Sports
Related: About this forumA big WTF moment. Michael Jordan awarded $8.9M for store's use of his name
It was a big win for the former Chicago Bulls basketball player, who was smiling after the verdict was announced Friday night.
Jurors had to calculate how much the now-defunct grocery chain Dominick's should pay Jordan for invoking his name in an ad without permission. They sent one note to the judge, saying: "We need a calculator."
In his closing argument, Jordan attorney Frederick Sperling appealed to city pride, saying about Jordan as he sat nearby: "He gave us six (NBA) championships."
The rest at: http://news.yahoo.com/michael-jordan-awarded-8-9m-stores-name-002718055--spt.html
Why wasn't I born taller?
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
4lbs
(6,868 posts)Basketball is the #2 sport in the USA based on popularity. It is also the #2 sport worldwide, behind soccer/futbol.
Therefore, great basketball players earn $20+ million annually.
LeBron and several other NBA players get max contracts that pay them $25 million annually or more.
Then they can equal or better that with endorsements.
EDIT:
In the 1992 Summer Olympics, the USA "Dream Team" was the talk of the Olympics in Barcelona. There were posters and murals of them all over Spain. The other sports and athletes weren't followed anywhere nearly as much as the USA NBA players.
That hasn't diminished much over the past 20 years. There are more and more countries that have basketball teams and leagues. There is the Chinese league, African leagues, Italian and European leagues, and Brazilian leagues.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
El Supremo
(20,365 posts)Basketball is way down on the list even world-wise.
1. Soccer / Association Football 3.5 Billion Europe, Africa, Asia, America.
2. Cricket 2.5 Billion Asia, Australia, UK.
3. Field Hockey 2 Billion Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia.
4. Tennis 1 Billion Europe, Asia, America.
5. Volleyball 900 Million Europe, Australia, Asia, America.
6. Table Tennis 850 Million Europe, Africa, Asia, America.
7. Baseball 500 Million America, Japan.
8. Golf 450 Million Europe, Asia, America, Canada.
=9 Basketball 400 Million America.
=9 American Football 400 Million Europe, Africa, Asia, America, Australia.
http://www.topendsports.com/world/lists/popular-sport/fans.htm
PoliticAverse
(26,366 posts)We live in a celebrity obsessed culture.
cantbeserious
(13,039 posts)eom
JeffHead
(1,186 posts)They closed over 70 stores in order to kill the union. Fuck them straight to hell. They deserve every penny of this settlement if not more. If not for this, than what they have done to hundreds of union workers lives.
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)I once lived in Chicago. I do not drive. Imagine if I had rented a place right down the street from Dominick's, and then...
KamaAina
(78,249 posts)mythology
(9,527 posts)Hell he even was given credit for a blocked shot against Patrick Ewing who is 7'.
So I don't think you can blame height alone for your lack of an NBA career. I blame mine on knees that make Greg Oden's look good. The hole in my cartilage was significantly larger than Oden's.
erpowers
(9,350 posts)There are many men who are over 6' tall who are not in the NBA. I have even seen men who are 6'8" and 6'10 who never spent a day in the NBA. Indeed height is not the only factor for being in the NBA.
Auggie
(31,230 posts)Way too much $.