Mark Madden: Pro sports are driven by money, but these contracts are rife with stupidity

Money always has made sports stupid. New examples crop up every day.

It took the Saudis less than two years to buy golf. Now they have their sights set on purchasing soccer.

The Saudis want to lure French star Kylian Mbappe to the Saudi Pro League via a deal worth over $1 billion. Mbappe would be paid $773 million to play one year in an inferior league. Mbappe’s current club, French side Paris St.-Germain, would get $332 million.

Mbappe makes $36 million per at PSG. This would be a big raise. He could then move to Real Madrid, his preferred destination, when he hits free agency next year. (And take a whopping pay cut.)

How can Mbappe turn down $773 million? (Lionel Messi did, except the Saudis offered him more: $1 billion.)

The Saudis have paid for an influx of soccer stars mostly past their prime. It started with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is making $215 million.

But the pursuit of Mbappe, 24, shows they won’t stop at has-beens.

How long before the Saudis get involved with U.S. team sports? Before their sportswashing matriculates to North America?

The salary cap would prevent them from making a mockery of the NFL, NBA or NHL. (Unless they cheated, which they would.) But if the Saudis bought the Pirates, they’d be World Series champs within three years. For sure.

Related

• 5 storylines facing the Steelers as they report to training camp at Saint Vincent
• Steelers training camp preview: What you need to know
• A 6-pack of tasks that should be on Mike Tomlin's to-do list at Steelers training camp

It is right? Is it wrong? The Saudis are amoral, driven by money.

I just wish I had a skill the Saudis would overpay for. I’d sell out in a second.

The American sports scene is rife with dumbness, too.

The highest-paid guy is always the next contract.

Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics just got the biggest deal in NBA history: five years, $304 million.

Brown isn’t even the best player on his team. That’s Jayson Tatum.

But it was Brown’s turn. He was next man up. Whoever follows will get more.

Brown has been with Boston for seven seasons. He has helped the Celtics to five conference finals (including this year’s) and one NBA final.

Brown has impacted the Celtics. He has helped them win, though not quite enough. But he’s nowhere near the NBA’s top player.

Brown’s contract makes more sense than Justin Herbert’s.

The Los Angeles Chargers quarterback is now the NFL’s highest-paid after getting a five-year, $262.5 million extension.

Herbert is very good. But in his three seasons, he never has won a playoff game. He’s 25-24 in the regular season.

But you can’t let that guy walk. You’re too invested.

The average annual value of Herbert’s deal is $52.5 million, a half-million more than Lamar Jackson, $1.5 million more than Jalen Hurts and a whopping $7.5 million more than Patrick Mahomes, the NFL’s best quarterback.

Mahomes’ contract matured into being team-friendly. (Even the biggest deals often do.) Will Mahomes get a twist in his knickers?

Probably not. Mahomes knows how it works. Herbert was next man up. Joe Burrow will follow. Mahomes won’t start a GoFundMe.

Does Mahomes have a worse life than Herbert? Does that extra $7.5 million per year visibly provide Herbert more comfort?

Probably not. It’s about ego. That’s why Herbert’s deal is worth that fraction more than Jackson’s.

The “next man up” proviso applies in the NBA and to quarterbacks. Not to running backs.

The New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley crossed the picket line just three days after a “workers of the world unite” Zoom call involving NFL running backs. Those assembled wanted to figure out how to get what they perceive as a fair payday.

No realistic solutions were forthcoming, it seems. So Barkley settled for the $10.1 million promised under the franchise tag the Giants applied plus $900,000 in incentives.

Everybody makes too much.

The owners make too much. Dan Snyder ran the NFL’s Washington Commanders like a train wreck, yet got paid over $6 billion for the franchise.

The players make too much. Even if it’s a fair slice of the revenue, the idea that a quarterback should make $52.5 million is absurd. So is the notion that a running back is underpaid at $10.1 million.

It all results in the fans having to pay too much. Nobody feels sorry for them.

Stud athletes have to plan the right path from a young age.

If your football-playing son has the right stuff, don’t let the coach make him a running back.

But he very likely stinks.