The most poignant scene in the movie for me, is at the end, where Captain Miller tells Ryan..."earn this."
Ryan, as an elderly man, eventually visits the grave of Captain Miller, and says.....
"Everyday I think about what you said to me that day on the bridge; I've tried to live my life the best that I could. I hope that that was enough. I hope, that at least in your eyes, I earned what [you] have done for me."
Ryan's insinuation there, is that he lived his life, trying to earn what everyone else had given up to save him.
More on that in a minute.......
I haven't followed football as much the last few years as I did in the past. I only caught the second half of the super bowl for the most part. However, even as little of attention I have paid, I have seen two stories that pretty much well, make me sick. And that's saying a lot because I write this suffering from norovirus.
They are both centered around a couple of guys making money. Or rather, not being able to get paid accordingly, for either potential, or because of a single good season (not even a full season at that).
The first one is about Colin Kaepernick.
Basically, because of the new agreement with the NFL players association, he's stuck with the contract he signed as a rookie until after the 2013 season.
Boo-fucking-hoo.
He helped the 9ers to a Super Bowl in his second season, yes. But the whole point of the new deal that was made a few years ago by the NFLPA, was that rookies had to EARN big contracts, and not get them based on either college potential, or single good seasons. Kaepernick didn't even start for the entire season. And as we've all seen in the past, lots of guys have tremendous single seasons only to be average or shitty from there on out. Especially after they get paid.
I find it amazing that for years people complained that rookies made far too much, or that guys with only 1 good season ended up with too much leverage in negotiating for a big contract. Now, we hear the whining that he can't cash in on a single good (part of) season.
That's GREAT!
You mean he has to prove that he's not a one season wonder before he cripples the franchise with a huge contract??!?!? WOW! What a novel idea!
Let me also add that ESPN wrote this piece of shit "story" and that ESPN sucks more balls than Jenna Jameson and Tera Patrick combined.
Of course, this article was written before the Super Bowl. You know, the one where the 9ers lost. And if not for the blackout probably lose big. I say that because before the blackout, the Ravens had all the momentum, and the 9ers seemed obvious in how to stop them.
The second article is about Jadeveon Clowney (seriously? You named your kid that?). A defensive end at the University of South Carolina. Basically he can't enter the NFL draft because of the three year rule that says you can't enter the NFL draft until after three years from when you leave high school.
So wait, you mean playing in the NFL isn't a right? It's a privilege? And like many jobs, there are requirements that go along with said privilege
Get the fuck outta here! No way?
Yahoo sports Michael Silver-dildo wrote this shitty article, about how Jadeveon (seriously, that's his fucking name) should lawyer up and challenge that rule.
I hope he does, and I hope he gets his ass handed to him in court. I am so tired of the sense of entitlement in this country.
What happening to earning and proving your worth?
This attitude is prevalent in almost everything I read about these days. People want everything now, without having to wait for it, or earn it, or understand that there may be "due process" involved in those things. Whether that be lifting, life, or professionally. The generation I see in front of me now does not like having to wait for anything. I can understand why. Technology has played a big part in that. So has TV.
Anything you want to know now, is at your fingertips. You can apply for jobs, grocery shop, do your banking, and virtually anything you need in life without ever leaving your home. Reality TV takes people who do regular jobs and turns them into celebs overnight. No years of acting required. No time spent living hand to mouth and honing the craft of acting and doing tons of shitty gigs in order to get a break. Hey, I work at a pawn shop, I should be famous. That's how far we've slid as a society.
Why should I have to adhere to rules or regulations when I get my way about everything?
How many times have I fielded the question of....
"I want to lose some fat, but I don't want to lose any strength. How should I go about that?"
Ask Mark Bell how that's working for him. You can't shed a bunch of slop, and get stronger. I have no idea why people believe you can do this. If you're a fatass, and you got to your strongest ever by becoming a fat ass, then when you stop eating as much and start to go into an energy deficit, you're going to get weaker. Jesus Christ on a cracker, stop bitching about losing strength because you're having to pay the piper now for being a lazy fat fuck for so long.
"I want to get bigger and stronger, but I want to get ripped too. Will this routine work?"
Routines do not make you big and ripped. You know what does? Consistency, effort, and a long period of time. Some of you are the lifting versions of the two football guys above. You want so little gym time to pay off big into making you jacked and strong.
"I've been working out for 2 years. I don't understand why I'm not big. jacked, and strong!"
I have no idea where this sense of entitlement came from either.
I have written about these things more times than I can count, yet I still get questions every single week by guys who wants to "shed some bodyfat, but not lose strength" and "I wanna get big, but I don't wanna get super fat."
