couple minor concussions can affect you for life. After a while, you have to know when to draw the line and take yourself out of the sport entirely if need be.

In conclusion, while playing soccer and other sports that are physically as demanding, you should always be aware of the injuries you can suffer from. Coaches, parents, and players should have a point where enough is enough and someone's health needs to come before their team, no matter what level they are playing at.

Olympics in Boston?

Our city of Boston is one of four finalists in a USA bid to potentially host the 2024 Olympic games. There is much controversy over whether the games should be held here. While the games would bring in a lot of money for the city, it will also cost an exuberant amount of money to set up and prepare for, costing tax payers a lot of money. The question is, if the Olympics do end up coming to Boston, will the good outweigh the bad?

A website called 2040boston.org believes that having the Olympics here "not only aligns with existing plans for the state's continued economic growth, but can also serve to accelerate the delivery of improvements in transportation, infrastructure, and housing. Put simply, the Olympics can help catalyze the long-term vision of the Commonwealth." To host the Olympics, roads would have to be paved, more buildings and hotels would constructed, and stadiums would be built as well. All the new infrastructure would create jobs for many people as well as bring in money to the city when people utilize the new roads and buildings. The committee that is handling this promises not to dip into public funds that are already being used on other projects benefiting the region. The city will not place a bid unless it has support from the community and businesses around the area.

Many people, however are against the Olympics being in Boston. For many commuters, their trip to work into the city would be made inevitably worse if the games were here. During the three month or so period during which the games are being held, traffic would make it nearly impossible to get to work on time. This is a con for many commuters. Not only would traffic be a problem for people who work in Boston, but it would be for people looking to spend a normal day in the city. People wanting to go to restaurants, walk around, go to a club, a bar, or a nice Red Sox game over the summer would have a hard time on their hands, or just not go at all. In addition, crime in the city would increase and extra money would have to be spent on security. The more people there are, the more likely the pick pocketing rate will go up, especially with many wealthy people attending this event. Lastly, the increase in people means an increased amount of waste and our waste services would be overwhelmed cleaning up after a significantly increased number of people in the city.

In retrospect, the cons seem to outweigh the pros in a sheer sense of quantity. Whether there are more pros or cons depends on how you look at it. Personally, having the games in Boston seems to do more bad than good. However, it is for you to decide. You must ask yourself this question if asked whether you want the Olympics to be in Boston: Does it affect me and my everyday life in a positive or negative way?

Adrian Peterson Suspended

       NFL running back Adrian Peterson was banned for the rest of the season without pay after nine weeks of suspension with pay for beating his 4 year old son with a tree switch. Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, suspended him on Tuesday. Earlier in the year, Goodell's light punishment of a two game suspension for Ray Rice in the beating of his fiance almost lost him his job, so this time, he was much harsher. This suspension sparked criticism once again for Goodell, since a new domestic policy was issued before the Ray Rice incident but he only truly enforced it on Peterson.

      The NFL Player's Association is appealing the league's decision to suspend Peterson, calling the decision "unprecedented, arbitrary and unlawful". Also, saying that the decision was biased due to continued criticism from the media and the public. With the suspension, Peterson would not be able to be reinstated to the NFL until April next year, since he violated the personal conduct policy. The NFLPA is asking that Goodell hear the running back's case.

      The union said the Peterson was told that his games missed when he was on a special exempt list would count toward his suspension, but they weren't. He didn't attend a meeting recently so that deal wasn't kept. Peterson thought he should be able to play once his criminal case had ended. An arbitrator however sided with the NFL effectively ending the season for him. This doesn't mean the end of football for Peterson. Michael Vick came back from being suspended indefinitely, spending 16 months in prison, and being under house arrest for two months after his dog fighting arrest. Even coaches come back after suspensions, Sean Payton came back after he allegedly payed players to injure others, or had something to do with it. If or when Peterson comes back, he should have been appropriately punished for his actions.

Why Have the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

With the 2022 FIFA World Cup being in Qatar, it is the first Arab country to host the tournament.  You would think that this would be good news for the country and its people, but instead of bringing good publicity to the region, it has brought controversy. The event has been met with bribery scandals, weather concerns, and accusations of slave labor. The organizers have shown a blatant disregard for the value of human life.

