Players now sign with agencies based on not just playing the sport, but developing "brand image", of which social media plays a huge part. They make money off clicks. It's a new era and the old rivalries are done, whether you like it or not. The whole sports economic model now is essentially built off TV REVENUE SHARING. EVen owners of small market franchises don't have any real incentive to produce results, because if they spend huge dollars they aren't going to recuperate it, like a big market franchise. When a big market team signs a ridiculous TV contract, which dwards what they get in their local areas, they get a portion of it.
Owners pick up a whole team and bounce to a new location with decisions like this in mind.
Athletes are more privy to the economics nowadays than every before. They aren't stupid when it comes to money. EVen when Dak said he wouldn't take a hometown discount when his first contract after the rookie deal was expiring, he was smart enough to point out how NFL would be making even more money with the gambling revenue that was no longer prohibited.
