We have been baseball fans for decades but all that has changed for us. The baseball owners MLB lockout is a focal point for our disgust. In an era where the current “average” player makes $4.1 million and many make more than $30 million we find ourselves wondering if the game has forgotten something. All this money comes from ads placed in TV and streaming media channels. The pie has grown so big that the players demand their employers, the Owners, to share a bigger portion. Does anyone realize that without the fans who attend the games and watch the broadcasts, THERE WOULD BE NO MONEY TO FIGHT OVER? Some numbers for you to consider…The average position player currently makes $25,308/game. That works out to about $8,436/hour. He “earns” $5,624/at bat. The upper pay scale player who “earns” $30 million has these equivalents: $185,180/game; $61,667/hour; $ 41,151/ at bat. A $30 million pitcher’s numbers are even more ridiculous: $740,028/game; $317,605/hour; $7,398/every pitch thrown. AD MONEY PRODUCES EMBARRASSING RICHES. While we are disgusted by these numbers, we think the source of the numbers deserves proper recognition. Fans, either by attending games in person or by watching media ads ARE THE SOURCE OF ALL THESE DISPUTED FUNDS. AND YET THEY GET NO BENEFIT FROM THE BUSINESS SIDE OF BASEBALL. And so we recommend the following: ALL GAMES SHOULD BE FREE TO THE PUBLIC TO ATTEND. AD MONEY SHOULD COVER THE COST OF OPERATING AND MAINTAINING ALL BALLPARKS. OWNERS “PROFITS” SHOULD BE CAPPED AT 20% ABOVE BUSINESS EXPENSES. PLAYERS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CONTRIBUTE A PERCENT OF THEIR INCOME (SLIDING SCALE) TO PHILANTHROPIC CAUSES (cancer cures, homeless shelters, food banks, etc.). If all this seems harsh, remember Major League Baseball is NOT, we repeat NOT, governed like ANY other business. Laws do not apply equally to the game and its rules as if baseball was just selling toothpaste. If baseball is to enjoy this “freedom” from regulation it must expect to be treated accordingly. What we have today is the perfect example of TOTAL DE-REGULATION—GREED GONE WILD. It will kill the game eventually…look at the above salary numbers for part-time work and ask yourself “is that the best we can do to preserve the national pastime?”
Comments are closed