Is There Anything More Awkward In Pro Sports Than Contract Arbitration?

We have asked a few guys about this on Spittin' Chiclets in the past, but there is nothing more awkward than contract arbitration, right? As someone who has never and will never experience negotiating a professional sports contract, I can't imagine not getting in a fuck-you match during an arbitration hearing.

A dumbed down version of an arbitration hearing is when a team and player can't agree on a contract, so they go to a neutral arbitrator do decide the case. The player wants more money, the team wants to pay them less. So they both plead their case to a neutral arbitrator as to why they should either pay the player less than he/she wants, or why the player should earn more. Only problem with that it is how can a GM plead his case about all the negatives about a player without the player getting pissed?

Player: "I'd like 4 million for the next three years"

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GM: "You turn the puck over more than anyone in the league."

Player: "You told me last week I was a future pillar to the organization?"

GM: "No, you literally have the worst corsi in the NHL, you suck, your whole family sucks, and the suit you wore to the arena last night sucks"

One minute a GM is telling you that you're an important figure in the organization the next he is telling some random dude how bad your breath stinks and that you can't penalty kill if your life depended on it. Whit mentioned on this week's podcast he has heard from guys who basically decided on the spot they'd never sign with this GM again. We discussed all this and more on this week's episode of Spittin' Chiclets: