Simply uttering the words “America’s Past-time” has a nostalgic effect on any true sports fan, and the heavy historical and traditional emphasis within the confines of Major League Baseball is a major reason why the league often has difficulties adapting to the times. However it is inevitable for even the most devoted fans of the MLB to admit that in recent years the popularity of the sport has fallen behind the likes of the NFL and NCAA sports such as college football and basketball. There is no question that the league is still extremely popular, but many fans have abandoned following the game as close as they once did due to several reasons such as lack of the parity that has become a major factor in a sports popularity. A certain element of surprise and the fact that underdogs have a legitimate chance to win is a point of major interest and intrigue that is needed to keep fans on the edge of their seat. Therefore, the same teams continually dominating their divisions and or conferences causes a lot of fans to grow weary of the annual MLB regular season. It is obvious that the superstars of the league bring the most talent to the table and will play for the highest bidder, and the fact that a team’s payroll has no limits imposed allows certain team owners to buy whoever they want, and this causes and uneven distribution of the stars and hence hurts the level of competition for many teams. This also brings about a lack of parity as the same teams continually win their respective divisions, such as the New York Yankees, and Atlanta Braves. A solution that other professional sports leagues, such as the NFL, have adopted is the institution of a salary cap for all teams. That is, a team’s collective payroll has a maximum that cannot be surpassed. This limits the amount of superstar salaries that a team can afford, and ensures a more even distribution of superstars in the league.

There are thirty teams in the MLB, and of these thirty teams only three have salaries that are in the nine-digit realm. The New York Yankees have a payroll of $208,306,817 which is the highest team payroll in the major leagues. The next highest team salary is that of the Boston Red Sox which is $123,505,125. This difference is incredible, and the Yankees salary is more than double that of the third highest payroll (New York Mets). The fact that the owners of the league can spend money unchecked allows those that have more money to buy whatever superstars they want, and in turn, the prices for tickets and commodities at the stadium are driven up. The competition in the free agent market isn’t as good as it should be, and the fact that seemingly the same teams are at the bottom of the salary list each year points out the fact that these teams can never reach contract agreements with superstars, and in turn, they never compete for division titles or playoff spots, which gives them no chance of winning a championship. Examples of these bottom feeders include the Pittsburgh Pirates, Kansas City Royals, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. This dominance in signing superstars to contracts leads to the same teams winning their divisions each year, teams like the Atlanta Braves, who have won their division for twelve straight seasons are a constant in the top ten team salaries list. Examples of such dominance in the league are evidence of a lack of parity, and this lack of parity has caused a slip in the ratings of the league.

There are several viable arguments against the addition of a salary cap to the league, based on the fact that the teams that do have the top salaries are in the largest markets, which is in highly metropolitan areas (large cities). The two New York teams, the Yankees and the Mets, are number one and three respectively, and number two is Boston. Other teams in the top ten include the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. These teams generate the most revenue yearly as they are in the areas with the most fans and many would argue that areas with more fans and have a greater market should have the superstars. However, Major League Baseball is an entertainment market, and the more teams that are competitive during any given season, the more fans across the nation will be able to stay interested with pennant races. The teams that often don’t get wins would inspire new hope and interest with their fans if they signed a marquis players. A prime example of this was the resurgence of hopes with Orioles fans with the signing of Miguel Tejada. This generates money for the city and gives people something to cheer about, and teams with lower salaries should be given a fair chance to compete for the contracts of superstars.

Another solution to this problem that was proposed in recent years was the institution of a luxury tax based on a team’s collective salary. It was proposed that a team would have to pay 50% luxury tax for whatever their salary was exceeding 100 million dollars. This proposal was posed during the labor disputes in 2002, and was a major snag that prohibited agreement between the league owners and the Player’s Association. This solution was abandoned due to the fact that it was almost the sole reason that a strike took place, and after the strike of 1994, the MLB sustained so much damage to its popularity and image, everyone involved with the league accepted that another strike would be crippling and the league could not persevere through another. The problem with this solution is the fact that the reason that a proposed solution is even required is that some owners have no problem spending vast amounts of money, and this would not deter these owners from spending money, and therefore would not help the problem to that great of a degree. Also, a luxury tax affects each team differently, whereas a salary cap affects each team to the same degree. There is one uniform salary barrier that each team cannot exceed, and this would add more interest to the game, increasing its popularity, perhaps back to the level it once had.

Too see the benefits of a salary cap, all one has to do is look at the success of the NFL. The league has the top ratings of any other professional sport, and one of the most important reasons for this is parity. No team has ever won more than two consecutive Superbowls, and there is truly a chance for every team to win each year. Another sport that proves parities and Cinderella stories inspire interest is NCAA basketball, and mainly, march madness. The chances that teams like George Mason make it to the final four draws so much attention and adoration that ratings soar, and popularity grows each year. The higher the number of teams that are competitive, the higher the ratings for a sport, its as simple as that. A salary cap ensures that each team will be limited to a certain number of high salaries and that teams cannot monopolize the free agent market and dominate in the win column. It has been proven an effective solution to competitive issues, and the MLB should adapt to the changing times and institute a salary cap. If it has a negative effect, then in upcoming seasons it can be abandoned, but the league and its employees owes it to the fans across the nation who hunger for competitive teams to give it a try. After all, the league survives and thrives because of the fans who draw inspiration and hope from players that instill indelible images onto the face of baseball history, who they live vicariously through.

Works Cited

N/A. ESPN Homepage. www.espn.go.com

N/A. Wikipedia. www.wikipedia.com

N/A. CNN News. www.cnn.com

N/A. MLB Homepage. www.mlb.com

N/A. Sports Illustrated Online. www.sports_illustrated.com

N/A. USA Today Online. www.usatoday.com