... a rarity. There was no such thing as free agency and big, multi-million dollar contracts never happened—not even for elite athletes. That all started to change in 1976. As a youngster, I remember when Reggie Jackson got what was then a record deal to leave Baltimore and join the Yankees. Jackson was going to make the unheard of salary of $600,000 a year for five years. The contract was for five years and $3 million dollars and it created a buzz throughout the world of sports. Jackson opened the floodgates to bigger and bigger contracts and we all know what happened next. Free agency came to the NBA, NHL, and NFL in the late 80s to early 90s and with it came the berth of what I like to call—Spoiled Athlete Syndrome, or S.A.S. S.A...

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