In May of 2011, two members of the FIFA Executive Committee were accused of bribery to ensure that Qatar would win the bid and have the World Cup come to their country. FIFA conducted an investigation into these allegations and if they are proven, a re-vote could likely occur. Two reporters from the London Sunday Times reported that two men, both from Africa, were paid $1.5 million each to support Qatar's bid.  Represenatives from Qatar deny such accusations and claim the accusers are jealous and don't want the Cup to be held in an Arab country. 

During the season in which the tournament would be held (summer), the temperature in Qatar can reach up to 122 Degrees Fahrenheit.  These extreme high temperatures could turn away potential ticket buyers as well as put their health in danger. Qatar officials have planned to use cooling technology to reduce the temperature inside the stadiums.  According to a section from the official 2022 Qatar bid site, "Each of the five stadiums will harness the power of the sun's rays to provide a cool environment for players and fans by converting solar energy into electricity that will then be used to cool both fans and players at the stadiums. When games are not taking place, the solar installations at the stadiums will export energy onto the power grid. During matches, the stadiums will all draw energy from the grid. This is the basis for the stadium's carbon-neutrality. Along with the stadium, we plan to make the cooling technologies we’ve developed available to other countries in hot climates, so that they too can host major sporting events." While the technology is "state of the art", it could also create a strain on Qatar's energy resources.

In addition to the two other problems, the big scandal is the accusations of slave labor being used for building the stadiums and the surrounding infrastructure. Reports filed in 2013 had said that a number of people, mainly from India, had faced poor working conditions after they had traveled to Qatar being promised a large salary and benefits.  The companies denied these workers their salaries and made sure they stayed by withholding the necessary work permits making them illegal aliens. Some of the workers had said they hadn't been paid in a significant amount of time, and had to beg for food and were sometimes beaten.  The Guardian writes that, "Nepalese workers in Qatar have been dying at a rate of one per day,". The men live in unsanitary and poor conditions. 

Based on the information above, Qatar has some serious things to look at before hosting a world wide event such as the FIFA World Cup. Bribery, weather conditions, and slavery accusations are factors in deciding whether to keep the tournament in Qatar. Whether it ends up being in the country or not, at the moment, it is not a smart or safe idea to host the games in a country with such problems.  

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is

Even if you aren't' a Seahawks fan, you're bound to know who Richard Sherman is. By now, if you don't, you either don't watch football, or live under a rock. Standing at 6'3" and weighing 195 pounds, he is widely considered the best corner in the league. He'll tell you that, too, famous for not only his playing on the field, but his words off of it. Richard talks a lot of smack, but is it justified?

Sherman has had many accomplishments in his short 26 years, graduating from Stanford in 2010, he was drafted in 2011 in the fifth round. He was the Best Breakthrough Athlete at the ESPYs this year. In 2013, he lead the league in interceptions and was ranked 50 in the top 100 players. A two time first-team All Pro player in both 2012 and 2013, he is a force to be reckoned with. He was the NFL Defensive player of September in 2013, and was a three time Defensive player of the week in that same year.  He was in the Pro Bowl in 2013, won the NFC Championship with the Seattle Seahawks, and won the Super Bowl with them to top off that amazing year for himself. In 2014, he was ranked #7 in the top 100 players in the NFL.

He has been heard on multiple occasions either bad mouthing the other team or praising himself. After a 2012 victory over the Patriots in which he intercepted quarterback Tom Brady, he proceeded to tweet a picture of himself yelling at Brady and captioned it "U mad bro?". In an interview later that year, he calls interviewer Skip Bayless an "ignorant, pompous, egotistical cretin", and says that he is "better at life" than the interviewer. He proceeded to repeat the phrase "All pro" as the interview continued, constantly praising himself. On another occasion, he got into a twitter fight with Darrell Revis, a fellow NFL corner who is probably his biggest competition for the best corner in the league.  If Sherman was to have justifiable reasons for all the smack talking he does, it would be his undeniable talent and stats thus far.

