America’s Past Time Going Corrupt
By Mike Rotter | April 28 2009
A limitless salary cap is haunting and tarnishing the game of baseball. The history, prestige and dignity of baseball are on an uninterrupted, unending downward spiral because of money, greed and careless, self-absorbed people. The game that 50 percent of people between the ages of 6 and 17 play, and most everybody is a fan of, is simply unrealistic. Fan loyalty towards struggling teams is diminishing and in many cases proves to be non-existent.
Baseball’s rich and greedy owners are shifting the idea of rooting for players and hometown teams into cheering for cloth. These days it’s foolish to purchase a player’s baseball jersey, because you don’t know when that player’s tenure with their team will end. With baseball’s current market, that player might have been released or traded while you were buying the jersey. It’s absolutely ludicrous to think that baseball is enjoyable to watch year in and year out, when the same 10 teams are consistently in the race at the end, and the rosters are changing at a quicker pace than ever.
The Florida Marlins, a team who has won two World Series’ in the last 12 years, averaged sixteen thousand fans per game in 2008. Dead last. Ironic how the Marlins’ annual salary cap of 21-plus million dollars ranks dead last in the league as well. In fact, the team with the second lowest annual team salary, The Tampa Bay Rays doubles the Marlins (42 million). However, only three teams have won multiple World Series’ since 1997: the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox and the Florida Marlins. Seems impossible that any talent could come about a team with such a lousy fan base and pockets thinner than paper.
When the Tampa Bay Rays made the playoffs, fans from all throughout the country were happy (minus Yankees fans), because the small market Rays finally made a splash into Major League Baseball. Nobody expected them to beat the White Sox, let alone beat the Red Sox, to advance to the World Series, which unfortunately ended their fairy tale ride. It was something unexpected and historic. It re-entered the idea of team chemistry and fan loyalty into the game of baseball - so we, as the loyal fan, hope.
Yankees owners George Steinbrenner and son Hal sat in their winter meetings this off-season in anger and disbelief that they did not succeed with baseball’s highest payroll. Instead of building chemistry, loyalty, and a potential dynasty with the great team he had established from previous off-seasons, the Steinbrenner’s spent $423.5 million dollars - on three players. On top of this, I do believe the Yankees are responsible for Alex Rodriguez and his 33 million dollars and Derek Jeter and his 22 million dollars by season’s end. The Florida Marlins’ highest played player, Wes Helms, is making 2.4 million dollars this year. Just 7 players on the Yankees are making less annually. The New York Yankees have the game’s highest paid pitcher, highest paid hitter, and 2 players, in Alex Rodriguez and Derek Jeter that earn more per season than the Florida Marlins set annual salary. The Steinbrenner’s are demanding excellence from players when they are signed to these ungodly dollar figures. This applies added pressure on player’s who are already trying to achieve excellence.
The Marlins must fill a roster of 25-plus players with 21 million dollars every year, unless their cap fluctuates due to ownership changes. Does this mean Alex Rodriguez (33 mill/year) is worth more than every player in the Marlins organization? If he is paid this much, shouldn’t he be pitching, hitting and shagging fly-balls all at the same time? Or is it becoming more obvious that owners are using money to win? If the Yankees players are as good as what they are paid in reality, shouldn’t Alex Rodriguez have a win and loss column under his name every night? Or should the Florida Marlins take their chances and trade their 25-man roster and then some for the game’s best player?
These astronomical numbers are forcing players to beg for pinstripe Yankee jerseys rather than playing for the organization that groomed them and gave them the opportunity to succeed. Players seem to be unconscious towards the idea of unity and pride. They don’t work as hard on high salary teams because they know there are 10 other players paid enormous dollar amounts that can step up any night. But how can we blame the players when it’s the owners who are throwing dollars at them left and right? Owners are simply ruining the game that everyone once considered “America’s past time,” and turning it into “America’s new Enron.” If these selfish owners continue their corruption of baseball, the popularity of the game will diminish in towns with small market teams. Pretty soon the Yankees will be playing themselves in scrimmage games night in a night out because they will eventually take over the market. America’s past time is simply corrupt.
