rob5791

Part of why players have such control in these situations is organizations' fear of using what measure they have for leverage. Sports is entertainment as a whole and not just a tallying of victories. Wins and losses are only for fans. Owners/execs are frequently fans themselves and competitively want to win, but the bottom line monetarily is a different beast than the record book. The business end is entirely about return on investment whether on a yearly basis or a franchise sale later on. There is some value in retaliating on player who tries to bully the organization. Both in the short term with the publicity and galvanizing the fan base as well as in the long term with having a reputation of not to be screwed with and potentially setting a trend that organizations can stand up for themselves. The fallout is almost entirely from player perception which seems a devasting blow but isn't as bad on second look. Fair treatment to other players will get out too and agents will always feel out another bidder to up the price which means you'll have a shot to give a pitch and help change that perception from harsh to fair but stern. I'm not saying the positives definitely outweigh the negatives, but there is more to the analysis then simply writing it off because it might upset a hypothetical star who might some day want to come here.