The New York Yankees and New York Mets signed Alex Rodriguez and Johan Santana this offseason, respectively, to huge contracts that will make each superstar rich beyond any of our wildest dreams. The reality is that the New York Yankees and New York Mets won’t make them rich, you will! Do you still like the treatment of your team?
It’s not just about the New York Yankees and New York Mets. Any of your favorite baseball teams pay for high-priced baseball talent, this story is about your team and the effect of these huge salaries on your wallet.
Reading about the contract of Johan Santana, Alex Rodriguez or any other big-money ballplayer, is superficially saying: “Great, my team made a great move. At least it’s not my money.” Whoops, not so fast. The reality is that it is your money. How? Every time you pay for a game ticket where the price has increased, you help pay his salary. Every time you take a sip from the mug of beer in the game where the price has gone up, you help pay your salary. Every time you bite into the hot dog in the game where the prices have increased, you help pay his salary.
Is it fair that a star baseball player or athlete makes exponentially more money than a teacher, repairman, or anyone else who helps us live our lives in a more immediate way? Fair, my friends, has nothing to do with it. Economics 101-The law of supply and demand. The fair value of something is the exact amount someone is willing to pay for it.
Alex Rodriguez and Johan Santana are just playing the system for what it’s worth, getting as much money out of the New York Yankees and New York Mets as their agents can get.
Actually, we would do the same thing, whether we openly admit it or not. When we review our reviews at work, we look to improve our status, and rightly so. We work hard, we are loyal, and we have few opportunities for any kind of reward.
MLB, its owners, its players and its machinery seek one thing and one thing only above all else. That is, to earn money for himself and his players. How does it do this? Getting money from his fans.
So, the New York Yankees signed Alex Rodriguez to a great long-term contract. He better believe that the prices of his tickets, beer, hot dogs, equipment, and cable bill are heading north accordingly. So, in the end, it’s you who pays for Alex Rodriguez, or Johan Santana, or whatever high-priced star plays in your favorite stadium.
As a New York Yankees fan, New York Mets fan, Los Angeles Dodgers fan or wherever, you want your team to win. To win, you have to pay high-priced players. The question is whether you would mind paying more for a better product.
When you buy a TV, you expect to pay more for a better brand than Joe Schmo’s brand of TVs. We don’t think of it in those terms, but that’s how it is when you, the fan, spend money to be a part of sports. Do you want to follow a competitive team? Then, you’ll shell out the money, out of your own pocket, to compensate your favorite team in exchange for a better product. fair? The fair has nothing to do with it… it never does.
MLB fans have the choice and power to put a stop to high-priced contracts like those of Alex Rodriguez and Johan Santana. However, the reality is stark for true fans. The answer is to stop paying.
The New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, and every other MLB team pays attention to one thing and one thing only: how much money is coming in.
Stop following the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Boston Red Sox with your wallet, and there will be less to pay players. The less players pay, the less salaries they will be. Less buttocks in the seats, the ticket prices will be lower. Offer and demand.
However, the reality is that MLB knows this will never happen. In the aftermath of strikes, steroid scandals and more, MLB still enjoys record attendance across the United States. As an MLB fan, you can’t have it all. If you want to follow MLB, be prepared to put up some cash. The closer you want to follow, the more money you will need.
Alex Rodriguez, Johan Santana and the others don’t care how much you have to pay. They care how much they can earn during a limited MLB career. He’s a Catch-22, but the fans will keep coming, they’ll keep paying, they’ll still harbor some resentment.
MLB fans: The reality is, this is the going rate for access to the Boston Red Sox, New York Mets, or whatever team you follow. You can not have everything. You can have your favorite team, at a competitive level that is expensive, but in the end it will be your money that finances the winner, creating the competitive atmosphere that you can then follow. It’s worth it? Only you can decide for yourself. So far, the answer among the MLB faithful is a resounding yes.