On August 5, 2013, it was announced that Alex "A-Rod" Rodriguez would be suspended for 211 baseball games due to his involvement in a major steroid scandal.
As he was leaving his team’s training facility in Tampa, Fla. a few days before the announcement, A-Rod’s black Maybach 57S was swarmed by reporters. The MLB superstar rolled down his window and told the mob he would talk, but only if the news cameras were put away. He then raised his window and waited for a moment before he sped away.
Rodriguez, 38, is a third baseman for the New York Yankees. Whether you love him or love to hate him, it is impossible to deny that he changed the sport of baseball. Rodriguez is known for being the youngest player ever to hit 500 home runs in his career. He is also the youngest person to hit 600 home runs. By doing so, he smashed the record set by legendary Baseball Hall of Famer Babe Ruth.
In December of 2007, A-Rod finalized his contract with the Yankees for $275 million. He is highest-paid baseball player of all time. The previous record was also set by Rodriguez; he was previously offered $252 million to play for the Texas Rangers. According to Forbes, he raked in $33 million in the past year. He is currently No. 18 on the magazine's list of the highest-paid athletes in the world (Tiger Woods is back on top after relinquishing his title to boxer Floyd Mayweather in 2012).
Yahoo! contends that Rodriguez may lose more than $100 million if he is forced to sit out for 211 games. He seems prepared to fight to the bitter end because he has filed an appeal with Major League Baseball. According to a report by USA Today, A-Rod has a chance to accept a lesser suspension of 150 games if he withdraws his appeal.
Many fans are surprised to learn that A-Rod has a Mercedes-Benz dealership in League City, Texas. A representative for the luxury car brand says Rodriguez owns "about half" of the business. She also revealed that Mercedes-Benz USA has chosen to not distance themselves from him.
"We never promoted the fact that A-Rod owned a dealership, so there's really nothing to 'distance' ourselves from," the spokeswoman said. She continued by saying Rodriguez's alleged use of human growth hormone is not in violation of the law; it is simply disallowed in baseball. Thus, A-Rod's actions off the field do not warrant any consequences from Mercedes-Benz.
Rodriguez is most often seen with his Maybach, but he could easily swap it out for any of the cool whips in his dealership. Even if he must forfeit 100 milli, A-Rod won't exactly be broke. For a dude with such deep pockets, we are surprised he wheels around in a car that's worth only $400,000.
* Alex Rodriguez Maybach image courtesy of Complex Media
