... structure makes for the harshest send-offs in any professional sport.

A basketball, baseball, or hockey star may be locked in for tens of millions over multiple years, even as he begins to fade.

In most cases, players who fit that description and still have two working legs are guaranteed a roster spot as well, if only because their clubs are hesitant to pay them not to play.

In those sports, loyalty means giving a player a long-term that will almost certainly pay him more than he's worth late in his career. It's unlikely that Kevin Garnett will be a $21 million talent at age 36, for instance, or that Alex Rodriguez will be worth $27 million at 41.

But for NBA and MLB clubs, overpaying for those twilight seasons i...

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