LeBron James is on TV speaking calmly and confidently as he informs the world he has signed on to play basketball for the Miami Heat. He looks relaxed, like he just had a nice back massage aboard a giant yacht in the Bahamas. And he probably did. Lebron James’ new five-year contract nets him $96 million dollars.
I sit in my basement, watching him on my television screen while eating a Kraft macaroni and cheese dinner and cleaning tack on the floor. I look like I just fell into a vat of damp hay after strolling through a dust storm. My five-year plan involves strategies for not going broke.
Money really is an interesting thing. To the average person the horse world epitomizes lavishness and is a sport for the rich. There certainly is a great deal of wealth in the horse industry. I myself shudder to tally up how much I spend per year, how much I have spent in a lifetime of riding. It is too dangerous; one starts to think of all the other things one could have done with that money, and visions of a Lebron Jamesian lifestyle dance coquettishly by.
We have all heard that old adage “Money can’t buy happiness.” It holds some water, sure, but I also stop to think often about how much happiness I have enjoyed due to being able to partake in this expensive sport. I have by no means ridden the nicest of horses every day of my life, nor have I ever possessed the best tack money can buy. Nonetheless, my blessings have been many. I try to remind myself not to shudder at how much money has left my wallet, but rather to look at how much it has gotten me: my wonderful horses over the years, the experience of riding around a cross-country course, the happy exhaustion of packing up after a long day of showing.
What does one say, though, to a young teen whose dream is to pursue a lifetime of professional riding? “Look, kid, riding is fun and all, but check out how tiring and dirty it is. I mean, just look at me. Now look at Lebron James. Now me. Now LeBron. He uses $100 bills as wallpaper, I buy the generic cereal brand so I can save up for new boots. Give basketball a try…”
No. It really isn’t about the money, in my opinion. LeBron James can’t say that – or rather, he could, but no one would believe him (“Ok then, give me your $96 million, Lebron… what? You don’t want to? Didn’t think so”). I, on the other hand, can say that. That’s part of my reward for sticking it out, for working off my board for years on end and duct taping my boots together to make them last another month or two.
There is a payoff for every sport. Some in the horse world get it in cash, some get it in other forms. I’m content with what I’ve got, but if Lebron wants to toss a million or two my way, I won’t object.
Erika Preve