Sadly, I'm going to miss your show (a first!) tonight. :( As soon as I finish work, I'm heading off to a new yoga class -- rosie, I miss our weekly classes!
Seems to be a lot of griping on the part of younger players who feel they should be making more early in their careers - Prince Fielder, Jonathan Papelbon, et al.
Do you think they have a right to complain? Or is this just the way things work, where players have to wait a few years before they make the big bucks? I feel that the current system does afford smaller market teams a chance to compete so long as they do well in developing and locking up young talent as long as possible. If 22 or 23 year olds still making 7-figures, does the balance of power shift even more to the big market teams?
I think the same could be said about non-tenured assistant professors! Although in the ass. prof. case, I think it's much more legit. The league minimum for MLB players is 390K in 2008. I could live on that. The ass. prof. makes significantly less.
Now the ass. prof.'s career is much longer than that of an MLB player (and often extends into senility!). However, the work & effort, albeit different, is no less. In fact, it's much more.
If we do a cost break-down anaylsis between the price of a season ticket and the price of college tuition, there is also a huge gap (think of everyone sitting in those front-row & box seats!). How about this: MLB league minimum currently pays $267.49/inning. Ass. prof. salary pays $20-$30/hour, depending on how much time & effort you put into your courses (I'm assuming that they do). Ass. profs have PhDs, MLB players are often lucky to graduate high school or float across on a raft! Okay, they've got "talent".
Don't get me started on adjunct pay!
Therefore, I think the MLB youngbloods can wait their turn. I have little patience or sympathy for them. Each player is a big investment for their respective team. They could turn out to be a complete bust and still collect a huge payday (ahem -- Carl Pavano -- ahem)! They make enough. Let them prove their worth and collect later. And, as the Drake said above, this allows smaller market teams to be competetive, provided that they have good scouting and talent development. The Twins are a good example here.
FYI -- I'm a little worried that the mets' remaining two 'every-day' starters are going to get hurt. I can't handle that frustration. Castillo, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, El Duque, Church in right field. What a mess.
I love your discussion about salaries...I just read a piece on how economists can account for about 70% of sports players' salaries (due to what they bring in), whereas only 30% of what CEOs (on average) make can be accounted for based on company growth & profits.
4 comments:
Sadly, I'm going to miss your show (a first!) tonight. :( As soon as I finish work, I'm heading off to a new yoga class -- rosie, I miss our weekly classes!
Seems to be a lot of griping on the part of younger players who feel they should be making more early in their careers - Prince Fielder, Jonathan Papelbon, et al.
Do you think they have a right to complain? Or is this just the way things work, where players have to wait a few years before they make the big bucks? I feel that the current system does afford smaller market teams a chance to compete so long as they do well in developing and locking up young talent as long as possible. If 22 or 23 year olds still making 7-figures, does the balance of power shift even more to the big market teams?
I think the same could be said about non-tenured assistant professors! Although in the ass. prof. case, I think it's much more legit. The league minimum for MLB players is 390K in 2008. I could live on that. The ass. prof. makes significantly less.
Now the ass. prof.'s career is much longer than that of an MLB player (and often extends into senility!). However, the work & effort, albeit different, is no less. In fact, it's much more.
If we do a cost break-down anaylsis between the price of a season ticket and the price of college tuition, there is also a huge gap (think of everyone sitting in those front-row & box seats!). How about this: MLB league minimum currently pays $267.49/inning. Ass. prof. salary pays $20-$30/hour, depending on how much time & effort you put into your courses (I'm assuming that they do). Ass. profs have PhDs, MLB players are often lucky to graduate high school or float across on a raft! Okay, they've got "talent".
Don't get me started on adjunct pay!
Therefore, I think the MLB youngbloods can wait their turn. I have little patience or sympathy for them. Each player is a big investment for their respective team. They could turn out to be a complete bust and still collect a huge payday (ahem -- Carl Pavano -- ahem)! They make enough. Let them prove their worth and collect later. And, as the Drake said above, this allows smaller market teams to be competetive, provided that they have good scouting and talent development. The Twins are a good example here.
~Rosie~
FYI -- I'm a little worried that the mets' remaining two 'every-day' starters are going to get hurt. I can't handle that frustration. Castillo, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, El Duque, Church in right field. What a mess.
I love your discussion about salaries...I just read a piece on how economists can account for about 70% of sports players' salaries (due to what they bring in), whereas only 30% of what CEOs (on average) make can be accounted for based on company growth & profits.
Post a Comment