Argument- Salary Caps
The Salary Cap
Ever since the beginning of baseball, the salaries of the players have continued to rise. Some teams are being left further and further behind because they cannot pay the huge amounts that big name players demand. In the past twenty years, we have seen the increased need for a salary cap. With a salary cap, more teams would be able to compete with the more financially inclined franchises. If more teams can compete for titles, then they will be more entertaining and more people would turn out to the games. Without the salary cap, teams can throw as much money as they want at a player until the player agrees to play for them. This can become unfair for the smaller franchises. Typically, big name players play for big name teams. Just because a team is not based in a famous city, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given the opportunity to be a well-rounded franchise. Small market teams should not have to suffer because they have less money. This happens every season because, as Ira Berkow points out, “ …teams from large cities would be able to purchase the best players and the teams from small markets would no longer be competitive.” (Berkow, 1994). That’s exactly what has been happening for the past twenty years. There is a reason why the same teams manage to be in the playoffs, and the World Series every year. These are the same teams that are potentially bankrupting many of the small market teams. Take the New York Yankees for example. Until this past year, they had been in the playoffs every year for thirteen straight seasons. Why you might ask. It’s because they are the most valuable franchise in not just baseball, but all of sports. The Yankees can buy any player they want because not very many other teams can afford to have that player on their team. With the salary cap, all the teams in the league will have the same opportunity to sign a big name player. The cap would also force teams to focus more on their farm teams.
Ever since the beginning of baseball, the salaries of the players have continued to rise. Some teams are being left further and further behind because they cannot pay the huge amounts that big name players demand. In the past twenty years, we have seen the increased need for a salary cap. With a salary cap, more teams would be able to compete with the more financially inclined franchises. If more teams can compete for titles, then they will be more entertaining and more people would turn out to the games. Without the salary cap, teams can throw as much money as they want at a player until the player agrees to play for them. This can become unfair for the smaller franchises. Typically, big name players play for big name teams. Just because a team is not based in a famous city, doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be given the opportunity to be a well-rounded franchise. Small market teams should not have to suffer because they have less money. This happens every season because, as Ira Berkow points out, “ …teams from large cities would be able to purchase the best players and the teams from small markets would no longer be competitive.” (Berkow, 1994). That’s exactly what has been happening for the past twenty years. There is a reason why the same teams manage to be in the playoffs, and the World Series every year. These are the same teams that are potentially bankrupting many of the small market teams. Take the New York Yankees for example. Until this past year, they had been in the playoffs every year for thirteen straight seasons. Why you might ask. It’s because they are the most valuable franchise in not just baseball, but all of sports. The Yankees can buy any player they want because not very many other teams can afford to have that player on their team. With the salary cap, all the teams in the league will have the same opportunity to sign a big name player. The cap would also force teams to focus more on their farm teams.
Bibliography: 1) Berkow, Ira. “Salary Cap The Same as A Dunce Cap.” The New York Times 15 July 1994. 2) Baseball-Reference. 20 Oct. 2008 <http://www.baseball-reference.com> 3) Caraballo, Christopher A. "Baseball Needs A Salary Cap." American Chronicle. 16 Dec. 2006. <http:/www.americanchronicle.com/articles/18079>.