What can you buy with $31M/year?

stormfall · 12-13-2015, 06:21 PM

The Red Sox have signed David Price to a contract giving him $217 million over seven years, or $31 million per season, which is a new major league record. To show how utterly ridiculous this is, let's break this amount down.
With the $31 million the Red Sox are forcing upon Price this year, he can:
Buy all the outfield bleachers at Fenway for the whole season ($16,775,424),
Finance a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate (average: $10, 476,451),
Buy his catcher Ryan Hanigan's contract from the Red Sox (3.7 million/year),
and at the end, he will still be making more per year than the average American. And he can buy all this stuff every single year until he will renegotiate in 2023. Unbelievable.

Déjà Bru · 12-13-2015, 08:12 PM

Well, that's free-market capitalism for you. Supply and demand, what the market will bear, etc. Basically, enough of us fools give up (relative) tons of hard-earned money for the experience of sitting in hot/cold bleacher seats and paying $10 for a hot dog, or signing up for MLB.tv subscriptions, or drinking Red Bull after seeing the commercials, etc., etc. Enough so that the Red Sox can pay this kind of money and still make a decent profit.

So don't look for fairness. That's an irrelevant concept. Nothing in life is fair because that's just a human idea, not an absolute. Or, you could say what Price is getting is fair just because he is getting it.

You bring up some interesting ideas, though. Say the Red Sox were hurting a bit and were willing to sell. Say Price was not too happy with the way Hanigan was handling him. Say Price offers to buy Hanigan's contract from the Red Sox in order to gain complete control of him. Then comes the ultimatum: "Hanigan, the next time you open your trap about my pitch selection, you'll be playing for the Samsung Lions!"

Campaign financing, eh? Say Price has a thing for Donald Trump. No wait, don't say that. We don't want this thread banished to OTD.

Questdog · 12-13-2015, 08:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Well, that's free-market capitalism for you. Supply and demand, what the market will bear, etc. Basically, enough of us fools pay (relative) tons of money for the experience of sitting in hot/cold bleacher seats and paying $10 for a hot dog, or signing up for MLB.tv subscriptions, or drink Red Bull after seeing the commercial, etc., etc. Enough so that the Red Sox can pay this kind of money and still make a decent profit.

So don't look for fairness. That's an irrelevant concept. Nothing in life is fair because that's just a human idea, not an absolute. You could say what Price is getting is fair just because he is getting it.

You bring up some interesting ideas, though. Say the Red Sox were hurting a bit and were willing to sell. Say Price was not too happy with the way Hanigan was handling him. Say Price offers to buy Hanigan's contract from the Red Sox in order to gain complete control of him. Then comes the ultimatum: "Hanigan, the next time you open your trap about my pitch selection, you'll be playing for the Samsung Lions!"

One part of the equation that you failed to mention, which is the part that gets my goat, is that if you never pay a nickel directly to MLB, you are still helping the Red Sox pay this salary by the elevated prices on other goods you purchase from companies that are helping the networks pay for the rights to broadcast the games.

I believe in a free market, but advertising dollars seem to circumvent the normal rules and get everybody to pay for things they may not desire.

RchW · 12-13-2015, 09:07 PM

Movie stars make $30M and $50M per picture sometimes and I don't hear them getting the abuse athletes get.

Total salaries in MLB are about 42% of revenue. Every other major sport is around 50% of revenue so salaries aren't even as high as they should be. Salaries at the top end could be lowered if baseball players didn't have to wait 6 years for free agency. Can you imagine the concept of 3 year FA in baseball?

RchW · 12-13-2015, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Questdog

One part of the equation that you failed to mention, which is the part that gets my goat, is that if you never pay a nickel directly to MLB, you are still helping the Red Sox pay this salary by the elevated prices on other goods you purchase from companies that are helping the networks pay for the rights to broadcast the games.

I believe in a free market, but advertising dollars seem to circumvent the normal rules and get everybody to pay for things they may not desire.

I don't buy logo merchandise. What other stuff would you suggest puts money in the Red Sox coffers. I'm having trouble thinking of much.

Questdog · 12-13-2015, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RchW

I don't buy logo merchandise. What other stuff would you suggest puts money in the Red Sox coffers. I'm having trouble thinking of much.

Any product of any company that advertises through MLB, either in broadcasts or other endorsements.

