During negotiations between MLB and the Players Association, most fans tend to side with the union.
However, there is a surprising number of outside observers who support MLB owners, calling players “greedy”, or “employees that should only follow orders.”
Some have even said this is a “millionaires vs. billionaires” dispute, which is far from the truth.
A huge portion (if not all) of owners can be classified as millionaires, and some of them are billionaires.
What about players?
MLB analyst Ben Verlander explains it better.
“Also important to remember: Baseball players ARE NOT MILLIONAIRES. In fact, 71% of them made less than that and 66% made less than 600k. 16% made less than 100k. This isn’t Billionaires vs Millionaires,” he wrote via Twitter.
Also important to remember:
Baseball players ARE NOT MILLIONAIRES.
In fact, 71% of them made less than that and 66% made less than 600k. 16% made less than 100k.
This isn’t Billionaires vs Millionaires. https://t.co/knoLnjPXSc
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) February 17, 2022
Players Deserve To Make More Money, It’s Simple
The debate should also include how short the average career of an athlete is, so they have every right to maximize their earnings while they can: once they get older and their skills start to decline, no one will pay them top dollar.
Many of them sacrificed time to study when they were young and trying to make it to the big leagues (especially Latin American prospects).
And think about the minor leaguers (those who don’t even earn $20,000 for a full season) that couldn’t make it to the majors: they are way, way more than the players you see establish themselves in MLB.
Additionally, the players aren’t just part of the show: they are the show! People pay to see them play and perform, so they deserve better opportunities, and a fair pay.
Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) negotiations may take a while, but most fans want players to finally get a bigger piece of the pie.
They are due.
