I am not a fan of pro basketball, and I don't think I've watched more than two or three minutes worth of footage of Lebron James in all his seven seasons of play. That said, I am aware that he is generally considered a fine basketball player (or "cager" as our old high school yearbook used to call them).
Mr. James apparently decided last night that he would sell his services to another team, and so he left Ohio for sunny Florida, joining the team in Miami and its already star-studded lineup. Many people believe this choice was driven by Mr. James' desire to win an NBA Championship. But maybe there is another reason....
I was listening to Hannity on the radio this afternoon (yes Dad, I do sometimes tune in), and he made a straightforward economic argument--that had James gone to the NY Knickerbockers or the New Jersey Nets--the additional taxes he would have paid during the life of his contract would have amounted to $12M. Hannity didn't say this was definitely why James went to the "no income tax" state of Florida--but I gottta believe it didn't hurt.
Friday, July 9, 2010
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3 comments:
I may have seen even less LeBron James footage than you as I'm just not a fan of the pro game.
The entire circus atmosphere surrounding this affair, just cracked me up - a total farce.
But, why shouldn't James have the same ability as I do? That is, the ability to sell his services to the highest bidder. We all do it when we are looking for a job. When times are great, we can wade through the offers and cherry pick. When times are tough, it may take a bit longer to secure a job. Net-net, who cares as there are more pressing issues.
I care less about Lebron James than I do about the World Cup. And you know how little I care about that. I remain shocked at the wheel barrows full of money we throw at these children, so they can shoot themselves in the leg in a nightclub, or cheat on their wives, of run a dogfighting ring with the proceeds.
One interesting thing about tax-hungry cities and states -- they will often go after visiting athletes since they may earn more in a night than the average Joe does all year. The "jock tax" arguments asserts that regardless of your home state, you earned the money in their state. 9.3 percent in Caliornia and DC.
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/by-choosing-miami-heat-lebron-james-saves-millions-794079.html
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