What the Yankees are doing right now in Major League Baseball is really astonishing. They swept the Red Sox in a four game series for the first time in 23 years, and are 28 games above .500. They have clearly separated themselves as the best team in baseball. Sure, the amount of money New York has spent on this roster is record-breaking, and although they've had been spending the money for the last 9 years without much success, it seems as though they've finally put together a masterpiece of a team. The feeling throughout New York is excitement, and joy about what could be for the Yanks this year.
But... in a day when the MLB is tainted by steroids, lying, grossly overpaid stars, Josh Hamilton getting drunk, etc... it's teams like the Marlins, who have gotten within 3.5 games of the Phils, and the Rockies, who lead the NL Wild Card as of this day, that are impressive. Of the 6 teams leading the 6 divisions in baseball right now, 5 have pay-rolls over $100 million, while the 6th team, the Cardinals, aren't too far behind. Obviously professional sports is a business, but isn't that kind of ridiculous. Should money really be able to purchase success? Maybe, but not to this extent.
As I've stated multiple times on this site, I'm not nearly involved enough to speak about economic situations for specific teams in the sporting world. Frankly, I've yet to find a writer even on ESPN who can give me convincing financial information about teams. However, I think even a 3rd grader could look at the list of payrolls, and the standings and make the connection. So what can be done to stop this? Or better yet, as a fan, what is the ideal situation for this season?
It would be great if Bud Selig would come out and announce a salary cap, which ultimately would reach a point where every team had an equal shot at signing every player (like in the NFL, NBA, etc...). However, I would be willing to bet my position here at Zeus of Sport (which I value very highly), that this isn't going to happen any time soon, if ever.
So instead of watching the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Cubs, Cardinals, blah, blah, and blah succeed, I am calling for all sports fans out there without real allegiance to any team to start cheering for the teams in the bottom 50 percent of that list. The Rockies, Rangers, Rays, and Marlins are the teams that could make October magical. So even if you're a Yankees fan, let's all team up and root for the underdog, or, as the case may be: the team that can't afford to be as talented as your team.
What was the point of this article you ask? I don't really have an answer for that. I was raised a Yankees fan by my Mom despite my Dad and brother trying to bring me over to the Indians' side (Thank God I didn't make that leap... but go Cavs). But, it's hard to watch when the teams that people grow up watching are only good because of their financial situations and vice versa... so start up the conversation Zeus followers, let's hear what you think about money in baseball.
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Teams need the Yankees and the Red Sox to spend a lot of money. The Yankees, Cubs, Dodgers, and Red Sox have the four highest road attendance percentages (in that order). Baltimore does around 60% of their anual attendance durring home games with the New York and Boston. So they are basicly selling 60% of their tickets in around 20% of their home games. The Yankees, Red Sox, Tigers, and Angels also pay the luxury tax. This puts more cash into the pockets of teams in bad markets.
ReplyDeleteInstead of complaining about how teams in bigger cities have more money small market teams need to focus on player scouting and locking up players before they hit free agency. Both the Brewers and Rays were smart enough to lock up two of the best young players in the game (Braun and Lorgoria) so they can control them through their primes. Teams in small markets can not afford to use high percentages of their budget on one elite player (A-Rod on the Rangers) and avoid giving out terrible contracts (Vernon Wells).
Low budget teams like the Twins, Athletics (earlier this decade), Rays, and Marlins have proven that a team does not have to spend a lot of money to win.