Baseball - Has it gone to hell?

MLB has set a strike date for August 30th. That means they will walk out, all because of money and such. I mean NO baseball player, and I mean NONE, have a reason to complain. Take Alex Rodriquez for example, he makes 105 times what a senator does in a year. He makes about 200 times what a soldier does in a year. A soldier risks his life out there, and doesn't get payed much. A wounded soldier might come back, and the most he can get is a medal and maybe benefits, he doesn't get a 1 milliondollar signing bonus. I mean, is A-ROD really worth what they pay him? Is he risking his life for the well-being of our country? The answer is no. No argument there. He may be a bigshot, hit 70 homeruns a year, but that doesnt mean you need 20 million a year. I am there to enjoy the fun of the game, and it's gone. I mean sure, we all want alot of money so we can cruise through life, but if it was my job, I would be completely different, I would be willing to play baseball for 500,000 a year, probably even a 100,000. If a teacher can make it on 30,000.. So can I. They just can't complain they aren't getting paid enough money to take a 33 ounce bat and swing at a pitch that is coming in at 90 mph. Hell, I can do that, and I pay to, and I don't make any money. I just get the great feeling of a win or lose, knowing I had fun. You ever watch the Little League World Series? If so, you ever watch it and see how those kids react when they win and know they are going to Williamsport? They absolutely love it, and they work their asses off between school and other jobs to pay for uniforms and bats and so on so they can have a chance, and they get the satisfaction of PURE fun, something I don't see in Major League Baseball anymore. As a fan, I have lost almost all interest, because you have a team, may not be the best, and have a good player, but the player wants to leave cause he isn't getting enough money and the team isn't winning. It's just a load of bull.

So as the announcer says when the ball is hit out of the park, baseball is "GOING, GOING, GONE!"

And to me, if they are asking for more money, all that does is help the Yankees, so right there is proof that players could care less about winning and care alot more about money.

I betcha that everybody that likes baseball will keep watching it after the strike, and everybody that hates it won't. The strike doesn't matter at all.

Now about your payment question - if a team has some good players, they have more fans, more games on TV, more sponsors. Each of these advantages gives the teams a few bucks.

The soldiers, however, don't make the country get more money, so how is the country supposed to give them $1,000,000/year (atleast)?

I agree it sounds unfair, because every idiot can play baseball but it's much more difficult to serve the country, but it's simple: "make" more money to the employer -> get more money from the employer.

I know nothing about baseball, but in the UK there are football teams who are (DAMN USA KEYBOARD!!! Need to open charmap to get the sterling sign) £Millions in debt but still spend millions on new players; even then they were going to (or did they) strike... But I doubt it's the same with baseball...

Baseball is probably one of the most un-athletic sports that we have. They don't need to make more money period.

Professional Sports have gone to hell. The athletes, owners and agents continually battle over money that one party doesn't deserve and the other party can't afford. In the end, the fan will always lose out - with higher ticket prices, higher concessions, and a diluted product from apathetic pay-me-for-my-autograph prima donnas.

Both sides seem to have little or no regard to the folks who pay their salaries and fill their brand-new-luxery-box-public-tax-built stadiums.

In other words....

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer Out!

the whole thing makes me sick. maybe if the players didn't make so much money then a $10/hr. dad could afford to take his son to a game every now and then and actually have a good time at the ball park without spending $20/ticket, $4 for a hotdog, $3 for a soda, $5 for a beer, $25 for a t-shirt. I mean ya got scouts that go into 3rd world countries and find the best kid out there that can hit a rock with a stick and make them baseball players. They are used to eating beans and living in a straw hut, then they bring them here and spoil them with a fancy house and sports cars and what happens in return? They get greedy, just like everyone else.

If I were a bball player, I could work for 1 yr. and retire happily. Unfortunately my chances are better at hitting the lottery.

Sure, when something like this happens, we all like to say "They already make too much money anyway" and stuff. And yes, that may be very true. But the fact is, they only make that much money because we allow them to.

It would be the easiest thing in the world for everyone to stop going to games, stop watching them on TV, stop buying their products, etc. And if that happened, it would knock them all back down to a normal level. We stopped giving them money, so they'd have no choice but to stop spending it. But we don't do that. For every one of us that says "I'm quitting baseball if they strike," there are countless others who continue to feed the fire... You may feel strongly enough about the issue to give up your season tickets, thinking "They're not gonna get my money anymore!" And the only result of that is somebody will pay a little more and get them next season. They may say "These guys make too much money" while they're doing it, but that doesn't stop them from buying the seats.

Until someone out there finds some magical way to actually make everyone stop blindly adding to the piles of cash that sports franchises have at their disposal, it will continue to be like this. They think they're better than us, and the vast majority of people don't want to argue with them.

---Jamin

I agree mostly with what Jamin said. The argument is over the money being made, each side wants a bigger cut of it.

I do however want to point out some misconceptions. I am not familiar with every ballpark, but I know at The BallPark at Union Stati... Enron Fie... Astros Fie.. Minute Maid Park you can still get game day tickets for $1. Yes, concessions are still expensive, but not anymore than you'd pay at any movie theater. If you are resourceful, you can park, see the game, and eat for <$50 for a family of 4 quite easily. About the price of taking the same family to the movie theater or a decent restaurant.

Man it costs like 50$ for one person at Wrigley, and thats the lowest price you can find..

ouch, another reason to "Go Astros!