12/21/24
April 20, 2018
The Disgrace of Minor League Baseball: (W)hy do minor league basketball and hockey players get a better deal than minor league baseball players, despite those leagues’ parent clubs bringing in less money overall? It’s not because basketball and hockey owners are less interested in maximizing profits at all costs—many baseball owners have a stake in another pro team, and even if the people running the NBA, NHL, and MLB aren’t literally the same people, they all went to the same business schools and hang out at the same golf courses.
No, it’s about power and leverage.
posted by Ufez Jones to baseball at 11:30 AM - 3 comments
1% sticking up for 1%!
posted by billsaysthis at 04:27 PM on April 20, 2018
Interesting article, I knew minor league baseball players got screwed but never heard much but about basketball or hockey. I remember when I lived in Portland, Maine, and each spring the Portland Sea Dogs (Red Sox affiliate) would advertise looking for host families for the players. While when hockey season rolled around, the players on the Portland Pirates (former Pheonix Coyotes affiliate) all rented condos on Casco Bay that were $2,000+ per month.
posted by Johnson919 at 07:54 PM on April 23, 2018
Interesting (and somewhat infuriating) stuff, Ufez. I knew that minor league ball players made jack shit, but I didn't understand that they really, really made that little jack shit. Nor did I realize that our esteemed Congress had just sanctioned the practice (in an omnibus spending bill, no less--sneaky!) on behalf of the owners. What the article seems to lack - and maybe that is because there isn't one readily available - is a proposed solution to the disparity.