Brian, I think what you are lamenting is a broad shift in society as a whole, as much as a change in pro sports itself. Reading the bio of a local baseball icon a while back, it struck me that he took great pride in forfeiting potentially the four most productive years of his pitching career to serve during WWII, and after encountering arm problems in 1949, he refused to accept a token increase in salary the next year, telling the team owner he didn't deserve it, even though he had already earned his spot in the HOF. Bob Feller died in 2010, a few months after another local idol, LeBron James, made his "decision."
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