Fixing MLB

[SomewhereInTime]

This is exactly what I’d like to see and of course it would never happen. Players right now are only responsible for grabbing as much as they can in the hopes of vaguely helping some players with the same numbers in the future. Well then make them truly responsible for each other. Let them overpay for Harper. Let them rip each other apart. Let them feel the pain of valuing each other knowing full well that a lot of their own members are going to get screwed. Let them fill up big markets with all the stud players and alienate half the fans. It would be glorious to see contraction as fans start to abandon the game and force wages to spiral downward. The NFL will always be king because it has parity and MLB will eventually self destruct because they simply fail to understand that all major revenues need to be shared equally so true competitiveness can take place.

 

The NFL's product is a joke. It only exists in it's current form because of the popularity of fantasy football. Take away fantasy football and the NFL would've already collapsed like the NHL did. Shared revenues haven't really helped the likes of the Browns, Lions, Redskins, Raiders, Jaguars, Jets or Bengals in the last decade.

 

Strange that you mention that... I was a HUGE NFL fan a few years ago and had been my entire life. Once I stopped playing fantasy football, I just no longer cared much for any of it. Still watched, but didn't designate my all my time to see every game. Slowly, I lost all interest, to the point that I didn't watch one game, one half, or one quarter this entire season. (The way the NFL handled the Kapernick and kneeling during the anthem mess didn't help, but I won't bring politics into it, that however, was the final nail in the coffin) Another reason I could no longer stomach it was the constant commercials and interruptions. After watching for 3 hours, and enduring an hour and a half of commercials, it just seemed a ridiculous way to waste time.

 

I don't miss it in the slightest, and enjoy all the free time I now have during football season.

 

Baseball is my passion, and that will never change. Still have 4 fantasy teams that I follow religiously, but if I stopped those, the game would still hold my interest.

 

When I become president in a few years, fantasy football will be outlawed and punishable by death. It has created an entire generation of football illiterate idiots who spout off nonsense receiver stats and think they mean something.

[Patrick425]

I absolutely agree. The Players Union should be deciding what Harper gets paid—not owners. I’m all for giving a bigger chunk to the players as a whole. I think they get about 55% now, although I could be wrong, and I’d like that increased to 60% of the gross revenue. But in no way can I support teams determining how much to pay the players, the players should have complete control over that. I also think the Union should determine the length of all contracts and eventually which players go to what teams.

 

Did you mean to post this in blue because there is no way you can be serious. I can't express enough how much I disagree with this entire thought process. It sounds like bizarro world, especially the part about the union eventually deciding which players go to which teams. You must really dislike owners and employers (not to mention GMs).

[Underachiever]

If the players are getting 55% of the revenue, I can't believe that they are complaining.

I thought that the players' share of revenue had dropped into the low 40% range, after being around 50% for years. It's hard to understand, because some revenue models don't include new money streams such as internet tv and others. Just in preparing this post, I saw many different percentages listed.

[jjgott]

I actually don't think MLB is "broken;" not in the sense that it needs radical changes. A lot of the concerns about competitive imbalance are caused by the teams themselves actively not trying to win. Unfortunately for us, our favorite team plays in a division where it appears as though all of the owners are willing to spend $ to try and win the division. You saw last year how even though we won the division, there really were no easy games in the division.

 

I guess the league can do a better job to make sure that national media and licensing rights get distributed in a more equitable fashion, but I do not want to see a hard salary cap. Not only does it hurt the players by artificially suppressing their wages, but it will not serve the purpose of achieving parity. There is no guarantee that there will be an equal distribution of top level talent in a capped environment, it will simply mean the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers could have a roster full of the top guys, all making less than what they should be making. Super teams could still be formed if vets decide to forgo money in order to fit in a few extra pieces. If anything, a salary cap will help teams in the South, West, and any state that does not have a state income tax. Much like the NBA, players, if they are forced to make less money, will just choose the most desirable living situations. In an uncapped world, Milwaukee already has a disadvantage over other cities. I don't think that would change with a salary cap.