Life on Florida’s West Coast

Buc’s Alstott May Retire

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Mike Alstott did an interview this morning on WDAE 620-AM and hinted that he will retire from football. He cited his neck injuries and his family as his motivation.

Now, I don’t follow Alstott’s football career, but I am assuming he has more than enough money ferreted away from playing 12 seasons. Of course, add all of the local and national endorsements. Last, but more than likely not least, if you have ever been chased and hounded to join the YTB (Your Travel Biz) pyramid scheme, those people LOVE to drop Alstott’s name. He is apparently involved in this scam at some level.

Alstott is loved locally by sports fans and considered one of the “classiest” players on the field. I agree that he has been a pleasant local personality, but if I have to tell the truth, I have no love for a society that pays athletes the kinds of money we do. I look around my own neighborhood and see far too many intelligent, talented people struggling to make enough money to pay their property taxes and I just don’t have the patience for people who get paid to play a game. I’m no fan of professional athletes in general and just like anyone else, I am absolutely entitled to that opinion.

NOTE: I’m adding this little addendum in response to the flocks of brainwashed YTB groupies who are pelting me with abuse. The network, or business, is a classic pyramid scheme. Bottom up, that’s how it works. If you are on the bottom, prepare to work your ass off and pay high monthly fees to make the people above you wealthy. That is how all pyramid schemes work.  I have dozens of neighbors involved, because the YTB fever swept through my neighborhood. I gave it a LOT of research time, but I could not justify the MEANS to the end. If you want to sell travel, start your own website and work as an affiliate with some legit travel networks, no strings attached. Don’t pay a company for the right to simply operate a portal for their business. I’m happy I passed on the business. The neighbor who dragged so many people into the network signed multiple people up with a specific promise to build their network for them so their high monthly fees would go away, then she and her husband quite literally skipped town. I felt terrible for those left behind.

Bottom line, the little bit of money that Your Travel Biz agents make via booking travel on their web portals is not the primary way they shoot for the weath. Travel kickbacks are very small and YTB is only paying their reps 60% or so of the tiny commission granted by the travel providers. So, for a flight where the kickback from the airline is $5, the YTB person gets 60% of $5. Not a lot of cash.

The money is made by recruiting and the cut of the high sign-up fee the referring agent received. The legality of that tactic is actually debatable. The Florida Attorney General launched an inquest in July 2007 to look into unfair business practices.

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