For Sale??

A big story coming out of India is the purchase of several cricket players, for previously unheard of amounts. The language that is being used to discuss these sales is appalling, the reporters talk about these players in terms of being “bid on” and “purchased”, and the sale not of the contracts under which these players are performing, but of the players themselves. It is disconcerting to hear the reporters talk about wealthy team owners “bidding on players” and of players being “sold”. I know the process is the same for most sports around the world, but the language is usually around contracts being bid on and sold, not people, and about athletes playing for different teams not being “bought”. Maybe I am being a little sensitive, but this language has seriously negative overtones that I think should really be reviewed.