Many people wish Major League Baseball would have a salary cap to prevent teams like the New York Yankees from dominating the sport. I?m not one of those people.
I love the fact that five individual players on the Bronx Bombers make more than the entire Florida Marlins roster. It?s American capitalism at it?s finest ? those who want something and are willing to work for it will get what it is they want. Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wants to win the World Series so badly that he?s willing to pay out approximately $200 million per season to do so ? he has won a few titles, and I respect the way he has done so.
On the other hand, Jeffrey Loria, owner of the Florida Marlins, does not wish to be competitive, given a team payroll of less than $14.5 million.
Opponents of baseball?s current luxury tax system assert that a hard cap would increase competition in baseball, thus making the sport more like the NFL. A salary floor would also be necessary in such a system. However, any lack of appeal baseball may have to the general public isn?t due to its payroll structure ? but rather other problems it has had, such as player strikes and steroid use.
Furthermore, simply buying much of the game?s best talent does not guarantee World Series success.
When the Yankees and Marlins faced off in the 2003 Series, the Fish defeated the men in pinstripes with young talent on the mound (Josh Beckett, Brad Penny and A.J. Burnett) in addition to some veteran players (Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez and Jeff Conine.)
However, the Marlins are content with making a championship run once every several years (something I can?t blame them for) and sold off most of their talent.
The Yankees have also yet to win a World Series since 2000 ? a year that saw much of the Tech student body still in middle school. In that time, five different teams have won the World Series. Despite Steinbrenner?s best financial efforts, his club hasn?t been crowned champions in nearly six seasons ? a time period that has seen him purchase many superstars, including Jason Giambi, Randy Johnson, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Mussina and Johnny Damon.
So with the Yankees spending obscene amounts of money each season, how are they not winning it all every year? Simple, money can buy you many things ? from gorgeous wives to European clothes ? but it can?t buy you championships.
So what?s the problem? Why even introduce the idea of a salary cap in the first place? Simple, the idealists and the ?life should be fair? crowd think there should be one. Obviously, I?m not in the same boat. Teams should be able to spend as much, or as little, as they wish to achieve whatever their goals are, whether they be winning a championship or just turning a profit.
How do we even know that baseball owners would support a structured payroll system? The Tampa Bay Devil Rays may be content to be bottom feeders that sell tickets based upon on who the opponent is in order to make a profit. And that is the bottom line in professional sports ? making a profit. Not winning.
There are more than just financial reasons behind my not wanting a salary cap. I think a salary cap would change some things that are integral parts of athletics ? swagger and appeal.
I will first address swagger ? I thoroughly enjoy this part of sports. I can?t get enough of seeing Yankees, Miami Hurricane football players and North Carolina Tar Heel basketball players acting like they know they?re better than the rest. Let?s face it ? they are.
The last thing I want to see is the Kansas City Royals become good via a leveled playing field and their players acting like they?re important or something. I don?t want to turn on Saturday Night Live or any of the late-night talk shows and see someone who plays for the Milwaukee Brewers with a false swagger ? that lacks my second draw, appeal.
For me, appeal is a big part of professional sports. If small-market teams become good, that means I have to watch them and their undeserved swaggering on television. I think most people are with me in not wanting to see the Royals play the Brewers in the 2010 World Series. I know MLB?s managment wouldn?t.
Ask the NBA how great the ratings are when non-major market teams play for a championship. The NBA goes as far to rank finals in terms of years the Los Angeles Lakers are not involved. Teams with national appeal are what?s good for most sports, and in baseball said teams tend to be the ones that ?buy? championships.
