Minor Leaguers as the Working Poor

[Art Wing]

Have people seen or read all of the press that address the current state of academia and the working poor adjunct professors? That was me for many years. It was a risk with the hope of landing the "big one" which translates to a tenure-track position. I played the game and won. Many play the game and lose. It's a choice like any other in life. Yes, of course I wish there were more TT jobs for my friends and I feel for their predicament deeply. It's still a choice. This is very similar to pro baseball.

have the feeling Gordo is going to chime in with something insulting here

[atomic]

10% is a lot of money. Would you take the average salary of the ML roster and redistribute it to MiL players? I can't think of a fair scenario where you skim off the ML player salary and give it to MiL players.

How about 10 percent of salary over a million a year. That way the low paid players don't get hurt in the majors and the minor league players get paid more. Run it by the "Union" and see if it flies.

[weams]

10% is a lot of money. Would you take the average salary of the ML roster and redistribute it to MiL players? I can't think of a fair scenario where you skim off the ML player salary and give it to MiL players.

Especially since they have no interest in any of them succeeding. Once they make the show, they would love to bar the door.

[mdbdotcom]

I'd like to see the players association represent players at all levels. They could negotiate sliding scales for pay and also better assure fair treatment of minor leaguers.

It's a shame that earning your way to the majors also means surviving the minors. We'll never know how many great ballplayers gave up too soon because they needed to make more money, or how many failed because they didn't have the support system to keep them going. Cal and Vi Ripken famously sent Cal and Bill extra meal money while they were in the minors, because they couldn't eat well enough on what they received from the O's. Most players don't get that kind of support.

And the great irony is that the players association agreed to the slotting of draft choices as part of the CBA, even though the vast majority of those draft choices will spend years on minor league contracts and never be a member of the association.

[Wish]

Please avoid it. Thanks.

It's not possible. We are already talking politics now that someone brought up wealth redistribution among baseball players. Anytime you talk about how much money someone should get paid or lawsuits you are essentially stating a polical opinion.

So in fear of saying anything political I will just commend you on sharing an interesting well written article . Was a good read.

[El Gordo]

Please avoid it. Thanks.

You brought it up by introducing this topic, whether you know it or not.

[skanar]

There's plenty of money in baseball to pay minor leaguers a living salary. As an entry-level job, there's no reason for pay to be extreme, but I think it's pretty clear that they're being underpaid right now.

This probably means that MLB players should be making a bit less. Given that the MLB min is in the hundreds of thousands, I'm not too upset about that.

[weams]

You brought it up by introducing this topic, whether you know it or not.

The topic is acceptable. Political discussions are not. Thanks.

[kman123]

How about 10 percent of salary over a million a year. That way the low paid players don't get hurt in the majors and the minor league players get paid more. Run it by the "Union" and see if it flies.

For the Orioles, based on this, 10% would give them an extra $5,942,533 to spend on MiL salaries. I wonder what the avg income for our MiL players would be if we distributed this money to them. I also suspect LAD & NYY MiL players would be thrilled with this idea. That said, I see no way the union would approve something like this and realistically we might see this 10% hit accounted for by bigger contracts.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/salaries/_/name/bal/baltimore-orioles

[El Gordo]

Have people seen or read all of the press that address the current state of academia and the working poor adjunct professors? That was me for many years. It was a risk with the hope of landing the "big one" which translates to a tenure-track position. I played the game and won. Many play the game and lose. It's a choice like any other in life. Yes, of course I wish there were more TT jobs for my friends and I feel for their predicament deeply. It's still a choice. This is very similar to pro baseball.

have the feeling Gordo is going to chime in with something insulting here

I was an adjunct professor too. College is a business. Baseball is a business. "The world is a college of corporations inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business." The question is, is that a good thing? Do we long for that "perfect world, in which there is no war or famine, no oppression or brutality? One vast an ecumenical holding company for which all men will work to achieve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock? All necessities provided, all anxiety tranquilized, and all boredom amused?"

[olehippi]

A person "elects" to accept the opportunity to play pro baseball when/if it is offered. They have the freedom of choice to accept or not. The lucky few who are gifted and truly talent will get sizable bonuses to alleviate the financial strains of playing in the minor leagues. Everyone else has to get a job. Most get outside help from parent and relatives. These are kids chasing a dream. MLB teams are giving them the chance to make those dreams come true. Both are buying a lottery ticket despite the odds against it paying off big. If someone doesn't like the odds, or the conditions, they are free to walk away. I see no reason to change anything and possibly mess up a system that works.

[weams]

I was an adjunct professor too. College is a business. Baseball is a business. "The world is a college of corporations inexorably determined by the immutable bylaws of business. The world is a business." The question is, is that a good thing? Do we long for that "perfect world, in which there is no war or famine, no oppression or brutality? One vast an ecumenical holding company for which all men will work to achieve a common profit, in which all men will hold a share of stock? All necessities provided, all anxiety tranquilized, and all boredom amused?"

No. It's is not necessarily a good thing. Baseball as we know it would not exist without the government exclusions that are provided it. I like the world in it's flawed state. It is the only world I have known. I prefer the beauty in the flaws and accept that all outcomes are not optimal.

[weams]

A person "elects" to accept the opportunity to play pro baseball when/if it is offered. They have the freedom of choice to accept or not. The lucky few who are gifted and truly talent will get sizable bonuses to alleviate the financial strains of playing in the minor leagues. Everyone else has to get a job. Most get outside help from parent and relatives. These are kids chasing a dream. MLB teams are giving them the chance to make those dreams come true. Both are buying a lottery ticket despite the odds against it paying off big. If someone doesn't like the odds, or the conditions, they are free to walk away. I see no reason to change anything and possibly mess up a system that works.

This is my view point. My nephew is a rock drummer. Under contract to WarnerBrothers/Sire records but he does not have the income of even a moderately successful college graduate like himself that works in a cubicle. But he might.

[skanar]

For the Orioles, based on this, 10% would give them an extra $5,942,533 to spend on MiL salaries. I wonder what the avg income for our MiL players would be if we distributed this money to them. I also suspect LAD & NYY MiL players would be thrilled with this idea. That said, I see no way the union would approve something like this and realistically we might see this 10% hit accounted for by bigger contracts.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/salaries/_/name/bal/baltimore-orioles

Presumably you'd want some sort of sliding scale, based on level or years, but if you were to just distribute it evenly...

GCL O's - Aberdeen - Delmarva - Frederick - Bowie - Norfolk

~25 players per team = 150 players

$6M / 150 = $40,000 per person per year.

Sounds like plenty to me, for guys mostly just out of college/high school.

To me this just makes too much sense.

[Redskins Rick]

College education, doesn't always gain you successful income. Granted, it can improve your chances.

In today's economy, there are way too many educated college workers, out of work, or working outside their field, making less than what they thought they would.