Spud Stays

The boy signed a new contract out of the blue. So it goes.
Shame about all that money the Sun spent on photographers and Spud-a-likes and flamenco dancers and guitarists. One less packet of platinum paperclips for Rupert Murdoch.
But this isn't really about Rooney, or Sky Soccerball, this is about excellence and how it is destroyed by the way we exploit it. I always thought that The Divine Market nurtured the elite. Maximising the investment in its super-human powers. Now it is clear that there is far more money to be made from ruining those who are uniquely gifted than by sharing their gifts with as many people as will pay the price. You learn something every day..
I'm sure on his estate in Liverpool Rooney is still the local boy made very good. Able to double his salary when Boy George Osborne is slashing everyone else's. This is a bit like Damien Hirst selling up just before the market crashed. And Manchester United is looking distinctly toxic. So the truth is that he was just the first and most inflammatory player to make his play. And United wouldn't call his bluff. So they had to pay up, because if he'd left there would have been a stampede.
Rooney is no more to blame for the destruction of sport than the fans who willingly pay the inflated prices to see it. The inflated prices which pay the inflated wages.