With Alex Rodriguez once again making headlines with a new contract, Onion Sports looks at the long and fascinating history of the intersection of sports and money:
1904: Honus Wagner becomes the highest-paid player in baseball history, signing a contract worth $21 per week, 45 acres of corn, and 12 pigs
1980: Hundreds of NFL players sign contracts that, in terms of healthcare, will screw them over in about 20 years
1995: Kevin Garnett re-signs with the Timberwolves for $126 million, although his contract is worth an additional $50 million if he can think up five to six additional incentives
1999: In one of the most ill-fated contracts of all-time, the Dodgers sign pitcher Kevin Brown to a 142-year, $650 billion contract
2001: Patriots promise Drew Bledsoe $103 million if he agrees to stay out of their way while they try to get to the Super Bowl
2002: Scott Boras convinces the Dodgers to give Darren Dreifort a five-year, $55 million contract despite the fact that Dreifort had lost his right arm in a thresher the night before
2003: Jason Kidd signs a six-year, $103,572,861 contract with the Nets; he chooses this specific amount because 103,572,861 is his lucky number
2004: Impressed by his hustle and head for the game, Green Bay Packers sign cornerback Mike McKenzie’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, to play cornerback
2007: Included in David Beckham’s $250 million contract is a an ultimatum clause, which states that he must choose to either save American soccer or destroy it forever
