Y'know, I make about forty grand teaching college.

I just wonder if...you know...our priorities might be a bit off...

I'm with Zenmaster... not just in profession (though I make less) but in being frustrated with knowing how much pro athletes make.

personally, at this point, i don't even want to know. the most important jobs in this country pay for crap (while politicians, at least in this state, try and cut their salaries even more) ...

okay i'm going to stop now.

No offense to teachers, but I wouldn't pay $20 to watch them teach for three hours.

We all know how this ends. They gave it away on Deep Space Nine.

why is this "sick"?

sick, indeed.

why are those figures sick ? I ask because if no one went to see baseball, those salaries would not be asked for. Can't wait for all the Farkers to post "I never watch or go to a baseball game." Yea, that's why they (MLB) are rolling in money. Non story, if the important jobs are getting the salary shaft, then fight for your salary.

I certainly picked the wrong field... do you think it's too late for me to start playing?

Doh, looks like I also picked the wrong sex.

DrToast has a point-- the money is wherever people will spend it. Zenmaster has a point too-- it's sad. At least in the "good old days" teachers got the utmost respect, if little pay. Nowadays, they hardly even get that.

How is it sick?

As long as people will pack stadiums for overpriced tickets, and you can hire a labor staff for cheap...where does the extra revenue go? Players and owners split it.

Its basic economics, and not sick at all.

DrToast, you've never been in my class ;-)

"No offense to teachers, but I wouldn't pay $20 to watch them teach for three hours."

Why not? It would be a helluva lot more interesting than a baseball game

What the hell is the difference between $13.5 million and $16.0 million? Either way you are being hella overpaid for doing something that is completely unnecessary to the survival of society.

I think a doctor is of higher need for society than some bloke who can throw and hit a ball. Athletes deserve money, but $16 million per year is bloody ridiculous.

If anyone deserves $10+ it is pr0n stars, atleast they are doing something productive in keeping the kitty population at carrying capacity.

Sick is right.

Starvin chilluns, underpaid high school teachers, etc. the whole bit. United States is still way behind educationwise, don't forget it.

The MLB needs to have a lock-out and tell the whiny baseball players to STFU and deal with a modest 1 mil a year. Blow it out your ass if you say its not sick cause it is.

Unless you want the gubment saying, "oh, what you do isn't worth that much, so you only get 20 grand per year", you've GOT to have it this way. You don't like it? Don't watch baseball. Easy.

It's not like anybody's got a gun held to his head, forking his hard-earned cash over to the baseball players. The money's there 'cos the demand is. And believe me when I say that if baseball wasn't there, all that dough would not magically jump into the college funds of deserving orphans...

$75 per credit hour (probably on the cheap side I know) x a 4 credit hour class = $300 for a college class. A college quarter lasts 10 weeks, two classes a week at 2 hours per class so 40 hours of instruction. $300/40 = 7.50 per hour, for three hours thats $22.50. So the answer is yes Dr. Toast you would pay $20 to watch us for three hours.

CrazyJim's Proposed Salary: eleventy billion dollars, MLB offering 0$

Its basic economics, and not sick at all.

Economics is sick.

All in favour of starting an intellectual bolshevik revolution *right now*, robbing these overpaid, lazy bastards blind, and redistributing the wealth to poindexters and academics everywhere, signify so by saying "Aye."

/socialism

Supply vs Demand here people. Don't like it, don't watch baseball.

/obvious

HarryBeanBag So anyone that teaches Quantum mechanics should earn $17 mil? I would say there are equall numbers of people who can hit a 90 mph fastball and people who can teach any field of higher education.

if davis had ran against riordan, he would have had his ass handed to him. but you stupid republicans would cut your nose to spite your face and couldn't bring yourselves vote for a pro-choice moderate republican in a primary. serves you right.

CSCC, you're missing DrToast's point-- how many people are in that $75 per credit hour class? Then, how many people are in the stadium?