I have outlined the parameters on how to go about this, about eleventy million times. For some people, I suppose it takes just one more time. Or a hundred more times. I have no idea.
I wrote 365 so that guys (and gals) could understand that laying out a single year of good training will be far more beneficial than winging it from week to week, and month to month. Also, a single year of training, in the grand scheme of things, is not that big of a deal. Almost 25 years of training for me now, and I still have goals to reach. Why is it that you think after 3 or 5 or even 7 years that you should have hit the pinnacle of where you need to be? Training is supposed to be about goals, but it's also supposed to be about lifelong journeys and understanding the lessons you learn in the gym aren't just about getting jacked and tan, they can also be about becoming a better you. Learning to be long suffering in your quest for attaining something special is a great quality to develop.
When you stop expecting to wake up tomorrow to your dreams, you can finally enjoy the day that has currently been given to you. Even if you have exceeded expectations, it doesn't mean you're automatically entitled to more than what you've actually earned.
Back to Private Ryan......
If the movie were made today, I can see Ryan standing on the bridge with Captain Miller telling him to "Earn this" and Ryan going "hey fuckwad, my three brothers gave their life so you could be here. My mother lost three sons. That's not earning it enough? I'm going to post on some message board about how you think that I still need to earn this even though I lost most of my family, you fuck. If anything, I'm more pissed that you didn't bring me a fine sandwich to eat when you got here."
Of course some will be outraged that I insinuate that, but all you have to do is ask yourself, when is the last time you believed that the reason you aren't where you want to be in your life, or your training is because you simply haven't done the things to earn that yet?
I haven't followed football as much the last few years as I did in the past. I only caught the second half of the super bowl for the most part. However, even as little of attention I have paid, I have seen two stories that pretty much well, make me sick. And that's saying a lot because I write this suffering from norovirus.
They are both centered around a couple of guys making money. Or rather, not being able to get paid accordingly, for either potential, or because of a single good season (not even a full season at that).
The first one is about Colin Kaepernick.
Basically, because of the new agreement with the NFL players association, he's stuck with the contract he signed as a rookie until after the 2013 season.
Boo-fucking-hoo.
He helped the 9ers to a Super Bowl in his second season, yes. But the whole point of the new deal that was made a few years ago by the NFLPA, was that rookies had to EARN big contracts, and not get them based on either college potential, or single good seasons. Kaepernick didn't even start for the entire season. And as we've all seen in the past, lots of guys have tremendous single seasons only to be average or shitty from there on out. Especially after they get paid.
I find it amazing that for years people complained that rookies made far too much, or that guys with only 1 good season ended up with too much leverage in negotiating for a big contract. Now, we hear the whining that he can't cash in on a single good (part of) season.
That's GREAT!
You mean he has to prove that he's not a one season wonder before he cripples the franchise with a huge contract??!?!? WOW! What a novel idea!
Let me also add that ESPN wrote this piece of shit "story" and that ESPN sucks more balls than Jenna Jameson and Tera Patrick combined.
 |
| only 9ers QB to ever throw a pick in the big game |
Of course, this article was written before the Super Bowl. You know, the one where the 9ers lost. And if not for the blackout probably lose big. I say that because before the blackout, the Ravens had all the momentum, and the 9ers seemed obvious in how to stop them.
The second article is about Jadeveon Clowney (seriously? You named your kid that?). A defensive end at the University of South Carolina. Basically he can't enter the NFL draft because of the three year rule that says you can't enter the NFL draft until after three years from when you leave high school.
So wait, you mean playing in the NFL isn't a right? It's a privilege? And like many jobs, there are requirements that go along with said privilege
Get the fuck outta here! No way?
Yahoo sports Michael Silver-dildo wrote this shitty article, about how Jadeveon (seriously, that's his fucking name) should lawyer up and challenge that rule.
I hope he does, and I hope he gets his ass handed to him in court. I am so tired of the sense of entitlement in this country.
What happening to earning and proving your worth?
This attitude is prevalent in almost everything I read about these days. People want everything now, without having to wait for it, or earn it, or understand that there may be "due process" involved in those things. Whether that be lifting, life, or professionally. The generation I see in front of me now does not like having to wait for anything. I can understand why. Technology has played a big part in that. So has TV.
Anything you want to know now, is at your fingertips. You can apply for jobs, grocery shop, do your banking, and virtually anything you need in life without ever leaving your home. Reality TV takes people who do regular jobs and turns them into celebs overnight. No years of acting required. No time spent living hand to mouth and honing the craft of acting and doing tons of shitty gigs in order to get a break. Hey, I work at a pawn shop, I should be famous. That's how far we've slid as a society.
