Quote:
Originally Posted by Postman
Are you guys Americans? Just curious. The views in this thread are strikingly original (for me). The arguments are well considered and presented -- and I respect that. It's just that I hang out in American sports forums and the topic of player compensation comes up from time to time. The salary cap is generally supported. People feel the players make too much anyway.
I once had a Yankees fan taunt me about Matt Holiday eventually playing for New York, and that there was no point in rooting for the Rockies.
For the record he was wrong. The Cardinals took him and then won a World Series.
Billy Beane failed. Rich teams like Boston can use saber-metrics to equal affect.
And, after all, the A's didn't even win the Pennant, and they still haven't.
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Why is it that so many people believe that the players "make too much money?"
In the economics of sports, players are the number one key to putting a product on the shelf. They are, by far and away, the most valuable resource any franchise owns. (Remember, sports franchises are businesses, just like any other.)
Case-in-point: My family owns/operates quite a number of restaurants around my hometown. We just opened up a new dance club, where we have a bistro/cafe on the bottom floor. (4 floors of different bars above it.) We hired a new barista to create and sell the best coffee drinks in the area. In order to be successful, we had to hire the best bartenders and baristas. We also had to purchase the best coffee-making machines. I would never imagine trying to screw my employees over. They are also perfectly free to come to anyone of my family members and ask for a raise if they feel they deserve it. The request would be taken very seriously and considered carefully. More often than not, we grant them the raise. (Happy workers makes for happy workplaces, which increases efficiency and customer satisfaction. Not only that, but it's only fair.)
In other words: You have to spend money in order to be successful. You have to be successful in order to make more money.
When it comes to players and player acquisition, it is only "fair" that the players should be able to negotiate their own contracts and recieve as high a salary as possible. Afterall, what sane human being would want to see their team's owner making $200,000,000/year off the back of your labor, and you only get to see between 1 and 10% of that money in return? Then be criticized for "making too much money."
Funny, how a lot of people who criticize athlete salaries, are spending $75 (or more)/month for television service, whether your a sports fan or not, some of that money goes directly to sports teams, the owners of such being BILLIONAIRES. And yet, the athletes are criticized for making a few million/year.
I dunno. I just find it kinda dumb. Baseball doesn't need a salary cap. It's doing very well without one.