Sacking Fran Tarkenton

Who knew that former Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants quarterback Fran Tarkenton has an opinion about education deform. Yes, it is true. I am still trying to figure out why he needed to chime in to the debate yesterday in the Wall Street Journal, but those thoughts are left to bigger people than myself.

Aside from the typical union bashing and the groveling to the shrine of Bill Gates, the gist the The Mad Scrambler is attempting to convey is what would happen if the NFL lived in an alternate reality that had the same rules and pay scales as education.

Tarkenton writes, amongst other things;

Imagine the National Football League in an alternate reality. Each player's salary is based on how long he's been in the league. It's about tenure, not talent. 

Of course, a few wild-eyed reformers might suggest the whole system was broken and needed revamping to reward better results, but the players union would refuse to budge and then demonize the reform advocates: "They hate football. They hate the players. They hate the fans."

I guess what Fran fails to mention is that the 32 teams in the league divide the TV money, licensing, all evenly. Heck, even ticket sales are a 60/40 arrangement. Seems like socialism to me. In fact what incentive to the owners of the teams have to win when before a down is played they have already made a profit.

What about the salary cap? Does this not only assure the owners that the few teams that are sufficiently under the cap can bid on free agent players, but limits the players true worth? And what is with this deal that veteran players, no matter how good or ineffective they are are paid a minimum of $810,000?

Even this years rookies are subject for the first time ever of an NFL draft scale that affects all first round draft picks. No more given $80 million with $35 million guaranteed to the likes of Sam Bradford. Now 1st round picks will be only allowed a 4 year contract with an option for a 5th. Cam Newton, the #1 draft pick this year received a contract worth only $22 million for 4 years. Should he not be paid according to his abilities and talent? Does this not irk Fran Tarkenton? Does the socialism of the NFL irk him as well?

But come to think about it, I think it is darn time that teachers enjoy the same benefits as NFL players do.

Think about it, if we are treated like NFL players we can commit felonies, spend several years in state or federal prison and still be able to teach. 

If we were to be treated as NFL players we can be arrested multiple times for DWI and still keep our jobs.


If we were to be treated as NFL players we can physically abuse our wives and/or girlfriends, or husbands and/or boyfriends and keep our jobs.


If we were to be treated as NFL players we can take performance enhancing drugs and watch our apples shrink, or in the case of women, watch their hoo hoos grow.


If we were to be treated as NFL players we can be insubordinate whenever we want to our supervisors and be able to get away with it.


If we were to be treated as NFL players we could lie, cheat, steal or whatever to get to the top and keep our jobs.


If we were to be treated as NFL players our character would not matter.


If we were to be treated as NFL players we wouldn't read the first page of "Dick and Jane," but we will still be able to teach


If we were to be treated as NFL players everything we want will be taken care of for us by someone else. We would have no responsibilities.

Tarkenton is right. Us teachers live in a fantasy world, an alternate universe. We have no idea how good we have it and how poorly an NFL player struggles in the real world.