Also, HarryBeanBag, very few people can actually TEACH. Many people know their subjects well and are very smart, but very few have the capacity to teach it, or better yet, to create a love for the subject. Watch A Beautiful Mind for an example (it's true-- I was at one of Nash's lectures, and it sucked-- the man's incredibly smart but can't teach worth beans)

But this is entirely beside the point. Hopefully the players who are getting all this money are doing something good with it, or are at least pumping it back through the economy.

damnnnnnnn, that's a lot of dodger dogs

i hear you venus! makes you almost hanker for a y chromosome...

Y'know, I make about forty grand teaching college.

I just wonder if...you know...our priorities might be a bit off...

No. Society has just deemed that people that skillfully hit, kick, or catch a ball are more scare and valuable than those who can teach effectively.

Starvin chilluns, underpaid high school teachers, etc. the whole bit. United States is still way behind educationwise, don't forget it.

As a thought experiment, consider what would happen if teachers were paid an additional $10,000 across the board. Would there be a dramatic increase in the quality of the product (civiilzed, intelligent students), given the current status of education in the U.S.?

One justification is that players' careers are a lot shorter than a teacher, but then again I'm a teacher and don't see myself making anywhere near 16 million dollars in the course of my working lifetime.

Hey, not only sports stars but actors and actresses too. How much is Tom Cruise or Julia Roberts making for one film?

...or Seinfeld (was), or the cast of friends.

Hey, sure, musicians, actors and other entertainers can hop on the boat. But there's still an argument as to how much they actually contribute to society. Overpaid entertainers, MLB players, etc. create economies on their own-- how many people does it take to keep a ballpark or a movie theater/rental place/studio running? how many of those people would be without jobs if it weren't for the entertainers, MLB players, etc.?

I believe too much in capitalism to suggest that we intervene or start distributing the money a little more evenly.

As a thought experiment, consider what would happen if teachers were paid an additional $10,000 across the board. Would there be a dramatic increase in the quality of the product (civiilzed, intelligent students), given the current status of education in the U.S.?

No, but then giving a performer (sports, entertainment, music) a raise would not raise their performance either.

"keeping the kitty population at carrying capacity."

That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while...

That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while...

I find this funnier:

Hopefully the players who are getting all this money are doing something good with it, or are at least pumping it back through the economy.

Unless you're a Ferrari dealership or build million-dollar homes, good luck.

It is sick that people that can simply run and hit and throw, basically play a kid's game, can make that much money. But it is our fault. We subsidize the insanity. Not individually, but as a group. I don't personally care for baseball, but I can see the same thing happening in hockey, and it sucks. It's about the almighty dollar, not the game. And it's sad. Blame the owners. Blame the advertisers. Blame the players. And blame yourself. :)

/whine

Oh and blame those goddamn scumbag agents too. They're just lawyers in disguise. Bastards.

Alex Rodriguez just paid 1 million dollars for an education center at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami. It will be a state of the art learning center complete with computer labs and classrooms.

Sure he gets paid a lot, but he also helps out the community and kids. When was the last time you donated some money to charity? Not lately? Your bad. Recently? Kudos.

The fans are the ones paying these players' salaries. If you are telling me you would turn down the opportunity to play a sport you love and get paid millions while doing it, you are either a fool or lying. Or perhaps, you are both.

God forbid someone should get a job they love and that pays well. They are in a good situation. Overpaid, probably? But only fools turn down the kind of situation they are in.

Don't hate the player(s), hate the system.

Certainly the system has something to do with it when a 19 year old player gets a couple million just to sign the contract!!!

All of you know that if you were given the oppurtunity to ask for, and probably recieve, millions of dollars a year to play the greatest game in the world, you would jump at the oppurtunity.
Concering A-Rod, yeah he gets paid a sickening amount, but remember that he did not ask for that much, it was just a bidding contest between owners. That is the reality - even if they don't ask for this much money, the owners will offer it.

Alex Rodriguez essentially admitted he was overpaid, then retracted his statement; so I do not care much for him. It is nice to see that he has donated/is donating to the greater community though, but it really doesn't raise my opinion of him.

"greatest game in the world"

Candyland?

