Is Sports all about $$$ today?

[piazzapizza]

I was born in NYC but my family moved to Australia when I was 6. In Australia, football players, cricketers, all athletes for that matter, considered being named to the Australian national team to be the highest honor they could achieve in their careers. I remember watching many international football games (rugby) between Australia and England on a Saturday afternoon, and then seeing those same players who played for Australia, take the field on Sunday for their club teams in the regular season competition. However, when I returned to the USA in 1988, it quickly became obvious that due to the size of their contracts, many players today opt out of playing for country because the $$$ are not there, the team owners put pressure on them not to play for fear of injury etc. Injuries are part and parcel of sport. In the inaugural World Baseball Classic, the USA did not even make the semi-finals. Could it be that the USA did not field it's strongest possible team because players chose not to represent their country? I believe that Japan won the tournament because their players, similar to the Aussies, believe that being on the national team is the ultimate prize. And since Japan won that tournament, how can the Boston red Sox lay claim to the title of World Champions? Aren't the true World Champions Japan?
Let the debate begin.