You would think with all his accomplishments that Sherman would easily be the best corner in the league, no competition and that opponents would be scared to throw the ball anywhere near him. Actually, the quite opposite is true. San Diego Chargers player Keenan Allen was not phased by Sherman in Sunday's game. "All week we said we were going to throw at him because he's not what he's hyped up to be," says Allen. An author on utsandiego.com adds to that saying, "It would be tough to argue that the second year receiver (Allen) dominated Sherman at Qualcomm Stadium Sunday..." To conclude, he also added that "Sherman is known around the league as the corner-back who shuts everybody down. Sunday, Allen shut him up,". After the 30-21 loss, Sherman refused to speak to the media. Could it just have been a bad day for him?

"In the end, comparing corner-backs comes down to the old fashioned eyeball test. As pure physical specimens, Revis looked better than Sherman," says Andy Benoit. Revis is physical, and polished, and a true man-to-man defender. Action does not occur around him, quarterbacks are afraid to throw at him. Both compared to playing against the Patriots, Brady didn't fear Sherman as he did Revis, throwing at him over five times. It's hard to compare the two, due to factors out of both of their control. Physically, as stated earlier Revis, is bulkier but shows fluid change of direction despite his size. Benoit says "Based on available film, Revis is the better corner,".

So, in some instances, Sherman's trash talking isn't justified, in fact the opposite is true. He can sometimes under perform, and has nothing to say about it, but when he achieves, he may have too much to say about it. Whether you like his trash talking or not, he is a good player and it sometimes can be justified. Personally, I think that his playing should speak for itself, if you're good, people know, you don't have to tell them. However, if you talk the talk, you at least have to be able to walk the walk, and Sherman does just that.

Serious Sports Injuries: ACL tear

Among the most common sports injuries are ACL tears. So common, I bet your know at least one person who has torn their ACL in sports. Personally, I know someone who has torn it three times. With this kind of tear, there are so many questions. What motions/actions can you do to tear it? Does this always need surgery?, etc. I think it is important to inform people on this very frequent sports injury.

The technical name for an ACL tear is an anterior cruciate ligament tear, ACL for short. As knee injuries go, it is one of the most frequent. Your ACL is an important part of your knee joint, stabilizing it and restraining it from hyper-extending.  Playing sports such as football, basketball, or soccer makes it more likely that your will have this injury, since these sports are considered "high demand". Notable professional athletes that have torn their ACL play the three sports mentioned above. Derrick Rose, Jason Smith, Kendrick Perkins, and Rajon Rondo all play basketball and have torn their ACLs. Similarly, Tom Brady, Robert Griffin III,  Darrell Revis, and Wes Welker have all torn their ACLs, and they play football. But, this injury is so common that not just professional athletes can get it, that is how truly common and easy to have this injury is. On my soccer team alone, three people have torn their ACL.

According to orthoinfo.aaos.org, some causes of this tear are, "changing direction rapidly, stopping suddenly, slowing down while running, landing from a jump incorrectly, and direct contact or collision. Michaela Sullivan recalls what she was doing when she tore her ACL during soccer practice, "I was chipping the ball across the field and my body was at an awkward angle,". "80% of sports-related ACL tears are non contact injuries," says someone at orthopedics.about.com. "Most often, they occur from jumping and landing wrong or turning,". Michaela's injury was non contact. She also describes the pain she felt when the tear happened, "When I first tore it, it was a real severe pain really quick and I fell down in the middle of practice,".

Most of the time ACL tears require surgery. Surgery is required if you are regularly doing activities that require a functioning ACL. So, for sports purposes, you would need surgery. Michaela also talks about her recovery process, "I had to go to physical therapy before surgery to build up my muscles, and after surgery it was really hard to get back to where I was, it took me about eight months to get back to playing soccer,". Even now, Michaela says that she still isn't where she was before her injury. After surgery, physical therapy, or pt is required to get motion and stability back. Even so, your mobility probably won't ever be the way it was.

Hopefully, if you didn't know about ACL tears in sports, you do now. If you already knew about them, hopefully you know more than you did before. This injury is very serious, and can set you back in your sport, no matter what sport that may be. You don't have to play soccer or football or basketball to aquire this injury. Be careful and stretch often.