When Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams takes the field this Sunday in the 2011 NFL Pro Bowl, he - along with his AFC teammates, as well as the NFC side of the equation - will have 22,500 reasons to compete hard to win what is ultimately a meaningless game.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, who tweeted the details on Tuesday, all Pro Bowl participants are guaranteed a one-game check of $22,500. Players on the winning team, however, will literally double their money, as those players will be paid $45,000.
Williams made $1.75 million in base salary during the 2010 season, according to RotoWorld.com. Cut up over a 17-week season, Williams' game checks averaged just over $100,000 per week, if the RotoWorld figure is correct, meaning that even in victory, Williams' Pro Bowl cut would represent a significant pay decrease. To put it bluntly, there are players in this contest that make quite a bit more than Williams does - and in that light, it's easy to see why many players opt out of participating in this game.
Still, $45,000 is more than a very large number of people gross in a single year. Go win a football game for the little people, Kyle.