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11/23/12

The Cost of Sports – Mack Ade




There’s been a considerable amount of chatter regarding the cost of opening day tickets for the Mets. In addition, I heard this morning that there were 8,000 unsold tickets for the Jets-Patriots game on Thanksgiving Day. And then we sit around waiting to see if our star third baseman is going to make twenty million dollars a year rather than fifteen.

Fifteen million dollars a year playing baseball.

I no longer live anywhere close to city that has a major sports franchise playing their home games. I consider this an advantage. I no longer have to wait in grid lock traffic, on the way to pay-through-the-nose parking and watch my favorite team very seldom win it all.

Let’s see, I’m a Mets, Rangers, Knicks, and Giants fan. How many times have I gone all the way in the past 20 years?

So tell me… what’s the big deal about watching these games at home, in my underwear, on a big screen television that is showing 84 camera angles and six different instance replay cameras? I paid an extra $29 a month for the sports package and I get every game from every one of these teams.

We’ve written lately about a team that is worth around $1.5Bil dollars. The SNY Network is worth another $2.5Bil. And David Wright (and his agent) isn’t happy being paid $15mil a year… to play baseball.

We keep trashing the Wilpons, but what is Wright’s responsibility here? What’s the difference between 15 and 20 million dollars a year? Won’t most of it go to taxes? And, even if it didn’t, isn’t fifteen million dollars a year enough to do anything?

I’m trying to do the math here. The majority of homes in the United States are worth less than they were five years ago. Everyone seems to be making less money for doing the same thing, or working for far less out of their field. The country owes 11 trillion dollars (WTF!) which is like 11 million, million dollars. They’re saying we’re going to fall off some fiscal cliff at the end of the year and we might go into a much larger recession than the last one.

And, we’re waiting for David Wright and his agent to agree to play baseball somewhere in the 17-18 million dollars per year.  

Does any of this make any sense to any of you? Sure, my cable bill every month kicks a little in for the Wilpon cause, but I’m not spending $500-750 to take my wife and my three grandchildren to opening day. I’ve got hot dogs in the fridge and my car is in the garage, thank you.

Why do you do these things? What are we accomplishing here? Will the 2030 shortstop be paid $50mil a year? What about 2040? $100mil a year? For playing baseball?

8 comments:

  1. Mack great article. I agree with everything u said. I personally stopped going to sporting events its to expensive and it keeps getting more expensive but my salary stays the same.

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  2. Mack,
    You nailed it. Both the owners and the players take the fans (paying customers) for granted. Myself, I will go to maybe 1 game a year to take my aging father for old time's sake, like he took me when I was a kid. I won't get the tix directly from the Mets, and bring as much food as possible to minimize my charitable contribution to the Wilpon cause. The cost for the whole family is really insane, even when cutting corners. When deals get to the money they are negotiating with DW or even RA, it is all about pride. DW is already set for life and RA will be with his next extension, whether it is for the Mets at a discount or on the open market. The only way this changes is if the fans that are customers make different spending choices, or simply run out of disposable $. Even in this economy, that hasn't happened.

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  3. Nice read.

    Mack...this is my problem with David Wright....

    He stated that chasing every dollar isn't the type of player he is. That winning was most important. Now, if that we're true, he'd have asked for a trade, not an extension. But my point is, that he should have just shut up, because I'll hold him to that statement. I liked that Wright said he wouldn't chase every dollar. Now, word is(and it could be wrong), that they are offering around 110 million over 6 yrs which would be added to his 16 million dollar 2013 season.

    That brings the total to 126 mill over 7 yrs which I think is fair to BOTH parties. Remember, David is not a 20 million a yr player, he just happens to be a really good homegrown player in a big market. Now, supposedly he's looking for 130 million over 7 yrs; when added together with 2013 money, that's 146 over 8(YIKES!!!)...

    Is he Giancarlo Stanton all of a sudden or did I watch the wrong games? That's one...

    Two, what happen to not chasing every dollar? Does this mean he actually thinks he's worth near 175-200 mill on the open market as a 32 yr old in 2014? No, he's chasing every last dollar if what we've heard is correct.

    Three, the wonderful thing about Chipper and the ONLY reason he stuck with one team his whole career was that he took a little under market value to stay and keep the Braves competitive. By having him and leaving cash on the table for them to get other players...it worked well. That's not chasing every dollar while caring about winning.

    He actually renegotiated his contract to do that and was the one to offer it, they didn't ask him.

    Go ask Chipper if he's able to pay the bills at his MANSION after only being paid 16 million a season as a hall of famer switch hitting third baseman. Something Wright isn't.

    If what we've heard is true....good riddance. I would never pay him or overpay him a nickle more then he's worth as a really good homegrown third baseman.

    6 years 110 million....keep.

    Anymore....bye bye.

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  4. Wow Mack u hit the nail on the head great read

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  5. hey Charles:

    Hope you had a nice thankgiving.

    I've been working 11pm-7am so my sleeping is a mess. Gotta work tonight and having trouble typing correctly again.

    Help me out Sunday please on 'The War Room'...

    Thanks, friend.

    Mack

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