Column: Loyalty becoming rare in professional sports

The 2013 Major League Baseball regular season ended Sunday. There were many highs and lows during this six-month period.

Some of baseball’s most well-known players and coaches retired. Todd Helton of the Colorado Rockies ended his 17-year career in baseball.

Paul Konerko, another 17-year veteran, might have played in his last game as a White Sox and MLB player, ending an illustrious career that led to him winning a World Series and time spent as the captain of the White Sox.

Now he’s a free agent, taking a month to decide if he wants to keep playing or retire. If he continues playing, the White Sox will have to decide if they want to resign him.

Konerko said he would prefer to return to the White Sox, even to play in a reserve role.

Baseball needs more players dedicated to playing for one team. It needs more Konerkos and Heltons.

It’s rare now to see a player spend his entire career with one team like Konerko and Helton did.

Now, players leave for the worst of reasons.

Most players are concerned about which team is willing to give them the most money and perks.

They aren’t concerned with building a relationship with the fans or organization.

Sometimes they just want to be the star of an organization, instead of a complementing piece.

Helton made his debut for the Rockies in 1997. Since then, he’s become one of baseball’s most feared first basemen, often putting up gaudy statistics.

He’s been an All-Star five times, a Silver Slugger four times and has won the Gold Glove award at first base three times.

Konerko was traded to the White Sox from the Cincinnati Reds in 1998. He became a major part of the 2005 White Sox team that won the World Series.

Most baseball fans thought Konerko would end up signing a very lucrative contract from the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or the Baltimore Orioles.

Instead of taking the money and running, he agreed to come back to the White Sox for less money.

The contract he signed was for five years and $60 million. The Orioles offered him $5 million more for the five years.

Players aren’t connecting with franchises like Helton and Konerko did.

The Rockies paid tribute to Helton earlier in the week at Coors Field during his last series there.

Helton received the lineup card from the home plate umpire as a souvenir. He received a standing ovation from the sellout crowd of 52,396 people at Dodger Stadium.

Receiving a standing ovation at your rival’s stadium is powerful, and it showed Helton did a lot during his career.

Helton got another standing ovation from the Dodgers crowd even though he struck out to end his career.

Konerko was greeted with cheers when his name was announced in the starting lineup, and he received a standing ovation before his first at bat in the first inning.

Conor Gillaspie replaced him with one out in the top of the second inning as he left to cheers.

The Royals were standing in the opposite dugout, cheering for Konerko as he exited the field.

Not too many players now will be receiving this type of treatment in years to come.
Most will move on to different franchises because one franchise won’t be able to satisfy them.

Players in every sport need to maintain loyalty with the franchises that gave them their starts and not leave for more money and perks elsewhere.

Baseball needs more guys like Konerko and Helton.

­— jayljohn@indiana.edu

Follow columnist Jaylen Johnson on Twitter @nelyaJohnsonIDS.