Salaries in Baseball are skyrocketing every year. Why would a salary cap be needed? It would be needed to help keep ticket prices down, and help make for a more even level of competition for all of the teams. A salary cap is needed to keep baseball thriving in the future, to keep the game exciting and enjoyable to watch for every fan. The four major professional sports in America are MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL. Out of those four, only Major league baseball does not have a salary cap. A salary cap keeps players salaries from getting to high because of the need to get your whole team under a certain dollar amount set by the league. A salary cap in theory would give every team a chance to build a competitive ball club.
But teams today that are not in a big market city have a disadvantage. Because these teams will never reach the World Series until baseball owners do the right thing and agree on a better system of revenue-sharing with a salary cap. (Hochgesang) A salary cap would help bring the competitive playing level to a more equal level. But some people say that small market ball clubs could field competitive teams without a salary-cap by developing a good farm system. But this theory has been disproved in recent years. Montreal and Pittsburgh have two of the best minor league systems in baseball, but their top young players only play for them a few seasons before becoming free agents and moving on to teams with bigger payrolls.
The Essay on Salary Caps in Sports
Salary caps are used in all pro sports and can impact any team. Caps are imposed limits on the money a team can spend on their players salaries. Salaries in pro sports are becoming out of control and reaching 100 million dollars. Teams are becoming unbalanced and are losing profits. Salary caps should be used in pro sports. Did you know that Michael Vick now makes nearly 100 million dollars a ...
(Hochgesang) The Cleveland Indians though are a small-market team and they seem to be able to have success by acquiring key players and through a successful farm club. Players salaries are beginning to be more than some teams entire rosters. Alex Rodriguez was recently given a contract for $252 million for 10 years. That is more than several teams entire team payroll. Alexs salary and others that are close to him in yearly salaries would make it difficult for there to be a salary cap. Their salaries would not have to be counted on a cap because there teams wouldnt be able to field a team by taking that kind of hit on the cap.
The biggest problem is the owners that are willing to pay these astronomical salaries. Until the owners all get together and agree something will never happen. (Zook) There are wealthy owners that can just go out and buy a winning team. The Yankees will always be in contention year after year as long as George Steinbrenner is the owner. He has the money to have a yearly team payroll of around $115 million. So being a rich owner in theory gives your team a better chance on winning in the Major Leagues. Just because a team has the money to go out and pay the high price free agents, does that mean that they are going to be successful? Not necessarily, as the Baltimore Orioles have shown, they have one of the higher team payrolls in the majors but they are at the bottom of their division. So maybe it is what you do with the money that matters. And in the Minnesota Twins case this year, who are a small-market team, they got the best out of their relatively unknown players.
But the thing that eventually hurt them was their inability to go out and get a key player before the trading deadline. Baseball like all other sporting events is entertainment. No professional sports organization could succeed without the support of their fans. Every year as the athletes salaries are increasing, so are the ticket prices. It costs a family of four an average of around $90 to go to a game. (Zook) Eventually the average sports fan will not be able to take his family to a game.
The Essay on Salary Caps For Professional Athletes
... of money a certain player can make to a certain amount, one single team cannot out bid another. Salary caps are necessary in professional ... professional sports in the idea of a salary cap. A salary cap is a mechanism that allows owners of companies to control and quash an ... already exists in witch to prevent similar business to restrict pays and limit the command for their companies. This allows ...
The owners need a ticket increase every year to help pay the always growing salaries of their ball players. The owners and players need to realize they are all working towards the same goal: to keep baseball thriving for the forseable future. (Zook) The MLBPA doesnt want a salary cap because that would limit the amount of money that they would be making. The owners would like one because it would possible save them money. But really thinking from a players perspective: Why would you want a salary cap? If the owners are willing to pay you the high salaries then why want to limit the amount you could make. What do other people think about major league Baseball having a salary cap? According to the online polling done by Portrait of America: Some people say it is unfair that some major league teams can pay bigger salaries than other teams.
Should there be a salary cap so that all major league baseball teams have the same size payroll or should each team be allowed to decide for itself what it wants to pay its players? 59% Salary Cap 31% Each team decides 10% Not sure According to this information, the fans of baseball are in favor of a salary cap. Will this influence baseballs decision on what it does? It probably wont have an affect on baseballs position but it might show them what the fans want. With a salary cap though, if a team does go out and sign a big name free agent then the team might be forced to let someone else go possible a reliable veteran, just to free up cap space. (Associated Press) So if you were a team that had to stay under a cap, you might be taking more risks on young players instead of sticking with your veterans who you would have to pay more money to. Your ball club could get worse because of that. Would fans still want a salary cap when the team that they have grown accustom to winning every year, is now barely above .500. I think they would still come to the ballpark. The games I believe would be more exciting to watch.
You wouldnt have as many teams that were out of contention at the all-star break. Every team would have a chance to improve themselves each year. They would be able to build a ball club and keep star players their whole careers. Would a salary cap help bring the competitive level to or more equal level? I think that we will have to wait awhile to find out. The MLB players union is very strong, and there might have to be a long lockout to get anything accomplish. Baseball fans would not like it if baseball was put on hold again, but that might be what needs to happen.
The Essay on Mlb Salary Cap Is Needed
... top-notch teams by ignoring the spending limit, a salary cap is necessary to maintain the equal competitive nature of major league baseball. One ... money to pay for players and the luxury tax. This luxury tax will help support the argument that if a salary cap is enforced ... are the only team that pays the tax because they are the only team that exceeds the spending limit. The players, coaches, fans, and ...
I believe that baseball does need a salary cap or at least a way for the smaller teams to have more money to compete. A lot of compromises need to take place for the two sides to come to a final outcome. I hope that this can be done in the near future without taking anything away from the game. Baseball is in dire need of something to bring about parity and a salary cap would point it in the right direction. Until then though, Cinderella and her glass slippers will not be seen again. (Smith) Work Cited How the salary cap will change baseball. Associated Press. 12 October 2001.
Hochgesang, Ryan. Baseball should be next catch for salary cap system. 1997 by the Daily Trojan. Smith, Mark. Salary cap. http://www.PortraitofAmerica.com. Polling Booth. 2001.
Zook, Michael. Bud Seligs Nightmare Season. .
