A few weeks ago, MLB released a list of predicted ‘08 free agents and their current salaries. After giddily reading through the list, out of awe and curiosity I calculated that the roughly 199 players on the list will earn a combined $285 million and change during the 2007 season. This is a figure roughly equivalent to what the country of Zambia spends annually on education.
Journalist Buzz Bizzinger–previously best known for his somewhat bizarre, vitriolic attack on friend of EWC Will Leitch and blogs in general on Bob Costas’ talk show–recently published a harrowing and worthwhile editorial in the New York Times that hits a lot closer to home (well, my previous home). Bissinger juxtaposes the bloated salaries of professional athletes–MLB stars in particular–to the economic figures related to mass layoffs in the U.S. workforce, highlighting the economic struggles of laid off GM employees in particular.
While Bizzinger might not have it quite right about blogs, he brings up some prescient points about how the economy of professional sports, in his own words, “dances merrily along in the bubble of its isolation from the real world”. He also decries certain professional athletes’ lack of dedication to philanthropy despite their exorbitant salaries, while praising others such as Derek Jeter.
Well worth the read. Thanks to Glen Ebert’s Physics Factbook for the chart.
11 responses so far ↓
1 Shinsano // Jul 27, 2008 at 8:34 am
Pretty nice piece. I don’t know that the solution is as simple as getting A-Rod to pay someone’s Cancer bill, but it does highlight the absurdity of the situation. It’s also nice to know that A-Rod and Manny don’t give a dime to charity.
The quotes from Zimbalist stuck out as well…the fact that sports is the last thing to go when times are tight. Sports definitely has the luxury of being one of those things people turn to when times are tight. I’m sure to some degree sports become even more popular while the economy is floundering, as it is now in the US.
2 Simon Currie // Jul 27, 2008 at 9:08 am
I don’t think it’s absurd at all if you think about CEOs megasalaries and the conditions under which their temp staffs work, or the difference between rock/pop/rap superstars and record store clerks. Any industry that can move billions will have its winners and losers.
3 Shinsano // Jul 27, 2008 at 9:31 am
I wasn’t saying the situation in MLB is any more absurd than real life. Income discrepincy is a fact of everyday life in the free market system. I think it is absurd in the context of human compassion and rights to equality, but seems to work better than socialism. Or whatever they call that in Canada.
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
4 Simon Currie // Jul 27, 2008 at 10:09 am
Hahaha, but yeah, income discrepancy in the States is by far the largest out of any OECD countries, so maybe there is something there (it also attracts the brightest and most talented people from around the world because of the opportunities though, so they’re two sides of the same coin.)
5 John Brooks // Jul 31, 2008 at 5:32 am
I guess I’m a little late to the party(though I had no internet last week), but Bissinger gots it all wrong.
It’s because the high and skyrocking MLB revenue that contracts continue to skyrocket out of control. Revenues have never been higher in MLB. This Hardball Times article is a must read about this. I must say that I agree with the author that they deserve everything they get.
6 EW // Aug 1, 2008 at 11:52 am
I don’t know if Bissinger was “best known” for his blog rant. I know it’s a bit tongue-in-cheek that you say that, but sheesh. The guy’s got a truckload of credentials.
7 Jackson // Aug 1, 2008 at 8:53 pm
Well, I live in a cave but I had never heard of the dude until the rant. He’s no Aaron Shinsano that’s for sure.
8 Shinsano // Aug 1, 2008 at 11:39 pm
No, Jackson, I said I would NOT pay you to write things like that on the blog.
9 EW // Aug 4, 2008 at 6:53 am
Surely you’ve heard of Friday Night Lights? The guy’s won a Pulitzer Prize, for pete’s sake.
10 jackson // Aug 4, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Nope. I told you, I live in a cave. I’ve been out of the country for three years now. Not that that matters now with the intarwebs and all but I really hadn’t heard of Bizzinger til he went off on Will Leitch. Sorry…
11 chris // Oct 9, 2008 at 3:02 pm
Sorry to comment on his 2 1/2 months later (I randomly googled Bizzinger), but it is a flat out lie that A-Rod does not give to charity. While the Sports Philanthropy Project does state that A-Rod has a weak charitable foundation, that same site also says that A-Rod has made quite generous donations outside his foundation. A simple google search for alex rodriguez philanthropy will show that A-Rod, is contrary to popular assumption, not greedy.
Leave a Comment