Changing America's Pastime Presently
Dear Commissioner Selig, I am writing to you as both a devoted, loving fan and concerned Major League Baseball follower. The great sport of baseball is nationally regarded as the quintessential American Past Time. The deep, historical rivals that exist are unmatched in virtually every other arena of competition. Stars of the past become heroes to fans of the present and names such as Babe Ruth and Jackie Robinson are associated with not just their profession, but the eras in which they flourished. Sandy Koufax and Roberto Clemente were public icons in their days because of excelling in athletics and in character. Today, however, stardom is equated with lavish lifestyles and celebrity status similar to rappers and rock stars. This notion is being propagated by the virtually limitless salaries that owners are paying for top-name players. Though the MLB has instituted a luxury tax for teams paying exorbitant amounts in payroll, it has done little to balance the talent distribution in the league today. As a result, dominant teams have become increasingly dominant, and subordinate teams have become increasingly hopeless. Via the institution of a salary cap, Major League Baseball has the ability to level the playing field of baseball. Teams like the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox spend unbelievable amounts of money building all-star teams. They play in large, prosperous cities and accordingly generate incredible amounts of revenue from ticket sales, food sales, memorabilia and so on. According to ESPN, the New York Yankees spent $196 million dollars on its players for the 2007 season compared to just the Tampa Bay Devil Rays’ (who play in the AL East along with the Yankees) $25 million. No wonder they finished 30 games back from the Yankees this season while the Yankees spent the most money in the league, and correlatively made the playoffs, for the 13th straight season. Though records and streaks are inarguably an integral part of baseball’s allure, these clearly show the disparity that money can create. With postseason appearances comes exponential revenue growth and therefore more purchasing power on the player market. This vicious, self-propelled cycle is not one that will cease. It will continue to claim the fan base of underprivileged, poorly funded teams who repeatedly fail due to their lack of resources and talent. Obviously if teams are allowed to spend nearly unlimited dollars, salaries for superstars will grow dramatically. Alex Rodriguez is currently earning, largely because of the lack of salary regulation but also as a function of the status of our society, over $25 million per year, more than the president of the United States. Forgetting the social inequities this involves, it also creates issues in the great sport of baseball. The Texas Rangers were able to afford paying this massive contract by sacrificing quality at other positions. Of course, when the Yankees were struggling a few years ago they simply bought out his contract and added to their all-star lineup. “Perhaps 12 of 30 Major League teams have any possibility of reaching postseason play, and fewer still have a realistic hope of winning a pennant," Padres owner John Moores wrote in the Wall Street Journal, "Unless baseball changes the way it does business, it risks seeing its fans drift away, tired of their teams' futility."
Full Text of Steven's Paper
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