Thome named Indians Clemente Award recipient


Benson shines in community


Valentin enjoys helping kids


Big Unit = big contributor


Helping kids is Aurilia's passion


Moyer nominated for 2002 Roberto Clemente Award


Lance Berkman receives 2002 Clemente award


Hoffman a leader on and off the field


Hernandez helps the needy in KC


Matheny's best work done quietly


Grissom a worthy Clemente nominee


Helton provides kids a lift


Wells gives back to the community


Sullivan's selflessness earns nomination


Lieberthal nominated for Clemente Award


Franco proud to be nominee


Hammonds made immediate impact


Hunter nominated for honor


Higginson is Tigers' nominee


Smoltz nominated for Clemente Award


C.J. nominated for Clemente Award


Vaughn up for Clemente Award


Mussina nominated for award

Yeah, you read that right. Baseball is the greatest game in the world.

As a thought experiment, consider what would happen if teachers were paid an additional $10,000 across the board. Would there be a dramatic increase in the quality of the product (civiilzed, intelligent students), given the current status of education in the U.S.?

No, but then giving a performer (sports, entertainment, music) a raise would not raise their performance either.

Not only that, but there's also a problem with not having enough teachers period. I'm not saying smaller classes automatically means a smarter population, but extra money certainly helps develop more programs to teach children.

Go on, play your baseball while the city next to me continues to rot and the kids sit in the shiatty classrooms.

What I want to see is a baseball player donate a couple million to schools that need it. That'll justify a raise in my book.

Now the ignorant would say, "why don't YOU donate half of your salary?!" If I made 40k a year, donating 20k away would make paying my mortgage and other practical, standard-of-living expenses difficult. Now if you donate half of a 15 mil salary, you can still have a huge house and all the foie gras you want - you'd just have to hold off on the lamborghini for a bit.

"No offense to teachers, but I wouldn't pay $20 to watch them teach for three hours."

I would! $20 for 3 hours worth of a course is a steal. I'm probably averaging $20 an hour for the class I'm taking now.

They're not getting paid for hitting, catching or throwing a baseball, they're getting paid to deliver an audience at an entertainment exhibition... same reason Jim Carrey gets 20 Million a movie.

I work in "Hollywood" and I hear this biatch all the time. My response is always, hey no one is stopping you from doing it. If you think you can hit an 95mph fastball (or throw one for strikes) then go for it. If you think you can sing like Celine Dionne and people will pay to see you do it, then go for it.

I'll I can say is "making" it in Hollywood is unbelievably difficult, it takes a degree of tenacity and determination that most sane people would never put up with. Plus, believe it or not, it's not that easy to act, sing, play sports, whatever... at an elite level.

By the way, I happily paid $400 for a seat at game 2 of the World Series. I'd do it again is a second. Why, it was great entertainment. (It helps to be a life long Angels fan.)

Sieg heil Fuehrer Selig!

MLB? Martin Luther Bing?

Nobody's bored by sports more than I am. I spent yesterday doing stuff at work, then went to a computer show, hurried to get my ass off the road before the big game started, then soaked it in a hot tub, drinking beer, reading Bias by Bernard Goldberg. Then I barbequed some potatoes and chicken for dinner.

That said...

People who look at tables of high salaries and call it "sick", are, well, sick. Do you believe in opportunity or don't you. 'Cause if you do, it's not good enough to believe in opportunity for yourself and then the next guy has to be making little enough money to make you happy; you have to believe in opportunity for everybody. The next guy could make fifty times, a hundred times, a thousand times more than you. It's okay, alright?

Yeah, the money seesm to follow professions that draw spectators. So what. Watched pots boil. It's all good...

Geez, all that money to play a jumped up game of rounders. Nice, where can I get a slice?

We pay 580 a credit hour (private university). but we're also on semesters. so let's see, 580*3 credit class, by 15 weeks, by 3 hours a week. so, that's $38.66 per HOUR. thank god for scholarships, grants, loans, and co-op terms. oh wait, i have room and board on top of that too....

I have diarrhea........give me millions

Loooooouuuuuuuu!!!!

If any of you think these players are overpaid, you're more than welcome to pick up a bat and glove, and try to do better. If you do, I hope you work for less!