{"id":768568,"date":"2026-07-17T16:22:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:22:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/768568\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T16:22:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T16:22:11","slug":"mark-madden-odell-beckham-jr-among-many-rich-athletes-who-need-a-reality-check","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/768568\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Madden: Odell Beckham Jr. among many rich athletes who need a reality check"},"content":{"rendered":"

NFL wideout Odell Beckham Jr. personified and verbalized the disconnect between pro athletes and regular citizens when he described why a five-year, $100 million contract isn\u2019t <\/a>enough<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s five years for $6o million. You\u2019re getting taxed,\u201d Beckham said. Like taxation was some sort of thievery inflicted solely on him.<\/p>\n

Beckham talked about spending $4 million per year, leaving $40 million at the end of the contract.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you make that last forever?\u201d Beckham asked.<\/p>\n

Uh, yeah.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve made approximately $6 million, before taxes, in my entire life, and I\u2019m living OK. Everything is paid for. I\u2019ve never spent $4 million in one year, which Beckham implies is standard.<\/p>\n

But Beckham undoubtedly believes his spiel.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s dumb.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s entitled.<\/p>\n

He never grew up.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s disconnected from normal life.<\/p>\n

Being easily manipulated is another flaw to be found among rich, stupid athletes.<\/p>\n

Ex-NBA player Sebastian Telfair made approximately $19 million over his 10-year NBA career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s about a million a year,\u201d Telfair said. \u201cThat ain\u2019t no money.\u201d<\/p>\n

In context, Telfair might be right: He supported his parents and 14 siblings.<\/p>\n

Perhaps Telfair\u2019s money would have gone further if he had told his brothers and sisters to get a job.<\/p>\n

Charles Barkley cited guidance he got from Grant Hill\u2019s mother, Janet: \u201cDo not start taking care of your family and friends. They\u2019re never going to stop. It\u2019s going to ruin all your relationships. No matter what you do for them, the first time you tell them \u2018no,\u2019 they hate you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barkley got good advice.<\/p>\n

Not all athletes are morons.<\/p>\n

After Beckham slobbered his narcissistic word-drool, Shannon Sharpe offered a voice of reason:<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you get $60 million liquid and that can\u2019t last you a lifetime, you\u2019ve got a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cDo you really need 10 houses? Do you really need 15 cars?\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no exact count on what Sharpe mentioned. But Beckham has multiple residences and an extensive car collection.<\/p>\n

When I worked for World Championship Wrestling, nWo founder Kevin Nash dispensed sound advice: \u201cYou only need one of everything. One house, one car, one wife.\u201d<\/p>\n

NBA player Kyle Kuzma took to social media to rebut Beckham\u2019s nonsense:<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exhausting hearing athletes break down how their millions \u2018aren\u2019t really millions\u2019 after taxes and fees. $40 million after taxes is still $40 million.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real issue isn\u2019t the system, it\u2019s lifestyle. Nobody told you to live like a king, buy five cars or move with a 10-person entourage. Modest is allowed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beckham doesn\u2019t think so. He talked about needing money to \u201cflaunt.\u201d Yes, he used that word.<\/p>\n

Beckham only has one child. He\u2019s not overwhelmed in that department.<\/p>\n

Many athletes are, not least ex-NFL cornerback Antonio <\/a>Cromartie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cromartie has 14 children by eight women. He\u2019s reportedly paying $330,000 per year in child support.<\/p>\n

Cromartie made $47 million.<\/p>\n

He used to own BMWs, Cadillac Escalades, Dodge Chargers and a vintage Chevrolet Caprice.<\/p>\n

But Cromartie has since tightened his belt.<\/p>\n

He drives a Toyota Prius now.<\/p>\n

He lives on a strict budget.<\/p>\n

His retirement is funded through age <\/a>100<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He provides for his kids.<\/p>\n

Cromartie figured it out. He became an adult.<\/p>\n

Beckham should call Cromartie. Learn how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NFL wideout Odell Beckham Jr. personified and verbalized the disconnect between pro athletes and regular citizens when he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":768569,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[63],"tags":[349,99],"class_list":["post-768568","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nfl","tag-nfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768568","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=768568"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/768568\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/768569"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=768568"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=768568"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=768568"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}