What would top soccer players be worth in Adam Smith’s barter economy?

Paul Pogba: Rights to the dab

Paul Pogba is a man that regrets very few things. I doubt he regrets coming to the Premier League, for example. Sure, he faces daily ridicule from opposition fans. But he’s managed to be overpaid while doing relatively little work. It all worked out okay for him on that front.

One thing he probably does regret, though, is not trademarking the dab. He’s the one that brought the Atlanta dance move to the international stage. The French midfielder deserves royalties every time a 9-year-old places his face into the crook of his arm. It’s only right.

Alas, it is not so. Even if you could copyright a gesture, it would take something incredibly valuable to get it from whomever held it.

That’s why, if Pogba wanted the dab, he’d have to trade himself for it. I have no clue how that would work, and it’s almost certainly not legal, but that’s how it would have to go down.

Pogba is someone who does what it takes. He’s used to sacrifice, just like any athlete is. If he truly wanted the dab, and I believe he does, he would find a way to make this work. His natural tenacity, which we see on the field regularly, would have to be trained to find some legal recourse wherein he would become the sole deed holder of this modern-day craze. Like the pectoral salute of old, this has become a symbol of our time, and Paul Pogba deserves to own it.