A reader of my other blog made a wonderful point a few minutes ago, and it goes like this:
For all the roaring of terrible roars about how much Stephen Strasburg is going to ask for, and all the gnashing of teeth when the Yankees signed Burnett, Sabathia, and Teixeira, and all the rolling of terrible eyes when the Red Sox paid $51.1M for Dice-K, the Real Madrid soccer team just offered $131M to sign Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United. None of that $131M includes what they will actually pay the player. That's just what they will have to pay ManU for the right to negotiate a contract.
I'll add that that same Real Madrid team spent another $94 million for the rights to another player (a guy named Kaka), the Jets just gave $50 million to a guy who has never taken a snap in pro football and the Lions did the same thing last month.
Strasburg is reportedly asking for $50 million. He could blow the record bonus out of the water by getting less than half that amount. In light of what's going on in other sports, why is everyone so upset with Strasburg and Boras?
Leave a Comment:
Saving...
Because it's fashionable to bash baseball economics. People think because there isn't a salary cap the players are overpaid.
Maybe people just really like baseball owners and want them to have more money?
This is an absolutely ludicrous point.
1. Ronaldo is the best player in the world period. He has proved himself and deserves a high transfer fee.
2. This completely different from baseball. This is European football where transfer fees are a part of the game, its not the same as American sports they work differently.
I think you might need to do a bit more research on soccer and world sports outside of just your country before you make a point like that.
To be fair, Ronaldo and Kaka are likely two of the three or so best soccer players in the world.
The Sanchez and Stafford comps are much more telling, though.
because Real Madrid isn't using Real Money?
Because people tend to walk around making statements in a context-less void? Because many US sports fans are not aware of the business side of european sports?
Oh, it's because its soccer and we hate soccer over here. That makes sense.
It is a great comparision.
I would say it's because, in this case, the player/agent have serious leverage. If Sanchez or Stafford do not agree to terms with their respective teams, those teams still hold their rights indefinitely. Strasburg could play in an independent league for a year, then re-enter the draft next season. This seems to change the dynamic significantly.
" In light of what's going on in other sports, why is everyone so upset with Strasburg and Boras?"
Because some of us realize there is a difference in predictability of success in going from amateur status in the various sports. In college football they use the same ball and same size field and same equipment. In baseball the players use hollow metal bats prior to playing at the pro level. The guys Strasburg is striking out in college aren't as good as the guys he'd face in AA ball. Pitchers (especially those who throw in the high 90's or in his case low 100's) are very susceptible to injury. In baseball very few players make an immediate impact. There are probably several more very good reasons why it is ridiculous to sign an amateur player to such an outlandish contract.
Different colleges use different sized footballs. Just sayin...
@largebill - Some good points, but I have to say that the defenders top college QBs and receivers are burning for TDs aren't as good as the guys they'll face week to week in the NFL.
You're right largebill: I should have taken the examples of Ryan Leaf, David Carr, Tim Couch, Alex Smith and all of the other highly drafted QBs into account before making such a ridiculous statement.
And wouldn't the existence of hollow, metal bats actually make things harder for a college pitcher like Strasburg?
Baseball owners just pass along their costs in the form of higher ticket prices. And lots of people are stupid enough to pay those exorbitant prices. We have met the enemy and they are us!
yep!!!.."nobody never said,truth the way mr large bill has said".
¿ so this amateur think he could handle "AA's",or going far, the "AAA's" the same way the level he is at now?... wayyyyyy wrong mr boras or wherever who think that its the fact, while forgeting the carnage that moves alllllll good baters in such leagues I allready mentioned. !!but ok...lets see what is going on with this matters.
Just remember that baseball teams pay for the salaries of many, many more players. This creates a need for lower salaries to satisfy everyone's financial needs. And Ronaldo is a proven commodity. (I don't know enough about soccer to comment on Kaka). And while the rate of success in football is relatively low, I would bet pretty good money that it is better than in baseball.
I think it is a good point, though, that this is a completely different business. Who cares about soccer when discussing baseball contracts? There is a set pattern to what people are paid coming out of the draft, and why rip all that up for one player, who for all we know could fall flat on his face.