Agree? Disagree? Tell us in the comments section below!
(4 votes, average: 4.50 out of 5)
Fantastic article Mike! Although I am a huge Red Sox fan, I do love the small-market teams. Every year I am rooting for the Rays, Marlins, Diamondbacks, and a few other to do well. The Yankees’ spending is completely uncalled for. I know the Red Sox aren’t far behind, but they really curbed their spending by signing some very key players for “no money” at all (i.e. John Smoltz, Rocco Baldelli, Brad Penny, and Takashi Saito). Here’s to the small-market teams, and my team (the Boston Red Sox) who are bargain hunters!!
Great arcticle, Mike! Even though I don’t follow baseball and think it’s boring, I thought it was well written and made alot of sense.
Mike: I enjoyed your article but I think, with all due respect, to some extent it misses the point. Its easy to harp on the irresponsible spending by the Yankees, whose conduct is grotesque. However, the truth is that many teams (Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs…) have followed the Yankee methodology. While only the Red Sox have won titles (twice) since the spending has really gotten out of control, there is no question the competitive balance of the game has been seriously affected. While teams like the Rays, Brewers, and Diamondbacks make appearances in the playoffs to varying degrees, the fact of the matter is that year in and years out the playoff schedules are being dominated by the same teams. I believe, however, that the real point is that the game continues to overcome all of this and continues to set attendance records. Now I realize that this year may be an exception due to the economy, but I believe that last year baseball became a $6 billion revenue enterprise for the very first time. I don’t have the exact figures in hand, but the economic growth of baseball over the past decade is nothing short of astounding. For example, when Bud Selig became Comissioner in 1992, only 2 of the 30 teams had a positive cash flow; last year, only 2 of the 30 had negative cash flow. This game is so engraned in the hearts of Americans that it can, and has, and I believe will continue to overcome the irresponsible and reprehensible conduct of the Steinbrenners and their like. In this capitalist system of ours baseball players, like workers in any other field, have the right to make “whatever the market will bear.” In spite of our mutual admiration of this game and our concern for the effects of reckless spending, none of us can say with a straight face that we would turn down the millions being thrown at these players for old fashion values like loyalty. All this noise about the wild-eyed spending comes down to the owners asking for rules that will save them from themselves. They simply cannot help themselves; they cannot stop pursuing the golden ring regardless of how much gold it costs them. They want caps to protect the integrity of the game but they are unwilling to simply honor traditional values and stop spending like the proverbial drunken sailors. So you get the Yankees bidding against themselves for the services of C.C. Sabathia (they had $120,000,000 on the table over the Brewers’ offer of $100,000 and just so Sabathia wasn’t tempted to return to his home area in northern California(the Giants were reportedly interested) or to the team (Brewers) that had adopted him and taken him in as one of their own, they upped their own offer by a third(!!!) and put the $161,000,000 on the table). Who can blame Sabathia for accepting that offer? But the Giants are doing well and the people continue to pour into Miller Park in Milwaukee (attendance up 40,000 from record pace of 2008) because people love baseball more than they hate the Yankees, the Cubs, the Red Sox, and all their money. So I say, who cares about the Yankees and their like? Take me out to the ballgame because everyday in parks around the country these talented players cross the chalk lines and regardless of what they’re being paid, they play the same great game.
Hi Mike. Really enjoyed your article. You seem to effectively use hard hitting statistics to support your arguments. Also, your passion for the subject is strongly evident, which I believe is a requirement for any kind of writing to be really effective. Congratulations!
Hi Mike: Love your article. This deserves a special treat … cookies? See you soon.
Michael, I’m not a huge follower of baseball but I thought the article was well researched and very well written. I have, however, taken a bit of interest in Pete Rose and his ban from Baseballs Hall of Fame and would value your input on the subject. I am not a big fan of Bud Selig and feel that he needs to lift the ban and allow Pete Rose in. Pete has done a lot for the game of baseball and, that having been said, they should note his many achievements as well as his many indiscretions. This is just my opinion.
Mike-Great article. I look forward to seeing more of your work in the future!