FanNation - The Republic of Sport

As we enter probably one of the worst economic states since the depression, it is painfully ironic to watch Major League Baseball's GM's toss around free agents like $10 million trading cards.  While many people are busy trying to keep their houses from being foreclosed, the sports media talks about Manny Ramirez possibly receiving $75 million over three years.  When many people wonder if they have enough money to heat their homes this winter, we're wondering if CC will take $100 million from the Brewers, or $170 million from the Yankees.  Am I trying to make a bit of social commentary on this?  Maybe a little.  But at the same time, I am also trying to point out baseball's biggest flaws; it's not steroids, or pine tar on a pitchers hat.  It's not shrinking and expanding strike zones, or missed home run calls.  No, it's none of the above, in my view.  Baseball's biggest problems originate from the fact that the players, GM's, owners, and the agents who represent the players, have lost touch with a sense of perspective, and instead of doing what's best for the game financially, they have chosen to engage in a business of excess.  LOTS of excess.  I love baseball, more than any other sport by far.  But it has gone beyond comedy in the MLB, when it comes to excessive contracts.  It's ironic, that this new age of mega-contracts, long term deals that go above and beyond $100 million, probably could be traced back to the current Brewers GM, Doug Melvin.  After all, he was the one who signed Alex Rodriguez to the Texas Rangers, for an absolute bargain of $250 million.  Back then, the idea of paying a player a quarter of a billion dollars was thought of as ludicrous.  Now?  Well, A-Rod's contract got larger, Johan Santana just received a $160 million deal, and CC Sabathia is looking at a $170 million deal.  It has suddenly become the norm.  Even the Brewers, who less then a decade ago had a payroll under $40 million, are throwing around $100 million for Sabathia's services. 

 What I am wondering, and I am sure I'm not alone on this; when does baseball finally wake up?  When do they realize what a folly they have become?  I realize that sports contracts are not going to shrink.  I realize that the fans who show up to support these millionaire athletes will continue to do so, no matter what...and I include myself in that category.  For now...but at some point, you have to wonder; when do the fans suddenly become tired with the constantly rising ticket prices, concession prices, parking prices, etc., to pay for these mega contracts?  When do fans of small market teams like Milwaukee, Cincinatti, or Kansas City finally become fed up with the fact that, everytime one of their players performs moderately well, a team like the Yankees or the Red Sox come along and swipes them away with another multi-year, mega-million dollar contract?  I'll admit, this whole saga with Sabathia and the Yankees is part of the reason why I feel the need to write this.  Here's the upstart Milwaukee Brewers, fresh from their first postseason appearance in 26 years, willling to pay the man mostly responsible for getting them there...but then suddenly, just as it happens every year in baseball, along comes the bloated, financial mammoth we call the New York Yankees; and in their hands is a contract that equals the GDP of several small, Latin American nations.  It is completely disheartening from the perspective of a fan of a small market team, and the ONLY solution is to implement a salary cap.  This has gone to far, and something drastic needs to be done.

Which brings us to the biggest question; what can fans possibly do?  Boycott?  Well, let's see; the only fans who probably care about placing a salary cap on teams are the fans of small market franchises.  Aside from the fact that boycotts of this scale and magnitude are almost impossible to be a success, there is also the fact that IF fans of small market teams were to boycott baseball games, they would only be affecting their own teams; and thus, putting their own franchises in further danger of sinking forever into obscurity.  That perhaps is the most infuriating part of all of this; there is almost nothing we as fans could do, without hurting our own franchises in the process.  I guess the best we can do is voice our concerns at the games themselves.  We in the small markets can wait for a large market team, with a bloated payroll to play our teams; where we can then proceed to protest.  Be it with large signs or t-shirts - or maybe hand out pamphlets or flyers.  This wouldn't be meant to "educate" the public to this problem; they're already fully aware of how MLB does business.  It would be more of an attempt to make a salary cap part of the conversation.  For example, instead of us debating what small market GM has the best system (the Oakland "Moneyball" system, or the Twins system, or the Brewers system), we should instead be talking about why these "systems" are necessary in the first place. 

Am I saying that public demonstations will work?  Absolutely not.  But, it is worth a shot.  I fully believe that Major League Baseball's survival depends not on how well the large market teams play, but on whether or not the small market teams are finally given a fair shot.  Just look at how Milwaukee was able to attract 3 million fans this year.  There is mounds of cash hidden in places like Cincinatti, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh.  Each of those three teams were powerhouses, back in the day when teams weren't spending hundreds of millions of dollars on building virtual All Star teams.  The fans of these teams WANT to support their teams.  They just don't see any point in doing that, if the large markets are just going to come through at the end of the year and clean out their clubhouses.  So please, all of you who care about baseball; at least TRY to make your voice heard.  Go to games, and raise heck.  Let the owners, and the comissioners office know that you exist.  Remind them that baseball exists outside of New York, Chicago, Boston and LA - and let them know that baseball outside of those cities is suffering, and that for every Tampa Bay, there's 4 teams who are struggling to stay afloat.  I know they don't like to listen; but we're the ones paying ticket prices, therefore, we have a duty as consumers, to let these people know that their product is trash.