Last week I read some comments from people responding to an online  “Topic of the Day” regarding Sidney Crosby and his contract for 43.5 million over the next five years.   Most were supportive of the Cole Harbour boy and the fantastic success he is having in NHL hockey.  Only a few made comments suggesting that the dollar figures were a little out of line with other areas of “employment”, while some Cole Harbour people optimistically suggested that he use his new wealth to build them a hockey arena.

Crosby is, by all appearances, a fine young person who has taken his sudden success in stride.  “Success” was a common word being used in the comments, and I was a little struck by the way its use at times seemed to suggest that he had achieved “success in life”, at the ripe age of 19.

We measure success so much by money, and although all would agree that Crosby is a uniquely talented player, it seemed that he had not reached the bar until the contract (with its yearly figure apparently tied to his sweater number– 8.7 million a year for number 87) made it real.   You are not officially a success until the ink dries on the deal.

It seems like a lot of money, almost 45 million in the next five years.  “But listen!” some supporters of such salaries will argue–  “He might not have a long career– he could be injured and be out of hockey early.  He has to make money up front.”

That may have an aspect of truth, but I think he could take the chance of lasting one year, and 8.7 million would satisfy most of us for life.  Who knows–  if he was out early, perhaps being a very smart lad he could do something else with his life for the remaining 50 or 60 years of it.

“But it doesn’t all go to him!”  Quite true.  No doubt there are a number of hands in the trough, including the tax people, who will want a hefty share, and he will need accountants and investment managers to avoid as much of that as possible.  However, a balancing comment would be, “But that is not all!”, because his salary is only one contributor to his developing wealth.  Endorsements will likely contribute as much or more than his salary.  Just making sure he is wearing a Nike cap each time he appears for an on-camera interview will likely provide him with enough money to make most of us quite happy.

So, if wealth is the measure of “success”, I thought I should haul out the calculator and see just how Sydney’s situation measures up.  How does his salary compare to someone doing something else with his or her life?   Are they close enough to make any reasonable comparisons?

Suppose a young man or woman chooses to enter the medical profession…  Let’s assume that he or she is in university and medical school for general and specialization until about age 30, to become a surgeon.  This is likely quite conservative for time, but I’m stacking the deck in favor of Crosby as much as I can, so I don’t make any unfair judgments.  Once the surgeon is out practising, he or she could make a good salary.  We’ll assume for my purposes about $300,000 a year.  This is an educated guess on my part— a government career website indicates only $79.50 as an hourly wage, but most of them put in long hours, and I don’t think they really punch a clock.  I know rural GP’s can gross over $200,000 a year, so a surgeon should be able to pull in $300,000 (and perhaps even have few expenses in the way of an office and staff).

So, when I go to the calculator, and give our surgeon 40 years of practice (again quite generous– 30 would probably be more reasonable— I have him or her plugging on until age 70, not a thrill in the operating theater if you are the one on the table), I can add up a possible lifetime salary, not allowing for inflation or the like (come on, this is not a business proposal, just a quick and dirty demo).

So, to get to the point, lets review and sum it all up.

Our surgeon studies and prepares for many years after high school.  I allowed 12 years, but 15 to 18 is apparently more reasonable.   The new surgeon then has hopefully as long a career as I have given, and in that time we expect he or she will have touched many lives and saved many lives.  A surgeon’s skills repairing damage and disease in the human body can extend and enrich the lives of countless people.  Families are saved from tragedy, and functioning lives are restored.  Most of us would credit him or her with being a significant member of our society.

In the meantime, assuming things go as they should, Sydney labours on, using his exceptional skills to drive a disc of vulcanized rubber into a goal, while millions of fans watch in excitement.

What does the calculator reveal?  When we added up the lifetime salary of our surgeon, we find that Sydney will make the same amount of money in just under 17 months.  In other words, since he is 19 now, he will make this by the time he is 21, when our surgeon is just starting to plan on completing the medical school application for entry a year down the road.

These two careers are so diverse in this aspect that it almost staggers the mind to find meaningful comparisons.  Certainly what it does finally do is make us realize that we need a new vocabulary and new definitions around the concept of “success” in life.   Certainly monetary compensation, although our main measure for success in western society, fails to provide much of a yardstick in this situation.

Perhaps no attempt should be made to compare the two “occupations”, because, call it sport if you like, NHL hockey is part of the entertainment industry.   A hundred and fifty years ago Dickens included the comment “They must be amused” in one of his novels, and that holds true to this day.  In 2007 being amused and entertained is worth far more to society by its monetary measure than removing a diseased kidney or transplanting a heart.

If financial gain is your measure of success, forget playng Mozart in the nursery to stimulate the new mind and prop a hockey stick up beside the crib.