What If....???

In Sports, there will always be "what if" questions. There have been tons of games that, had they gone the other way, would change the history of sports. What if Portland would have taken Michael Jordan? What if Tom Bradys incomplete pass is ruled a fumble? What if Terrell Owens remains sane, and is still an Eagle?

Those are all situational what if's, but I have come up with some bigger "what if"'s that if they happened, would change sports as we know it.

What If All Athletes Were Paid the Same?

As sports continues to progress, money is becoming more and more the driving force behind sports moves. Players are traded for salary cap reasons, players sit out of camps for more money, and in contract years, players play harder then ever before. Teams like the Yankees are able to sign all of the premier free agents because they know that if they go to New York, they will get the best deal. Remember when Johnny Damon signed with the Yankees, after years on the Red Sox? Only in a sports world where the dollar rules all can something like that happen.

But what if all athletes were paid the same amount?

Imagine a sports world where every player on the team made the same amount of money. in my opinion, something like this would bring many positive things to sports. First of all, it wouldn't make players jump teams all of the time. Players, especially star players, are constantly on the move, looking for the best deal. Do you think Asante Samuel would have signed with the Eagles in the off season if he would have made the same amount of in all other 31 NFL cities?

Imagine when a player was a free agent, and he was deciding where to sign. You wouldn't read headlines like "Sabathia signs with Yankees; says dream comes true". Players would decide where to go based on where they wanted to play, or where they had the best chance to win. It would also make players not want new contracts so that they could be the highest paid player on the team, or at their position. Think Anquan Boldin would want out of Arizona if he and Larry Fitzgerald made the same amount?

Overall, I think a sports world where each player on the team made the same amount of money would be a positive change to the sporting world.

What If The Fans Were the GM's?

Every average joe has an opinion on what there favorite sports team should do. Hours are filled on talk radio with fans calling in and saying what they think what the team should do, who to draft, what free agents to sign, and whether or not the coach should be fired.

But what if they really had control?

Imagine if the Eagles were run by the fans. If all executive choices were made thru an internet poll. On draft day, fans could vote on who to draft. The Eagles lose 4 in a row, or maybe tie a mad team 13-13, the next day, the fans could decide to fire the coach. Should the Eagles give McNabb a new deal? If over 50 percent of the fans think he should, it is his.

There are many different levels to this. First, you would have to make it so that only members of Philadelphia could vote on the Philadelphia teams. Otherwise, a fan from Dallas could vote on something and try to make the Eagles worse. Like "Should the Eagles Re-Sign LJ Smith?" The Dallas fan would vote yes.

Next, imagine how many moves would be made, and how different the teams would be. Charlie Manuel and Andy Reid would not be coaches. Pat Burrell would have been long gone. Do you think Andre Iguodala would have gotten that massive contract with the fans in charge?

It would also affect the fans at the stadium. Could they boo the product they put on the field? If you voted to keep McNabb, then he goes out and throws 4 interceptions, could you rightfully boo the man you thought was best to get the job done?

Also, imagine the civil unrest it would cause. People would hate their friend who voted to keep Andy Reid, only to watch him blow the game on Sunday. There'd be pressure from your friends to vote along with them. Fans could run campaigns to get players out of town. With a whole city deciding on what to do with the team, there would sure to be some disagreement.

It would be interesting to see how the professional teams would look with the fans in charge.

What if Steroids Were Never Discovered?

The biggest story of this sports decade has been the baseball-steroids scandal. Fans have watched their heros stripped and made into nothing in front of their own eyes. Every accomplishment has been met with skepticism about if it was earned fairly. Fans have been taught to watch the game threw the eyes of a fan who can't trust their favorite player.

But what if they never found out baseball players were using steroids?

I think its safe to say that the game of baseball would be completely different if no one found out that players like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens were shooting up. When Bonds was on his historic streak, trying to break the all time home run record, he was met with boo's and outrage in every city. Now, the all time leading home run hitter is out of a job. If people didn't know that Bonds was on steroids, he would be of the all time heros. Baseball is considered Americas past time, and he would be the king of it.

Look at all the players who have had their amazing careers tarnished. Mike McGuire, Sammy Sosa, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and now, Alex Rodriguez. Now, it is fair to say that they did it to themselves, by breaking the rules.

But I wonder, if fans could do it all again, would they chose just to turn their shoulder, and not know anything about any of this? I think they would.

Then again tho, that is a big what if.