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Manfred: If MiLB Players Get Raise, Teams will Be Folded


weams

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The average chick fil-a in the south does $2m+ in revenue (several here in texas do between $3-4M), so you're talking about a business with a ton more complexity than a 2,000 square foot restaurant with a very limited menu, all to do barely more than double the revenue of a chick-fil-a -- and then half of that gets eaten up by player salaries. Then you have to take care of stadium operations (which itself has a ton of subsets such as food operations, cleaning, ticketing, security, etc.), insurance, travel, marketing, etc. All of that hard work and complexity, just to do the revenue of two (maybe less than two) chick-fil-as. With no margin. No one will start that business!

I bet just as there are players who won't give up the dream of MLB stardom to start their career in Chick-fil-A middle management, there are mini-Al Davis' out there who don't have the capital to buy into a more sanctioned franchise that would give it a go. Local, live, and real is in these days.

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I bet just as there are players who won't give up the dream of MLB stardom to start their career in Chick-fil-A middle management, there are mini-Al Davis' out there who don't have the capital to buy into a more sanctioned franchise that would give it a go. Local, live, and real is in these days.

I get the romantic side of it. I'd love to own a team too. But if you don't have the capital to build a chick-fil-a, you definitely don't have the capital to start a baseball team. Especially one that will make less money than a chick-fil-a.

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I get the romantic side of it. I'd love to own a team too. But if you don't have the capital to build a chick-fil-a, you definitely don't have the capital to start a baseball team. Especially one that will make less money than a chick-fil-a.

But there have to be lots of guys with capital to buy a Chic-fil-A, with no interest in doing that, but with grandiose visions of being Bill Veeck.

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But there have to be lots of guys with capital to buy a Chic-fil-A, with no interest in doing that, but with grandiose visions of being Bill Veeck.

Sounds really promising. Other than the really hard work for what appears to be no profit, I'd say, if you avoid signing any personal guaranties, then give it a go. Good luck!

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As others have said it's a supply and demand issue. If the Minor League players were that upset about the pay scale they would quit. Which would lead to fewer players, which would force wages up to fill the Rosters. I someone wants to follow a dream there should not be more regulations made that will preclude that. After all, how many businesses and organizations have unpaid interns?

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As others have said it's a supply and demand issue. If the Minor League players were that upset about the pay scale they would quit. Which would lead to fewer players, which would force wages up to fill the Rosters. I someone wants to follow a dream there should not be more regulations made that will preclude that. After all, how many businesses and organizations have unpaid interns?

Interns are free to seek employment elsewhere in their industry.

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And they would be paid at least minimum wage.

Not if they played in unaffiliated ball, unless you are only counting hour of required attendance. I do think everyone deserves a living wage. Maybe they should just be declared semi pro until a certain level. It is mostly a dream and a hobby for some very talented young men. And a very big dream.

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The average chick fil-a in the south does $2m+ in revenue (several here in texas do between $3-4M), so you're talking about a business with a ton more complexity than a 2,000 square foot restaurant with a very limited menu, all to do barely more than double the revenue of a chick-fil-a -- and then half of that gets eaten up by player salaries. Then you have to take care of stadium operations (which itself has a ton of subsets such as food operations, cleaning, ticketing, security, etc.), insurance, travel, marketing, etc. All of that hard work and complexity, just to do the revenue of two (maybe less than two) chick-fil-as. With no margin. No one will start that business!

Except that there are 75 or 100 independent teams that currently do that right now, the only difference being that they pay the 20 on-field guys in rolls of quarters. Somehow the Pecos League has existed for 3-4 years in smallish towns in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado with players probably a half step above local adult men's leagues and parks that (from the web site) look like they'd seat 2500 mainly on long benches like you'd see at a county fair. The business model must make some level of sense unless they have a bunch of rich guys doing this as a hobby.

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