A better system

Sometimes, the simplest ideas really are the best. But, before we move onto that, here's an advance warning: this post is going to talk about football, one of my favourite topics but not everybody's cup of tea, I know.

This week, two very different football games took place in Munich. In one, on Wednesday evening, the highly-paid (read: overpaid) players of Bayern Munich played at home against Maccabi Haifa. It wasn't a particularly good game and ended with a narrow 1-0 win for Bayern.

In the other game, which took place on Tuesday evening in Martinsried, only nine players took part; five against four. They didn't receive any money at all to play. In fact, the players had to pay €4.50 each for the pleasure of kicking a ball around for 45 minutes.

Technically, the quality of the football was (a bit) better in the first game. In terms of excitement and effort, however, the second game — in which the players were members of Spotlight Verlag and their friends — was, without question, superior.

There were many more goals in the second game — no one could remember the exact score — and the players, gave everything they had from the first minute to the last.

So how come the people who were actually playing to pay provided so much more entertainment than those who received huge sums of money to perform? A number of possibilities spring to mind:

• The amateurs were more relaxed; the professionals were under pressure.
  
• The amateurs appeciated the game more, as they had to pay to play.
  
• Players who receive large sums of money whether or not they win are not very motivated.

There is some truth in all these explanations. Yet, as one amateur said (himself a Bayern fan): "Even if they paid me millions, I would still be just as motivated. I just love playing and can't understand professionals who don't give 100 per cent".

Another of the amateurs came up with a way of improving the incentive for the Bayern players: pay them only a minimum wage but give them huge bonuses if they win.

It's got to be worth a try. Indeed, the amateur players wouldn't object to having the same system. Anyone want to sponsor them?