In all walks of life and in just about every career opportunity that exists in the United States, the individual employee decides under what type of circumstances he or she will choose to go to work. He or she will determine how much monetary compensation is sufficient and what level of respect and treatment is satisfactory enough to base a career there; to show up and put in hard work. Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. Season after season. Everyone has a choice.
Well almost everyone.
Whether you’re a urinal-scrubbing custodian doing yeoman’s work for 60 hours a week or a high-priced scumbag lawyer paying off his third home in Boca Raton, in most cases, you can quit working for who you currently work for and go find an environment better suited to your optimum level of comfort.
And isn’t that what America is all about?
Freedom.
The freedom to live your life the way you want to.
The freedom to work for people you want to work for and, who demonstrate in the commessurate manner, that they too want to work with you. That they value the relationship and the unique things you bring to the table.
And maybe most importantly: The freedom to pack up your shit at a moment’s notice and say, “You know what? I quit.”
Take this job and shove it.
Never was there ever a more American mantra. Really it’s more like an American birthright.
If you don’t like the way things are going for you in your current job, you always have that right to seek greener pastures. Polish up the ole resume, freshen up that impressive list of references and early in the morning, before you rush out to your despised current job or after you get home from another miserable day, crack a beer and go about finding yourself a new place to work. Economic Darwinism at its finest.
Everyone has a choice, right?
Unless you’re Aaron Rodgers of course. Because if you’re Aaron Rodgers, who many would say is in the conversation for the most talented quarterback in NFL history, you would think someone like that would have some say in how he lives out his life and how he plays out his days. Certainly he should, right?
Nope.
And right now the player who would be the most sought after in the entire league if he entered free agency is Aaron Rodgers. Yet Rodgers is forced to play for coach Mike McCarthy. He’s held captive by team president Mark Murphy and GM Brian Gutekunst and can’t go apply his trade wherever he would like. He is completely and totally stuck and he can do not one thing about it.
Well there is one thing.
How would you like to be in the conversation as being the best ever at what you do for a living and yet have zero control about where you live, where you work, who you work for and how you’re treated?
So now it (allegedly) comes to light that Rodgers is seeking an opt-out clause in his contract. Some on this site have made that out to be nothing but a money issue, that Rodgers wants to be the highest paid player moving forward and for many years to come.
That may very well be, but I think it’s more about having the freedom to be happy and make decisions even a janitor can make about his life.
It’s not always easy being Aaron Rodgers.