Why should I have to adhere to rules or regulations when I get my way about everything?
How many times have I fielded the question of....
"I want to lose some fat, but I don't want to lose any strength. How should I go about that?"
Ask Mark Bell how that's working for him. You can't shed a bunch of slop, and get stronger. I have no idea why people believe you can do this. If you're a fatass, and you got to your strongest ever by becoming a fat ass, then when you stop eating as much and start to go into an energy deficit, you're going to get weaker. Jesus Christ on a cracker, stop bitching about losing strength because you're having to pay the piper now for being a lazy fat fuck for so long.
"I want to get bigger and stronger, but I want to get ripped too. Will this routine work?"
Routines do not make you big and ripped. You know what does? Consistency, effort, and a long period of time. Some of you are the lifting versions of the two football guys above. You want so little gym time to pay off big into making you jacked and strong.
"I've been working out for 2 years. I don't understand why I'm not big. jacked, and strong!"
I have no idea where this sense of entitlement came from either.
I have written about these things more times than I can count, yet I still get questions every single week by guys who wants to "shed some bodyfat, but not lose strength" and "I wanna get big, but I don't wanna get super fat."
I have outlined the parameters on how to go about this, about eleventy million times. For some people, I suppose it takes just one more time. Or a hundred more times. I have no idea.
I wrote 365 so that guys (and gals) could understand that laying out a single year of good training will be far more beneficial than winging it from week to week, and month to month. Also, a single year of training, in the grand scheme of things, is not that big of a deal. Almost 25 years of training for me now, and I still have goals to reach. Why is it that you think after 3 or 5 or even 7 years that you should have hit the pinnacle of where you need to be? Training is supposed to be about goals, but it's also supposed to be about lifelong journeys and understanding the lessons you learn in the gym aren't just about getting jacked and tan, they can also be about becoming a better you. Learning to be long suffering in your quest for attaining something special is a great quality to develop.
When you stop expecting to wake up tomorrow to your dreams, you can finally enjoy the day that has currently been given to you. Even if you have exceeded expectations, it doesn't mean you're automatically entitled to more than what you've actually earned.
Back to Private Ryan......
If the movie were made today, I can see Ryan standing on the bridge with Captain Miller telling him to "Earn this" and Ryan going "hey fuckwad, my three brothers gave their life so you could be here. My mother lost three sons. That's not earning it enough? I'm going to post on some message board about how you think that I still need to earn this even though I lost most of my family, you fuck. If anything, I'm more pissed that you didn't bring me a fine sandwich to eat when you got here."
Of course some will be outraged that I insinuate that, but all you have to do is ask yourself, when is the last time you believed that the reason you aren't where you want to be in your life, or your training is because you simply haven't done the things to earn that yet?
Aren't you libertarian? How is limiting income in any way jive with that?
ReplyDeleteNo one is *forcing* a team to pay Kaepernick big money. If they do so and they regret it - well, it's their fault.
My complaint is that there were rules put into place so that guys have to EARN a big raise. People in the media are "complaining" that he couldn't cash in on his "part of a good season". That's great! I love it!
DeleteI'm not for giving guy a big raise when he hasn't earned it. Libertarian or not.
I think I was pretty clear about all of that in the article.
Kopernick proved why he doesn't deserve big money, during the first half of the Super Bowl. His eyes were bigger than a deer's in the spotlight. Somebody snapped him out of it for the second half, but he let opportunity pass him by early on.
ReplyDeleteThe rest is just the Man keepin' a brotha down, yo.
Funny, I loved the base building series, and am switching gears to tame the lard and wondering what trade-offs needed to be made... But, considering how you feel about us lard butts who are so lazy and just eat but do no work...
ReplyDeleteI have some thoughts on that, and am about to test them out. Just finishing up my current training cycle first.
I only know these things because I have been a lazy lard ass at times in my training as well.
DeletePaul,
ReplyDeleteI think you are spot on with your article. Now say he sucked ass would the 49ers come to him and ask for money back? No they would not. That's why it's called a contract. Shit it's a four year contract, if he even played 2 of the seasons as the starter they'd pay him starter money. I can't even imagine if I went to my boss and said I did a good job, I think I outplayed my contract or vice versa if I fucked up them coming to me telling me they would dock my pay.
Sam
Entitlement sucks!
I think that the fact people get paid millions to play a sport is far more revolting than the greed of the players. F*** off and get a real job. If the possibility of earning big bucks for running and jumping and throwing a ball exists, players will try to make the most of it.
ReplyDeleteNo entitlement there, just plain old swinish greed.
