The Insurance Doctor

Category: professional

  • Crime Pays… in some pro sports

    Crime Pays… in some pro sports

    In last week’s New York Times, the front-page article was titled, “Baseball’s Integrity Crisis: Doctored Balls.”  Cheating in sports has been bothering me for a long-time now!  It is one reason why I retired from all fantasy sports in 2019 and have not read any sports box scores (those that know me this is crazy) since 2019.

    The money is sports is so lucrative that it often “pays to cheat!”  Most sports do NOT have a clear policy against cheating, and those that do, do NOT take back performance bonuses earned due to cheating.  Baseball cheating is probably the worst of all sports, other sports are not far behind. 

    See some of the most memorable cheats below:

    1. Lance Armstrong: Lance, a former American bike racing specialist (and cancer survivor) won 7 consecutive “Tour de France” races from 1999-2005 and catapulted the sports global popularity.  Lance was investigated and stripped of all his medals; however, he earned over $125 million during his career.
    2. Bob Baffert: Arguably horse racing’s most famous trainer, his 2021 Kentucky Derby winning horse, Medina Spirit, was treated with an ointment containing a steroid, which caused him to fail the postrace drug test.  Medina Spirit’s failed drug test is the 5th medication violation in the past 13 months for Baffert.
    3. Ben Johnson: On September 24th, 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson ran the 100-meter dash in 9.79 seconds to win the gold at the summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea.  He tested positive for steroids 3 days later and was stripped of the medal. 
    4. Tim Donaghy and Pete Rose: NBA referee Tim Donaghy was a gambling addict who made bets on the games he refereed.  Pete Rose, who was a player and manager also bet on games he managed.  Donaghy resigned from the league amidst an FBI investigation that he bet on games that he officiated.  Donaghy pled guilty and spent 11 months in jail.  Pete Rose was suspended from baseball for life!
    5. Serena Williams: Serena Williams received illegal coaching signals during her 2018 U.S. Tennis Open Finals loss to then 20-year-old Naomi Osaka.  Her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, admitted to sending her signals saying, “all the coaches do it!”  She received a warning, then a one-point penalty for racket abuse, then a game penalty for verbal use of chair umpire Carlos Ramos calling him “a liar and a thief!”  She made $1.85 million as the 2018 runner-up.  She was NOT penalized for cheating, nor did she have to return any winnings from finishing 2nd!
    6. Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez:  These 3 major league baseball players (and many others) have been accused of taking PEDs (performing enhancement drugs).  Clemens “misremembered” and only Alex Rodriguez was given a 1 season suspension.  Although these 3 may never make the hall of fame because of it, they have made many millions since those accusations.
    7. The Houston Astros:  The Houston Astros were caught using technology to steal signs from opposing teams during the 2017 and 2018 seasons.  They beat the Yankees, then the Dodgers and won the 2017 World Series.  No players were fined, nor did they lose playoff bonus money.  Instead, the league fined the Astros $5 million (the maximum allowed) and suspended the general manager and manager 1 season each. 
    8. New England Patriots: In what was called “Spygate,” the Patriots were disciplined by the NFL in 2007 for videotaping coaching signals during NFL games.  They were then caught illegally filming N.Y. Jet practices.  They even had a library of illegal videotapes from all teams across the league.  The NFL fined Bill Belichick $500,000 and the Patriots $250,000 and docked them a 1st round draft pick.  In 2014, Tom Brady was caught intentionally deflating footballs (which made them easier to catch) in the AFC championship game, which was known as “deflate-gate!” He was investigated but never fined.  In 2021, Bill Belichick is still coaching the New England Patriots!  

    To me, it seems that Professional Sports not only need to clean up their act, they also need to clearly define and set stiffer monetary penalties for offenders as there are double standards across the board!  Why should players and teams like the Houston Astros and New England Patriots stop cheating when they are making 100’s of millions of dollars from winning, bonuses, and endorsement deals when they will only get a “slap on the wrist?” 

  • 5 Reasons to Fire Yourself

    5 Reasons to Fire Yourself

    Most working professionals fear one thing: being fired. Typical reasons for being fired center on downsizing, restructuring, market changes, personal conflicts and more. However, when should one consider firing themself? That’s right, themself. Sound strange? Perhaps. Examine each of these five reasons and see if any or all apply to you.

    1. You’ve lost the passion. The late Apple founder Steve Jobs said…

    ” The only way to do great work is to love what you do”.

    If you no longer have any passion left for your chosen career your quality of work will suffer. Our passion for our chosen profession is our wellspring of energy, ideas and enthusiasm and should be guarded closely.fired-yet-mug

    2. You talk about quitting. If you find yourself regularly telling your spouse or close friends you’re thinking about quitting or should be quitting, stop. Take inventory of your statement and ask the question ‘why am I seriously considering leaving?’. Write down the reasons you want to quit. Then look at your list and right down next to each what you can or cannot do to address each. If your list presents no possible solutions it may be time to move on.

    3. You know you’ve settled for less. If you have that nagging feeling that your present job is well below your potential and talents you have some decisions to make. Can you move into another position more well suited for your talents? Can you find ways to improve your value within your current position? Are you settling and only staying for the company health benefits or 401(k) plan? Staying for benefits alone is a poor reason to keep working for a company. Remember you can find similar benefits for you and your family at another job that you are passionate about.

    4. Your job doesn’t fit your long term goals. Look at your personal and financial long-term goals and see if your present job aligns with them. If your job will never afford you the income to retire by age 70 for example you may want to find a better paying job that you still have passion for. If you are seeking independence or self-employment, each month you continue working for your company pushes your realized goal further down the road. Know your goals first and then see if your job is in alignment.your-fired

    5. You are convinced you can no longer add value to the company. If you are fully convinced you can no longer add value to the company it is time to fire yourself. Quit, leave, resign. If you don’t your employer will eventually see that you are no longer adding value to the company and save you the trouble of firing yourself. Be honest with yourself and give your company the opportunity to fill the position with someone who will help them grow and yourself the opportunity to improve your professional and financial situation.

    These are just a few reasons you may want to fire yourself. Also each of these reasons may give you the opportunity to retool, expand and improve your professional situation. **If you have a 401(k) from a company you’ve left or you will need to move one in the future contact Rob today for a free no-obligation consultation.