Just this last offseason, the average salary (and length) of a contract fell rather dramatically. So why give a guy five times as much as any other draftee in history? This point about him being a sure thing also bothers me. Wasn't Brandon Webb a sure thing a year ago? Wasn't Chris Carpenter a sure thing two years ago? Even if someone will do what they were projected to do for three years, that doesn't mean it lasts their entire fifteen year career. Just some thoughts...
As to the two soccer players, I am not a soccer fan and I have heard of them. That means they must be pretty good. From what I have read about them, they are two of the best soccer players (not soccer players) in the world. Would Manchester United have paid the same sum for Ronaldo if he was just coming out of some junior soccer league? I doubt Real Madrid did.
As for the football players, remember that their contracts are not guaranteed. It is important to get large bonuses because team ownership can cut players and not pay out the full amount of the contract. Also, a football player's career is shorter than a baseball player, and quarterbacks (who get the largest bonuses) are far more important to the success of their teams than a pitcher is to the overall success of his team.
Also, in baseball, (generally) the best hitters are drafted out of high school, while a number of higher quality pitchers opt to go to college. Hence, the competition in college is, relatively speaking, less rigorous than it would be in the minors, even with the metal bat. Consider also that Strasburg was not playing in an ultra-competitive conference, and his numbers look less impressive.
Finally, although drafting a great college quarterback is not without its risks, the risks have paid off more than they have in baseball. As has been pointed out numerous times over the past few weeks, no pitcher who was picked first overall has won a cy young award. I think, based on my limited opportunity to watch him pitch, that David Price may have that potential, so he could be the first. There have been plenty of first-overall busts in the NFL, but successful quarterbacks (Elway and Manning for example) have been picked at the top of the draft.
Whenever someone is paid based on potential rather than proven success, there will be risks. Baseball, I think, is frought with more risks than any other sport.
The money paid to professional athletes comes out of the pockets of the fans of the sports. Look at how pay to athletes has disproportionally increased over the past 30 years or so versus the rest of society. It is no wonder that many of the fans who built these sports to what they are today can no longer afford to attend the games. Why can't the players and the owners both make less so that the average guy on the street can take his family to the ball game for a reasonable amount of money for 3 hours of entertainment, a hot dog, and a beer. This would be especially appropriate in those instances where the taxpayers funded the stadium.
I agree with your sentiment and frustration, but I think the reason that the money paid to professional athletes has risen is because of free agency, the increasing strength of the player's union (especially baseball's player's union), and the savvy of players' agents.. I actually don't begrudge players getting more of what the owners take in. Perhaps I am a cynic, but even without the union, I suspect ticket and food prices would be incredibly high.
I say load up the contract with bonuses paid out in the SECOND year & if they (untested draftees) produce results, same $$$$, just gotta prove yourself first.
Oh wait, Boras is a greedy SOB and wants his money NOW!! We all know a kid right out of college NEEDS $50 million to live the lifestye he is already accustomed to ---- if he had to buy the dorm he had been staying in for four years!
We all know these outlandish prices being thrown around are not from Strasberg, but Boras. Ask Pedro how well asking for crazy money worked out for him. And oh, yeah, didn't some third baseman for the NYYs go behind Boras' back and successfully negotiate his own deal?
Boras is a cancer that need to be hit with a high dose of chemo or a fungo bat!
I think to pay 131 million just for the right to try and ink a deal is just stupid. these billionire owners in soccer just don't care. 131 million is just the interested thay make on their money anyway, so not like there are digger into their pockets for this money. if people are upset with the salaries then try being an a sport star.
The economics in soccer is different. Manchester United alone has more fans worldwide than the entire population of the United States. Think about that!
We,the fans, are the biggest contributors to get the team owners to get billionaries.
Base ball stopped to be a very nice sport only to become a huge profitable company.
Just look how much you spend in a single game: 25 dollars for parking; 5.00 dollars for a soda and another 6.00 for a pop corn.
The tickets are simply unafordable!!!
So, I better stay home and watch the games on tv, freeeeee.
Does anyone remember Brien Taylor? Before you spend big money on a future possibility no matter how promising you need to remember it is a long way to the majors. By the way I think Brien is now a brick layer.