Cobra Mgr · 12-13-2015, 10:48 PM

is this thread a complaint?

ZiggyPop · 12-14-2015, 09:44 AM

Well, one thing you CAN'T buy for 31M a year is Zack Greinke.

canadiancreed · 12-14-2015, 10:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RchW

Movie stars make $30M and $50M per picture sometimes and I don't hear them getting the abuse athletes get.

Maybe it's because acting is looked at by the average Joe as something not everyone can do, while baseball is what a lot of us do every summer? Then again fans have only themselves to blame, they've gladly said with their wallets that they'll pay and pay to view the same game that was once view-able for free (on tv anyways), to say nothing about merchandising and what not.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RchW

Total salaries in MLB are about 42% of revenue. Every other major sport is around 50% of revenue so salaries aren't even as high as they should be.

Could be, not should be. If the MLBPA wants a bigger slice of the pie, negotiate for it....or go on strike again and hope fans are more NHL like and less 1994-esque.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RchW

Salaries at the top end could be lowered if baseball players didn't have to wait 6 years for free agency. Can you imagine the concept of 3 year FA in baseball?

Heck if it lowered salaries lets do FA every year. The off-season would be insane!

As for the OP, probably buy a CHL team.

12-13-2015, 06:21 PM	#1
stormfall Minors (Rookie Ball) Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 44	What can you buy with $31M/year? The Red Sox have signed David Price to a contract giving him $217 million over seven years, or $31 million per season, which is a new major league record. To show how utterly ridiculous this is, let's break this amount down. With the $31 million the Red Sox are forcing upon Price this year, he can: Buy all the outfield bleachers at Fenway for the whole season ($16,775,424), Finance a successful campaign for the U.S. Senate (average: $10, 476,451), Buy his catcher Ryan Hanigan's contract from the Red Sox (3.7 million/year), and at the end, he will still be making more per year than the average American. And he can buy all this stuff every single year until he will renegotiate in 2023. Unbelievable.

12-13-2015, 08:12 PM	#2
Déjà Bru Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Long Island Posts: 11,740	Well, that's free-market capitalism for you. Supply and demand, what the market will bear, etc. Basically, enough of us fools give up (relative) tons of hard-earned money for the experience of sitting in hot/cold bleacher seats and paying $10 for a hot dog, or signing up for MLB.tv subscriptions, or drinking Red Bull after seeing the commercials, etc., etc. Enough so that the Red Sox can pay this kind of money *and still make a decent profit.* So don't look for fairness. That's an irrelevant concept. Nothing in life is fair because that's just a human idea, not an absolute. Or, you could say what Price is getting is fair just because he is getting it. You bring up some interesting ideas, though. Say the Red Sox were hurting a bit and were willing to sell. Say Price was not too happy with the way Hanigan was handling him. Say Price offers to buy Hanigan's contract from the Red Sox in order to gain complete control of him. Then comes the ultimatum: "Hanigan, the next time you open your trap about my pitch selection, you'll be playing for the Samsung Lions!" Campaign financing, eh? Say Price has a thing for Donald Trump. No wait, don't say that. We don't want this thread banished to OTD. __________________ - Bru Last edited by Déjà Bru; 12-13-2015 at 08:22 PM.

12-13-2015, 09:07 PM	#4
RchW Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: Toronto ON by way of Glasgow UK Posts: 15,629	Movie stars make $30M and $50M per picture sometimes and I don't hear them getting the abuse athletes get. Total salaries in MLB are about 42% of revenue. Every other major sport is around 50% of revenue so salaries aren't even as high as they should be. Salaries at the top end could be lowered if baseball players didn't have to wait 6 years for free agency. Can you imagine the concept of 3 year FA in baseball? __________________ Cheers RichW If you’re looking for a good cause to donate money to please consider a Donation to Parkinson’s Canada. It may help me have a better future and if not me, someone else. Thanks. “Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition …There must be in-groups whom the law protects but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect.” Frank Wilhoit

12-14-2015, 09:44 AM	#8
ZiggyPop Major Leagues Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Montreal, Qc Posts: 303	Well, one thing you CAN'T buy for 31M a year is Zack Greinke. __________________ Sigs are overrated.

12-13-2015, 10:48 PM	#7
Cobra Mgr Hall Of Famer Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Parts unknown Posts: 8,741	is this thread a complaint?