The Oxford English Dictionary defines loyalty as "a strong feeling of support or allegiance". If you talk to sportsmen though, you'll get vastly different definitions. In this era of millionaire players and super agents, it's the fan who's finding out the hard way that loyalty does come with a price-tag attached.
Was it ever any different though? In the old days, team owners and chairmen dictated terms, and players were little better than cattle in a pen. What was misconstrued as loyalty was often nothing more than a lack of options, a player's awareness that displeasing his employer meant joining the dole queue.
The balance has swung to the other extreme now, and you'll hear few sportsmen complain. This summer saw two especially interesting loyalty debates. First, Lebron James decided to ditch the NBA's Cleveland Cavaliers and move to Miami. "The major factor was the best opportunity for me to win, to win now and for the future also," he said in a special TV announcement.
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