Want to see an illustration of how much the game has changed?

[msgkings322]

But

Owners have themselves to blame. From the onset of free agency, they practically begged players to be overpaid. Wayne Garland, a good example. Not sure what he made before but he turned down $40,000 in his first season as a starter. He was 20-7 in 1976 for a good Orioles team. He hit free agency and Cleveland signed him for a silly 10 years, 2.3 million. And pitchers like Tom Seaver and Nolan Ryan read it and said "If Wayne Garland is worth $300,000, what am I worth?" Starting a march to contract worth 3/4 of a billion

But the money is there and these teams keep growing in value to keep up...dudes are getting rich(er) paying those salaries!

Sports (and gambling) just matter more to modern Americans

 

[TheGoodMan19]

But

But the money is there and these teams keep growing in value to keep up...dudes are getting rich(er) paying those salaries!

Sports (and gambling) just matter more to modern Americans

The money is there but starting to disintegrate. This spate of nine figure deals were made because many teams were making good money in local TV. That's starting to dry up. ESPN, much as I hate their coverage, is done after 2025. And there's the fact that baseball is becoming a poor 3rd in popularity in the US. The NFL crushed it long ago and the NBA is passing it by. MLB did well in the rules last year to speed up pace of play. 10 years too late

 

[msgkings322]

The money is there but starting to disintegrate. This spate of nine figure deals were made because many teams were making good money in local TV. That's starting to dry up. ESPN, much as I hate their coverage, is done after 2025. And there's the fact that baseball is becoming a poor 3rd in popularity in the US. The NFL crushed it long ago and the NBA is passing it by. MLB did well in the rules last year to speed up pace of play. 10 years too late

I don't see much evidence for the bolded. Especially with all the Asian revenue streams which have come online

 

[black francis]

No one should earn more than 6 figures for playing with balls and sticks. What the hell is wrong with society. I haven't attended a sports stadium or purchased paraphernalia since 2002.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

I don't see much evidence for the bolded. Especially with all the Asian revenue streams which have come online

I admit I know nothing about the Asian streams. Does the money go to all MLB teams or just ones with Asian players. It will hurt the game more if the lions share of the cash goes to the Dodgers.

A lot of the local sports networks, the YES and NESN lookalike that sprung up everywhere went under. I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a lot of advertising on games in smaller markets.

 

[msgkings322]

I admit I know nothing about the Asian streams. Does the money go to all MLB teams or just ones with Asian players. It will hurt the game more if the lions share of the cash goes to the Dodgers.

A lot of the local sports networks, the YES and NESN lookalike that sprung up everywhere went under. I noticed that there doesn't seem to be a lot of advertising on games in smaller markets.

I don't know all the details but the data I see show team values continuing to rise like clockwork, and they brought in record revenues as a whole in 2024

MLB Revenues Hit Record $12.1 Billion In 2024

The business of Major League Baseball was exceptionally good in 2024, as the league saw a surge in popularity and growth across the business.

www.forbes.com

 

[msgkings322]

More that has changed a lot...yeah there were rich and poor teams before but never like this:

"In the first month of the 2025 season, the disparity between Major League Baseball’s upper crust and its lower-revenue counterparts has never appeared more stark. When the Dodgers host the Marlins this week, the payroll difference will be an estimated $406.5 million, which is believed to be the largest in modern history."

 

[Wazmankg]

Players had no real negotiating power back then. They were basically indentured servants.. well paid ones, but still.

 

[TheGoodMan19]

read John Helyar's Lords of the Realm. Good accounting of the idiotic mistakes the owners made in the 60's and 70's. Knocking baseball off the pedestal as America's #1 sport and poisoning labor relations for all time

 

[msgkings322]

Players had no real negotiating power back then. They were basically indentured servants.. well paid ones, but still.

Indeed. Totally different game now