Salary Caps

[Diekan]

What do you all really think about the caps? Good or bad?

I am actually torn on the issue.

A part of me agrees with the players (regardless of what ever sport it may be)... if people are willing to pay for the tickets, the pay-per-view, the shirts, the hats, and every thing else - and the money is there, then why should the players have to be subjected to a cap on how much of the pie they can get?

However, another part of me thinks they have no room to bitch about anything. If you think about it, we all have a salary cap (unless you're in business for yourself). You work for a company that, much like a professional sport, is a business. That business, again like a professional sport, has an owner. You work for a wage, just like the players do, but you can only make so much - you have a cap on how much you can potentially make with time at the company, performance and so on, yes? So, what makes professional sports any different?

Athletes are selling a product just like the company you work for. Yes, organized labor unions can demand more money during their contract negotiations, but we're talking about the difference in a few dollars per hour as opposed to a few million dollars per year in demands.

Secondly, don't you all think that by having and enforcing salary caps "they" could reduce the likelihood of another "NY Yankees" type team rearing it's ugly head in other sports?

But, still as I said above - if the money is there - then maybe they DO have a right to complain...

I dunno - I can see several points on both sides of the fence.

[Phlegm]

Like you said, Diek, we all have salary caps just like all of the sports teams do. Each company have a certain amount of money to spend on compensation for employees. However, this cap is different from one company to the next. For instance, IBM has more money to spend on employees than say joe smoe electronic company. So in essence, IBM are just like the Yankees while joe smoe company is like the Oakland A's.

Is it right for someone to come to IBM and tell them this is the max amount they can spend on employee? No, I dont think so. So why is it right for the sport league to set a salary cap?

[Anonymous]

So why is it right for the sport league to set a salary cap?

because a sports league is promoting/selling a product that has an unknown outcome. and if the outcome of that product is known beforehand, then there is no need to buy the product. no purchase = no league.

say what you want about a cap, but i think the parity of the nfl is a decent example of what a cap can do in terms of making most games on sundays viable entertainment.

[Phlegm]

So why is it right for the sport league to set a salary cap?

because a sports league is promoting/selling a product that has an unknown outcome. and if the outcome of that product is known beforehand, then there is no need to buy the product. no purchase = no league.

say what you want about a cap, but i think the parity of the nfl is a decent example of what a cap can do in terms of making most games on sundays viable entertainment.

baseball doesnt have a cap and it's also quite popular. In baseball, the minnesota twins and the oakland a's have two of the lowest payrolls in the league yet they compete every year. Big payroll doesnt guarantee a championship. It help but doesnt mean its automatic.

[Reynaldo]

What Cabernet said.

Salary caps are necessary imo. Low payroll teams are competitive to an extent because they are professionals. But I can't remember the last time I didn't see the Yankees in the postseason (it's probably not all that long ago, I just don't remember it).

And while it's a job to the players, it's entertainment to the world. We don't go 80,000 strong to IBM headquarters and cheer on Joe Entry-Level to change out that toner cartridge..

[mofish]

Well, salary caps and profit sharing, are a bit different. I can see the point about removing the cap, so players can make as much as they are able. On the other hand, profit sharing is what makes the NFL tick. MLB is a perfect example of what can happen if you dont institute a system like the NFL has. You get the Yankees, who can pay players whatever the fuck they want, and then get unfair advantage over smaller market teams. Bullshit, in what is supposed to be a fair, competitive sport.

[Xaiveir]

Yes sports need a salary cap especially baseball. What the salary cap does, is makes an even playing feild for all teams. It allows small market teams to compete with the bigger markets.

It also makes the game more enjoyable to watch through the entire season. It is designed to keep dynasties from happening, from 1 team manopolizing the league.

It also helps keep the price of attending games down as well. Ticket prices, souveniers, concessions all stay lower if there is a cap.

Baseball will very soon need to get a salary cap, or it will be its down fall.

[Phlegm]

It also helps keep the price of attending games down as well. Ticket prices, souveniers, concessions all stay lower if there is a cap.

This will never happen. Look at the prices of the NFL and they have a shit load of money coming in from tv and endorsements.

[The Kizzy]

I don't know much about sports, but I do know this. They are highly overpaid. What ever happened to playing the sport for the love of the game?

[Autum]

Kizzy, I think some still play for the love of playing, but to me it seems most are concerned with how they look to other players and how much they make compared to each other, greed and egos make a bad combo