Ecclesiastes 5:10 Shown True Again…In Professional Sports (originally published October 14)

It is almost certain that Solomon was the richest man who ever lived. We have several passages that tell us of his vast wealth and income. He gained money from taxes as well as from gifts, and there can be little doubt that he also gained great interest from investments.

Solomon wrote much about money, too. He always warned his readers to be very careful when handling wealth and money. He warned against greed. In Ecclesiastes 5:10 he wrote, “He who loves silver will not be satisfied with silver, nor he who loves abundance, with increase. This also is vanity.” How often have we seen this verse come true. When one gets…he wants more. When he gets more…he wants more (or something else).

Many feel that this excessive greed has led to many problems in many areas of life. One such area is in the world of professional sports. Player contracts continue to soar ever higher. Sadly, though, the players never seem to be happy with what they have.

Recently the National Basketball Association placed a rule before the player’s union that would require the players to wear suits if they were sitting on the bench injured and unable to play. The rule would also require the players to wear suits coming into and leaving stadiums. There are some players who have protested because they do not like wearing suits. To be honest, I don’t have any problem with disagreeing with the rule from that standpoint.

However, another player has put himself on the front lines (and front pages) with his rediculous assertion. Marcus Camby, a center for the Denver Nuggets, said “I don’t see it happening [i.e., the rule passing] unless every NBA player is given a stipend to buy clothes.” Camby, by the way, is in the middle of a contract that will pay him the paltry sum of $45 million.

Is he really serious? The average player in the NBA makes just below four-million dollars. Is that really not enough to buy a couple of nice suits to wear to the arena? The NBA did not say that they players had to wear the same suit. Surely each player can afford one!

This may sound like the ranting and raving of someone who does not like sports. To the contrary: I am a huge sports fan. In fact, I have no problem with the best players making a large amount of money. It just bothers me when they complain about their money!

God, through Solomon, has been proven right one more time! Mr. Camby cannot seem to be satisfied with “increase” or “silver.”