MLB needs a salary cap

[CA-ORIOLE]

I'm saying if an owner or politician or influential person took this as an agenda, it could succeed. The fight is for fairness. They could ask this country why they give so much money to a game that isn't fair and demand that something is done about it.

With all the stuff we've got going on in the country and the world right now, I doubt anybody influential would give this the time of day.

[CA-ORIOLE]

lol, well if I had any money and influence, I'd do it! Unfortunately for me, I'm just a lowly fan spitting into the wind.

Then you're not really that passionate about it. Nice win tonight.

[brianod]

The you're not really that passionate about it. Nice win tonight.

Ya, it feels good to win two in a row. Go O's!

[JayThomas]

o

The MLB Players Union is the strongest of the 4 unions in North America for major professional team sports (MLB, NBA, NHL, NFL.)

The MLB Players Union is the strongest.

The NFL Players Union is the weakest.

The NBA and NHL Players Unions are somewhere in between.

Rookies in MLB make $500,000 per year.

The average salary is more than $4 Million per year.

A solid player can make $7 or $8 Million per year.

A star player makes between $10 Million and $15 Million per year.

Superstars make between $20 Million and $30 Million a year.

The money is flowing in for everybody involved. The players union is as strong as can be. That combination makes a salary cap in the near future highly unlikely. Perhaps a good idea for the sake of those who would like to see a more level playing field ...... but highly unlikely.

Right. Wrong model.

A salary cap reduces the total salary structure.

Revenue sharing, is the answer. It comes close to leveling the playing field but doesn't hinder the total amount of salaries paid.

I'm talking about an NFL-style revenue sharing plan, where all media revenues are pooled - that includes local TV broadcast revenues - and split evenly. After all, NY and LA would have no local broadcast revenues without opponents, right?

Major market teams that draw well would still have a sizeable disparity in revenue from higher ticket prices, presumably higher attendance numbers, higher ballpark sales and concession leases, and higher advertising dollars.

[notyourbuddy]

Anyone honestly think the Yanks would be 5 games over if they only had $135M to play with instead of $215M?

You can buy division titles in this league even if the other teams in your division are run better. That is just sad.

[brianod]

Right. Wrong model.

A salary cap reduces the total salary structure.

Revenue sharing, is the answer. It comes close to leveling the playing field but doesn't hinder the total amount of salaries paid.

I'm talking about an NFL-style revenue sharing plan, where all media revenues are pooled - that includes local TV broadcast revenues - and split evenly. After all, NY and LA would have no local broadcast revenues without opponents, right?

Major market teams that draw well would still have a sizeable disparity in revenue from higher ticket prices, presumably higher attendance numbers, higher ballpark sales and concession leases, and higher advertising dollars.

The NFL has both revenue sharing and a salary cap. And, it's the most successful of all major sports.

[brianod]

One last point before going to bed, the mlb was doing nothing about steroids until congress had had enough. If some junior Senator or Representative took this up, even if it was just to make a name for him or herself, I believe it would take hold. Americans usually care about fundamental fairness when confronted with it.

[UpstateNYfan]

One last point before going to bed, the mlb was doing nothing about steroids until congress had had enough. If some junior Senator or Representative took this up, even if it was just to make a name for him or herself, I believe it would take hold. Americans usually care about fundamental fairness when confronted with it.

Although I may agree with you on a salary cap issue, I've learned to live with it, it isn't going to happen. Americans may believe in fundamental fairness (unless it will cause he/she a sacrifice). Baseball's salary cap should rank pretty low on the totem pole in the inequities or "unfairness" importance both nationally and internationally by any elected official.

[Superbee83]

One last point before going to bed, the mlb was doing nothing about steroids until congress had had enough. If some junior Senator or Representative took this up, even if it was just to make a name for him or herself, I believe it would take hold. Americans usually care about fundamental fairness when confronted with it.

Right.

The hearings were pretty much grandstanding by the powers to be in DC under the guise of threatening MLB's anti-trust exemption.

Further, maybe I'm cynical, ( I am by the way) but I doubt any Senator or Representative is going to use the anti-trust exemption as a means to force a salary cap in baseball. At the end of the day the powers to be want the campaign dollars and support from the billionaire owners.

Also, OFFNY is correct. The players union will fight this issue with tooth and nail. They have in the past and they will continue to do so.

Besides, I don't think that what Tampa, KC, and the Orioles have done the past five years or so is akin to a "squirrel finding a nut."

Finally, with the Playoff expansion ( Wild card teams) the last several years more teams in the MLB are in the playoff hunt deeper into the season. Even with teams like the Dodgers overspending, a team like the Diamondbacks are four games out of the wildcard spot with a payroll of approximately 84 million.

[Can_of_corn]

When you sit down with your family to play monopoly, you all get the same amount of money. There is a reason for that. Now, if you had four players and you called one LA and he got 250 million, you called one NewYork and he got 185 , million. you called one Baltimore and he got 125 milliom and you called one Tampa Bay, would anyone even bother playing? Ya, Tampa would win every once in a while and LA would claim, that's why it's not unfair.

We play cards in my family. Low stakes, penny a point, nickel a go back.

You were expected to bring your own money to the table.

[mdbdotcom]

Alternatives to a salary cap:

- Raise minor league pay for players and staff

- Make MLB fund its own stadiums instead of trolling for tax dollars

- Massive program to get more kids in the USA to play baseball and attend games

[Can_of_corn]

Baseball is the only major sport without one. It also has a wide disparity of income. I'm fine with setting it above what most teams can afford. But, allowing the Dodgers to have a 240 million payroll is absolutely absurd. The Yanks and Redsox also have been advantaged throughout the last 20 years. So, let's be fair. Set the cap at 175 million and let the lower market teams come up to speed based on inflation and increased revenue. Maybe some of that increased revenue would be the fact that mid and small market fan bases would feel that eventually, they would have an even shot at this.

Before anyone points out that small market teams have been successful, let me preempt you with the fact that even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. You give a competent organization more money to spend, that organization will win more. Basic economics. It's time the playing field is leveled and if we have to put up with ten more years of unfairness, so be it.

I want my grandchildren going to games where one team has an even chance against another.

I thought it was the civic responsibility of owners to invest as much as they can in team payroll?

Wouldn't a cap just increase the profits of the owners?

[weams]

One last point before going to bed, the mlb was doing nothing about steroids until congress had had enough. If some junior Senator or Representative took this up, even if it was just to make a name for him or herself, I believe it would take hold. Americans usually care about fundamental fairness when confronted with it.

I believe in your right to believe this. I dont believe this. I believe in Marshall Mcluhan.

[weams]

I thought it was the civic responsibility of owners to invest as much as they can in team payroll?

Wouldn't a cap just increase the profits of the owners?

So since the MLB as a whole is trying to put a cap on the Orioles profitability, I think it should be league wide. With all overages going to pay down national debt. Football too!

[Can_of_corn]

I believe in your right to believe this. I dont believe this. I believe in Marshall Mcluhan.

The medium is the message