Where have all the loyal athletes gone? Apparently straight to the nearest bank.

Johnny Damon has opened a new account in New York while Adam Vinatieri just closed his in New England for a better rate in Indianapolis. But what happens to all their loyal fans when these athletes turn in their old uniforms for the colors of their rivals, all for a bigger paycheck?

To be honest, I’m not sure who it’s worse for, the beloved fans that lost their favorite player or the fans who gained their most despised player. No one is going to tell me that Yankees fans are extremely excited about Damon in pinstripes. Sure, he might be what they need to claim their 27th World Series Championship title, but how many fans really want to believe that their beloved team in the Bronx needs an ex-Boston center fielder to win that ring? Same goes for the Colts. Indy fans can’t be thrilled about bringing in mercenaries from New England just for a shot to be their arch-nemesis.

When did athletes stop playing for the fans and start playing for whoever gave them more money? I mean it’s not like Damon or Vinatieri were struggling to support their families or having a hard time surviving on their previous salaries.

Damon had success in Boston, he was beloved by the fans, and, let’s face it, he doesn’t exactly fit that Yankee pinstriped image. Everyone knows that Vinatieri hit the winning kick twice for the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl, but doesn’t he care that he’s leaving a team that he has been part of for the past nine seasons? And of all place to go, he picks those Midwesterners with the horseshoe on their helmets, the very team his former fan base despised most.

A major part of the world of sports is the pure rivalries that can make even the worst season exciting. The 2004 World Series paled in comparison to the ALCS because of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry was so exciting for the fans. Heck, you don’t even need to be a fan of either team to know they hate each other, but somehow that fact must have eluded the man who patrolled the hallowed ground of centerfield at Fenway Park.

When the Baltimore Ravens play the Cleveland Browns, their season records don’t matter, they just know that they need to beat the crap out of the other team. Would a player from that arch rival truly be able to “put up their gloves” and beat up on their former teammates all because of a bigger paycheck? Apparently in the world of sports, the only true allegiances are in the stands.

Megan Tomlin is a columnist for Atomic Sports Media. She is a junior journalism major at Pennsylvania State University and works in the Center for Sports Journalism at Penn State. Megan can be reached at megan.tomlin@atomicsportsmedia.com.