On one hand, I wish sports could go back to being played on the weekends by factory workers and clerks who practice three days a week after their nine-to-five is over and have smoking breaks during training. On the other, the quality of play would then be so shitty no one would bother watching said sports.
You probably would not be lifting weights at the capacity you are with the knowledge you have it wasn't for the expansion of sports.
DeleteAlso a real job? Sure it is great to be able to play a sport for a living, do they work hard, is it an grind, of course, but it it is preferable to many lines of work obviously.
But to say it is not a real job and that they are greedy? Go back to a basic principle of supply and demand, there's only a handful of people who are the caliber of the Tom Brady's in this world. How many people can jack homeruns or basehits against professional pitching in this world, now how many people can do that while batting .300 for a season of 162 games, with team workouts and practices? People pay to see these people play, and their talent and honed skills are rare.
Now how many people are there that are capable of being data entry, construction, factory jobs, hell even someone in the medical or engineering field while harder many people can still do it with hard work and intellect. Some may be better than others, but the bottomline is there's a greater supply of labor.
Paul,
I think I agree with the general message of your article, but as someone pointed out even though people should be earning their pay/contracts, a blanket rule may not be right or 'libertarian'. Why potentially punish the players for the shortcomings of the franchises?
Nothing new about barbells or dumbbells came about because of sports. Nothing new has changed in strength training since pretty much the barbell was invented.
DeleteI don't thin once I ever threw in a Tom Brady or guys that had proven themselves as part of this article. I said "what's wrong with letting a guy prove his worth before he actually gets it?"
The answer to that is "nothing". Paying a guy based on potential was and is stupid. Obviously the NFL agrees with me because part of the NFLPA deal was to put a cap on what rookies made/make.
And "some" point out? That was one person, besides yourself. And I think both of you missed the point honestly. I have no problem with paying a guy that has proven his worth. But you don't pay a guy as a franchise QB because he has 3/4 of a good season. No different than asking the courts to overturn rulings because "this guy is really good". It's absurd. If he's really good, well, he'll be really good next year. And the year after that. And the year after that.
Pay a guy because he's a proven consistent commodity. Not because he was a flash in the pan. Again, EARN IT.
"People pay to see these people play, and their talent and honed skills are rare."
DeleteI agree, this is certainly the core of the problem. And getting paid to play games is preferable to working, you won't see me arguing against that.
"You probably would not be lifting weights at the capacity you are with the knowledge you have it wasn't for the expansion of sports."
My "capacity" at lifting would probably suck even without the expansion of sports :) People who like to lift weights lifted weights long before organized sports.
100 years ago I'd have probably been collecting those funny courses at the backs of malted milk boxes. Paul would be teaching the bent-over press or whatever that weird shit was called, rocking a tousled, oiled mustache and writing articles to warn the lifting public of the perils of blindness and dissipation through masturbation. Nothing would really be that different.
Paul I said someone, alluding to one other person and my point about Tom Brady and the economics of professional sports was not referring to anything in your article it was directed towards Fatman.
DeletePeople get paid according to their potential in the traditional workplace all the time. Of course not always and I don't think anyone or at least 99.99% of people do not even work near full potential in their lives ever. Paying someone for their potential is a decision that may or may not be wise, but it is a decision that should be allowed in a "free market". And that is the point I was arguing, I feel like we're talking about two different things.
Also I do believe there have been significant finding whether it be in a practical setting or empiric/strictly scientific in strength training in the past 50-200 years. Part of that is due to more people playing sports and needing strength training. Olympics are a great example. (I've heard you talk about loose examples of Soviet Oly lifters, and I'd be lying if I said I haven't read Zatiorsky's work). More and more people lift, the sports of powerlifting/weightlifting grows, as well as more people simply just making it out to the gym.
I don't believe that people should get paid ridiculous amounts based on something they haven't done, or even proven they can do yet. Free market or not. I still believe those kinds of things must be earned.
DeleteThanks for this article Mr. Carter.
ReplyDeleteLet me say I agree with everything you said, but as a huge USC fan, I want to just point out that it's a bunch of sportswriters putting this stuff up about Clowney. Every thing out of his mouth is that he is coming back this year and wants to learn how to be even better so he is prepared to play against the big boys in the NFL.
ReplyDeleteI know you're speaking to the broader point about entitlement nationwide, but had to say something about JD ;).
No worries. I wasn't trying to throw the players under the bus. It's the sports writers that do this shit. I suppose they can't find anything worthy to write about.
Delete"...when is the last time you believed that the reason you aren't where you want to be in your life, or your training is because you simply haven't done the things to earn that yet?"
