Because You Never Asked

     (This essay was written around 1996-7)

     If you were to ask the average American who "Ronaldo" is, you'd probably get an answer like, "the Mexican version of Ronald McDonald .", or "that weird artist who filled the Grand Canyon with tapioca", or "the baby Melanie Griffiths had with Antonio Banderas .", or, most likely, a perplexed look, a shrug, and an "I don't know."

     "Ronaldo" is a milk chocolate mulatto from Brazil with an easy smile and a great talent. His shaved head is easily recognizable as he plies the world's soccer fields in search of his next goal (what else does a mulatto from Brazil ever search for?). In spite of his barely 20 years of existence, he is now considered the best player in the world's most popular sport, although my local "futbol" gurus in Spain skeptically denounce such coronation as premature. With the possible exception of Michael Jordan, "Ronaldo" could be considered the world's most popular athlete.

     "Ronaldo" is big.

     "Ronaldo" is currently contracted to play for the Barcelona Football Club, affectionately known as "El Barca" by the locals, who live and die for the old red and blue of their favorite club. "Ronaldo" has played one year for Barcelona but the marriage, although he has led the Spanish League in goals, has not been a happy one. Speculation as to whether he'll stay and where he might play next year (most likely Italy) have just about monopolized the sporting news in Spain.

     Underlying these mundane, obvious questions, is something more unconscious and more relevant: the hysterical avarice with which the young star has been courted has caught this country a bit off guard.

     Professional soccer players have always been well-paid workers when compared to the rest of the hive. Even before "Ronaldo", there have been great stars making sums of money people on public transport might only perceive as imaginary. With the advent in Europe of private television offering huge sums of money to telecast the games, the ante has been upped like never before. Couple this with the seemingly inexhaustible well of money being thrown about by Nike, Adidas, Umbro, Kappa, etc., all desperately trying to dress and outfit each team, and today's soccer player is looking at his greenest, leafiest salad days of all time.     

     "Ronaldo" is making something like five million dollars a year to play soccer. Although by "Air Jordan" standards this is a somewhat humble wage, it is about three times as much as any soccer star has ever made before. Undoubtedly, as the television-sponsorship money continues to grow, these soccer salaries will escalate with it. We Americans, who are more well adjusted to this nasty capitalism stuff, have a tendency to shrug this off and go about our business. We are more likely to put a bat, racquet, or club in the hands of our three year old in hopes of striking it rich, than we are of complaining about the indecency of an athlete making so much money. But amongst the European rank and file, where traces of civilized rationality exist, there is still some unrest.

     Over the last few weeks I've read a number of articles by Spanish journalists dealing with the usual range of problems --- unemployment, poverty, marginization, educational deficiencies, the crime-drug thing, etc. A recurring theme is a general repulsion for the kind of money a mere soccer player can demand in a world where so many hard working people are struggling to live a decent life. As I shall explain a bit further on, these attacks are somewhat off target, though I do concur with this unrest.

     Within the framework of the economic system that dominates our world --- and that is just another way of saying our whole scheme of socio-cultural behavior --- "Ronaldo's " salary is perfectly rational and justifiable. One can always point to the market and what it will support, yak, yak, by now this is a well known tune. But in the real world where we live our lives, it is a gross perversion of the truth where the Ronaldo-Jordan-Shaq-Griffey animal has been given a value infinitely beyond its real worth. A few examples will suffice to illustrate this perversion: being a responsible parent, who do you value more . a great athlete, or a good teacher at your child's school? If you were a rabid basketball fan with an awful toothache and had only enough money to either buy some good seats for the playoffs or pay the dentist . what do you do? Who would you rather see go on strike for a year . the baseball players or the trash collectors?

     Sure, I share this distaste for "Ronaldo's" income, but I also think those complaining about it have missed the point. If the unjust inequities of a perverted economic mind set bother these people, there is much juicier prey out there than "Ronaldo" and his ilk.

     At this time of year, in this part of the world, it's quite usual for the jet setting, "beautiful people" to make an appearance. In the same newspapers where the journalists have routinely questioned the rationality of "Ronaldo's " fortune, hardly a week goes by where we are not informed of the presence of this Prince or that Shah, or so many other differing grades of royalty currently in our midst aboard the mirage-like mole of some fantasy yacht discretely plying the local waters. All of these articles are quite positive in nature, as if the rest of us slobs are now being given the privilege to be within ten miles of these demi-Gods.

     The latest of these ass-licking chronicles had to do with Princess Caroline of Monaco. I don't think I'd be on shaky ground if I said the Princess's personal fortune far exceeds that of "Ronaldo's". How is it that the fortune of Ronaldo-Jordan-Shaq-Griffey offends these journalists while Princess Caroline's visit is a delectable tidbit of local gossip and nothing more?

     Although what "Ronaldo" does might be considered trivial, he is one of the most gifted people on the planet. There are virtually millions of people around the globe trying to do what "Ronaldo" does and he does it better than anyone else. Unlike almost all the rest of us, he is actually worth watching. He brings joy and inspiration with his talent. He has had to prove himself every step of the way. Nobody has ever given him a thing. Nobody has ever done him a favor. "Ronaldo" has had to earn every penny he's ever made and once he loses a step or two he'll be cast aside like a used tampon.

     What has Princess Caroline ever done to earn her obscene fortune? Has Lady Di ever shown any special talent for anything? Have any of these royal parasites ever done anything to thrill us, amaze us, enlighten us, entertain us (other than with their adulterous banalities)? Have any of them ever pushed the bar of human achievement a bit higher, like Griffey, Jordan or "Ronaldo", even if it might be in an admittedly trivial endeavor?

     C'mon guys . I agree, "Ronaldo's" salary is absurd. But let's start at the beginning. "The Revolution" has never been fought against the Ronaldos of the world.

     Relevant Material: "The most reactionary conservatives, if not for the role of the "Utopians" since the beginning of time and not being direct descendants of the chief of the original horde, would still be wearing the ring of slavery through their noses." From the philosophical work, "Planfleto desde el Planeta de los Simios" (Pamphlet From the Planet of the Apes), by the incomparable philosopher-novelist-journalist from Barcelona, Manuel Vazquez Montalban.