Baseball has advanced a long way since its humble beginnings back in the late 18th eighteenth century. What was once a game pioneered by early American colonists has evolved into a technically skilled game filled with precision and expertise. However, the one thing that remains rudimentary is the absence of a salary cap and the ability for teams to spend freely. It goes without saying that the the larger cities with a significant baseball market are willing and able to spend more on acquiring talented and expensive players. In 2010, the New York Yankees' team payroll is almost six times larger than the team payroll of the the Pittsburgh Pirates. This discrepancy is clearly demonstrated in the teams' performances, with New York being a perennial powerhouse and Pittsburgh being an everlasting embarrassment. This major salary gap prevents small market teams from performing at the same levels as big market teams. Such a financial barrier instills a mindset in the teams and players that cannot be overcome in order to achieve success.
Source 1:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/baseball/rangers/stories/DN-cowlishawcol_19spo.ART.State.Edition2.4b809ba.html
Source 2:
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/baseball/ml/article977489.ece
Image Source:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3m65KNJ6jVQ/R_I0RY8nbdI/AAAAAAAAAao/GfE7o3zeOqo/s320/moneyball.jpg
And my sad story Orioles have a big budget embarrassing yearly performances...
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey, this is a good topic -- controversial one for many and frustrating for many more still.
ReplyDeleteMake sure you inform us about the current situation regarding salary caps. Later in the semester, if you want to build upon this *informative* speech and share your opinions about whether or not the caps should be in place... feel more than free to. But for now, steer from the persuasive aspects of this topic and aim only to inform us.
One point you made in drawing the audience in was that baseball is America's past time, citing ticket sales and TV audiences beating out NFL, NHL, and NBA viewers. While it is America's past time, and a great one at that, 162 games give baseball a HUGE edge in those aspects, regardless of whether it is actually more popular.
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