ReplyDeleteEvery day Paul.
Good on you then, dawg.
DeleteSorry to hear about the Norovirus bug. I work in EMS and it ends up running from patients straight through our ranks every year. Keep hydrating until you see a sloshing line in your field of vision!
ReplyDelete"when is the last time you believed that the reason you aren't where you want to be in your life, or your training is because you simply haven't done the things to earn that yet?"
ReplyDeleteHolyshit...awesome.
I think Jadeveon is a cool name.
ReplyDeleteNo you don't.
DeleteI belive it's a REALLY cool name if you're in a fantasy/powermetal-band.
DeleteThat is possible.
DeleteI actually believe there should be an exception for someone like Clowney. He's basically an NFL player shitting on college kids..its not even remotely fair just like his high school days. Give some other kid his spot and a chance to prove himself.
ReplyDeleteThis is completely wrong. They said the same thing about guys like Bryant McKennie and Lavar Arrington and all sorts of guys. It's just not so. The NFL is more than just athletic talent.
DeleteGood stuff- right on the money.
ReplyDeletePaul, what do you think are the consequences for people that try to shortcut their way in life?
ReplyDeleteFor example, there seems to be a kind of epidemic in my area of kids (18-early 20's) hoping on the dark side after only about a year of lifting weights. Suddenly these tards in the gym are blowing up. Meanwhile, I'm 4 years into lifting weights consistently and feel like I'm really just getting started in my journey, yet have already learned so much. Steroids are the absolute last thing on my mind. For me, the journey to getting bigger/stronger is far more important than the destination.
Curious on your thoughts about kids like I described above; they want the easy way, and want to get big quick, so they hop on the juice.
I wrote about it in the darksidin series.
DeleteI wish football over in England would do this. We had one guy Andy Carroll have a great half season, was called the next big thing by the media, bought by a big club for about 60 million USD and paid about 200,000USD a week. Unfortunately he did nothing, then left and now plays for a club near the bottom of the table and he's not even their best player.
ReplyDeleteThis happens time and time again but where there are fools and money there are foolish ways to spend money. The whole setup here is so capitalist and money driven its obscene. Count your lucky stars, players SHOULD have to earn their contract.
I don't know about American football, but the other thing about football in Britain is that most of the top clubs are in enormous debt: It doesn't even work as a business model to pay players that much money.
DeletePaul I thought this was a good article.
I thought about this article while I was doing Poundstone curls yesterday. Man, if those don't test your will and desire. Hit a PR of 65, and was stoked.
ReplyDeleteDo the work...get the reward.
Paul,
ReplyDeleteAccording to most NFL analysts that I've listened to, Clowney is going to be a top 3 pick next year if he plays this coming season or not. There is speculation that he might not play football next season and use the entire year training at a Nike facility. So, if you believe the hype, he doesn't have to play a down next season and most experts will still believe he has greater potential than essentially the rest of his draft class.
Like all sports, players are paid largely based on potential. Sure there are other factors, but just about every player that gets drafted in football had a strong season the year before. The higher a player gets selected in the draft, the more money he can get paid. That players circumstance is completly different than the guy that goes late in the 4th round. The fact is , neither player has done anything as a pro.
Sure there are 'misses' and 'flops', but there is also a reason why teams covet certain prospects. Lots of talk about the 9ers and Kapernick, but take a look at their 1st round selections the last five years and you'll see why they have a good team.
Jmo,
Eric
I think you missed the point of my entire article there.
DeleteGuys... Libertarian ideas pertain to the GOVERNMENT enforcing rules onto the FREE MARKET. It has NOTHING to do with what the free market does on its own. The NFL can choose to only hire guys that are 45 and above if they want.
ReplyDeleteThis has nothing to do with being a Libertarian. If the government were forcing the NFL to hire guys 21+ it would be a different issue, but this is the NFL enforcing its own policies.
I recently found your blog and have been reading backwards through things. This piece resonated with me. I have always felt that no one "deserves" this or that thing they are whining about. "I deserve to be happy." "I deserve a great partner." Hell, even "I deserve to have fantastic tits." No. Just NO. The truth, to me, is that you deserve a CHANCE to EARN those things for yourself. (even if it is earning the money to buy the tits.) What you do with that CHANCE to earn the things is up to you. If you piss it away, then you deserve the unhappiness that you will have. But if you planned, worked, tried, strove, gave passion to the thing you wanted, even if you did not achieve that specific thing, you will have gained in other ways and will be a better person for it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your teaching and sharing your training and wisdom.
You only deserve what you can earn or take, and hold onto.
Delete