posted on December 13, 2000 08:42:19 AM new
entertainers and sports figures(the same?) make obscene sums of money. if the teams paying these huge salaries raise ticket prices too high then maybe less people will come to the ballpark. there have been a number of occasions when concert ticket prices got too high and did not sell out for some major acts. on one hand it is a free enterprise system run by supply and demand(sony playstation2?) on the other hand there should be a salary cap in baseball like in other sports because a few ultra-wealthy owners can dominate the sport.
posted on December 13, 2000 10:21:01 AM new
Some of these athletes may be left holding contracts that will never be honored...as hockey star Mario Lemieux discovered when the Pittsburgh Penguins declared bankruptcy a while back. He had agreed to deferred payments and guess what, he was still owed in excess of $30 million there was no money! Mario ended up buying the team in order to protect his interests, and now--HE'S COMING BACK!!! Attendance hasn't been what he had hoped, even though the team is good this year. They're gonna sell out every night with Mario back on the ice, and if he's even half as good as he used to be they have a shot for the finals. I don't know how many athletes would be willing to go to this extreme for their money (and their sport) but viva Lemieux, can't wait to see him suited up in the uniform again. I am one ecstatic hockey fan.
posted on December 13, 2000 01:08:24 PM new
Hey psyllie! I don't know about you, but when Lemeiux made his announcement, I could have sworn I heard a voice groan, "OH Nooooo!". I think it came from the direction of the Phoenix Coyotes! You're right though, he has given more for the team he loves than anyone in sports that I can think of. And it's gonna be great to see him play again!
Seriously, I think the ARod contract is not only obscene, but a major business blunder. I live in Arlington, so I'm at ground-zero of the whole thing. I am appalled that any sports figure can make that kind of money, yet a local fire department is having to close its doors due to lack of funds. While teachers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, etc...have to work 2 jobs to make ends meet, people who play a game for a living can demand and recieve that kind of money! Just boggles the mind!
On a sports viewpoint, the contract with ARod states that the Rangers must be at least championship contenders 2 years in a row, or ARod has the option to leave, taking with him a large precentage of the rest of the contract. So in other words, if they have 2 losing seasons back to back anytime in the next 10 years, he's walking, and taking his money with him. (I wish I had a link for this, but I heard it on the news last night.) Seeing as the Rangers greatest weakness (besides their fear of Yankees!) is their lack of pitching, I really don't understand how a shortstop, no matter how good, is gonna help them. Of course, it could help them to start building the team down the road, but they've gotta keep ARod healthy and happy in the meantime.
ARod's windfall is striking, if not disturbing. He will be making more than the total payroll of 6 NHL teams-Nashville, Columbus, Atlanta, Minnesota, Tampa Bay, and the New York Islanders. My biggest worry with this is that Tom Hicks, who owns the Rangers and our hockey team the Dallas Stars, has his Stanley Cup (Stars '98). Will he put our beloved Stars on the back burner now in pursuit of a World Series?
Oh, and by the way, Rangers fans will be picking up the tab for the contract, but since the Rangers have raised ticket prices during losing seasons on a regular basis, they have been preconditioned and won't even notice...
posted on December 13, 2000 01:36:43 PM new...raised ticket prices during losing seasons on a regular basis, they have been preconditioned and won't even notice...
As long as they (not just the Rangers or just baseball, but professional sports in general) can continue to convince people to park their car for $8, plunk their butt down in (what seems to me, anyway) an overpriced seat and spend $3 for a handful of peanuts and $5 for an 8 oz. sip of beer, nothing is going to change.
Of the various groups involved with professional sports, the fans always seem to be at the bottom of the list. How they manage to keep them coming back is a mystery to me. My friends and I used to go out to the ballpark all the time, but I don't know anybody who goes anymore.
