| With lucrative sports contracts on the continuous | | | | Baseball is usually the first sport to get called out |
| rise, is there an end in sight? As the years pass, | | | | for over paying it's athletes and rightfully so. With |
| the contracts continue to grow and the pine | | | | minimal risk of injury and arguably the least |
| riders of today are being paid like the elite of | | | | strenuous on the body of the 'Big Four', ball |
| yester years. From NFL to NBA or MLB to NBA, | | | | players are getting paid the most. Apart from |
| they're all the same. Contracts are on the rise and | | | | pitchers, the wear on your body is minimal and |
| the fans are paying the price. At what point is | | | | you can play until your mid 40's. I know they |
| there going to be some sort of regulations put on | | | | have a long schedule and rarely get a bit of time |
| this? And I'm not talking about a salary cap. I'm | | | | off during the season but for an average MLB |
| talking about some sort of system that stops | | | | player to be making 10 million a season is mind |
| contracts from growing year after year. How can | | | | boggling. There is no need for a .280, 20 home |
| this be done? And most importantly when? Until | | | | run guy to be making more than a million or two - |
| fans stop accepting to pay $80 for a nose bleed | | | | everything beyond that is greed. But instead, |
| ticket, we continue to feed the ridiculousness that | | | | these guys are making 10 or 15 million, depending |
| is athlete salaries. | | | | on the player, and it's unfair for the fans. |
| Now, don't get me wrong, I love a guy like Joe | | | | I'm not saying I have the answer here, but clearly |
| Mauer. He is a man of consistency and he gets | | | | salary caps aren't getting the job done. Prices |
| the job done day in and day out. But in March, | | | | continue to sky rocket season after season and |
| with the announcement of his 184 million dollar | | | | so do the salaries. In a recent trip to the Hockey |
| contract or 23 million per season, I couldn't help | | | | Hall of Fame, I looked at a collection of old tickets |
| but be stunned. Sure Mauer is one of the elite | | | | that they had from previous regular season and |
| players in the MLB today and undoubtedly the | | | | playoff games. I couldn't help but check the prices |
| best catcher in my opinion but 23 million per | | | | printed in the bottom right corner of each ticket |
| season to play 160 games or so is just | | | | only to discover that it was $20 or $30 for a |
| outrageous. Does he have a ring? No. Actually he's | | | | playoff games just a mere 20 years ago. |
| only played in two post season series and didn't | | | | Nowadays you're looking at $500 bucks to grab a |
| win either of them. But it's not just Joe Mauer or | | | | mediocre seat for a big playoff game depending |
| even the MLB, every other professional sports | | | | on the city and the correlation with the obscene |
| league finds them selves in the same situation. | | | | contracts guys are getting these days is no |
| Then you look at Kimi Raikkonen who signed a 51 | | | | secret. |
| million per year deal with Ferrarai just to drive | | | | However, what options do we have as fans |
| around a track a couple times. Or Jermaine O'Neal | | | | really? We can stop going to games perhaps but |
| racking in over 18 million to put up a couple of | | | | that's not going to accomplish much. We can |
| baskets when he played with the Pacers. What | | | | complain about it in the media over and over, but |
| about making 120 million while your in jail like Mike | | | | that won't get us far. For now we have to learn |
| Vick or making 8 million a season to be a 3rd line | | | | to accept it and hope that something is in the |
| center in the NHL like Chris Drury. There's no one | | | | works to give everyone a chance to experience |
| sport that is responsible for the obscene salaries | | | | the breath taking atmosphere that is provided by |
| guys are making but some are having a larger | | | | taking in a live professional sport because |
| impact on it then others. | | | | everyone deserves the opportunity. |