WSJ: About that billion dollar basketball challenge...

[dcollon]

From WSJ:

 

Ernest Loperena: About That Billion-Dollar Basketball Challenge

If I tell you why your offer is a bad idea, can I get a job interview?

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304632204579339272312350130?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

 

[Drokos]

I thought this was a pretty low quality piece for WSJ to publish.

 

Good luck trying to bribe 330+ different people. How would that even work, you only get paid if all 330 other people go along and it plays out perfectly? Players would have to assume someone else is going to screw up so there is no reason to blow your one lifetime opportunity to play in the big dance when chances are you wont even get paid anyways. Or you'd have to pay out before hand and take on the risk that someone doesn't play along and you don't win any money?

 

Not to mention you'd realistically need to pay bench players and coaches too, by then you're looking at $600m+ in payouts. After taxes your winnings wont even cover your expenses.

 

If I were Warren, I would welcome this idiot trying to implement his 'genius' idea.

[beerbaron]

Even if it were possible to bribe 300+ persons, 1M per athlete is not enough.  Most of these athletes earn multi millions per year, why would they risk to lose it all for a fraction of that. Having this kind of wealth discourages corruption (this is the same reason Syngapore government pays it's leaders very well).

 

Furthermore, even if one were able to bribe everybody it would not even be sure that they could pull off the score, after all they would have to make it look like they are really trying to compete.

 

BeerBaron