I was going to talk about climate change and how that would affect attendance at sporting events but decided to tackle a far sexier topic. Player salaries.
I am A-OK with players fleecing team owners (especially if they donate some of it to charity). But the arcane rules and breaking the spirit but not letter of the law is a bit crazy now.
I got started on this because July 1st is Bobby Bonilla Day. Every July 1st until 2034, The New York Mets Baseball Club pays him 1.1 Million Dollars. Not bad to just pay that, you might say, except for the fact that Mr. Bonilla has been retired since 2002.
And once that contract finally expires, the Los Angeles Dodgers Baseball Club will start paying Shohei Ohtani north of 65 Million a year whether or not he is playing for them or anyone. Deferred payments.
Not to pick on my least favorite sport of baseball. My Chelsea FC is addicted to 10 year contracts simply to skirt yearly wage bill limits set by the Premiere League in Britain. Also, just this year, my Portland Trailblazers made the final payment to a player who hadn’t ever suited up for them in a trade so long ago there was considerably less gray hairs on my head.
Every league is trying to promote parity even while some owners are parsimonious to the Nth degree. See Colorado Rockies and Sterling era Los Angeles Clippers.
No matter what salary caps you put into place or tax aprons you add, there will be a math guru finding a way around it. So how about let the owners pay what they want and if they hit a tax threshold, put that money into the local schools or homeless shelters or food banks.
For a beer, you can go one of two ways. You can buy something barrel-aged and exclusive or you can find bargain gems. Either way, I want you to fill out a six-pack roster within a budget of $50.