The End of an American Pastime

Florida Marlins fans have known this time would come ever since we celebrated Edgar Renteria's game-winning hit to end the World Series. We knew that our owner, who reported losses of approximately $34 million on the Marlins during the 1997 season, could not afford to keep a championship team together. So it comes as no surprise that the Marlins are holding a fire sale to trim their pay role. They have traded away many of their top players for minor leaguers, who will probably never reach the majors.

Most teams are currently experiencing financial woes similar to the Marlins, and it doesn't take Marty Feldstein to figure out the reasons why. Since free agency began 10 years ago, players' salaries have risen exponentially. Last year, The Chicago White Sox gave Albert Belle a contract valued at $11 million per year, whereas before the start of free agency, no player had ever received a salary of as much as $3 million per year.

The rise in salaries comes at a time when the nation's interest in baseball is waning. Television contracts have become less lucrative--few regular season games are shown on the major networks anymore--and most teams' season attendance totals slowly declined over the past few years.

In light of these trends, it would seem logical for major league baseball to install a salary cap similar to the ones used by professional football and basketball. Many baseball owners favor some sort of cap on player compensation, and a proposed salary cap was a major reason for the strike which shortened the 1994 and 1995 seasons.

Of course, the players' union opposes a salary cap, but, as the installation of them in other major sports has proven, this obstacle is not insurmountable. The largest barrier is the resistance of a handful of owners. Whereas teams in smaller markets need to cut costs to survive, clubs playing in larger markets, such as the New York Yankees, the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Baltimore Orioles, could only be hurt by a cap. These teams generate millions of dollars each year through lucrative television deals with their local cable companies, and they have a large fan base which helps their season ticket sales and the marketability of their paraphernalia. Thus, they can build championship-caliber ball clubs by outbidding small-market teams for premier players. All four teams in the league championship series this year ranked among baseball's top five payrolls.

With payroll becoming an almost sure-fire route to success, baseball has developed a caste-like system which has sucked the excitement out of our nation's pastime. Teams with small checkbooks can no longer compete for championships, since they are easily squashed by evil empires such as the Yankees and the Braves. Because of their vast financial resources, these virtual all-star teams will always be top contenders for the World Series crown, while teams from cities such as Montreal and Minneanapolis will never be able to afford a contending team. Sure, teams such as the Marlins may occasionally incur great financial hardship to give themselves one desperate shot at a title, but only the wealthy teams can build a dynasty.

The situation has become so dire that many of the poorer teams have become virtual minor league franchises. Whenever a young player for a small market club becomes a star, the team must trade him before his contract expires because it cannot afford to resign him.

Perhaps I am only bitter about this situation because I know that my beloved Marlins will not be able to compete for a World Series title again in the foreseeable future. But there are many people out there who are equally embittered because their favorite teams are also unable to obtain quality at players at today's prices.

Many fans have come to despise teams replete with nine $6 million men, as evidenced by the popularity of this year's Pittsburgh Pirates. The Pirates had the lowest payroll in baseball this past year, and they were competitive in their divisional race for most of the season. Their surprising success excited fans across the nation, but, ultimately, they suffered the fate of all other small market teams. They could not keep up with teams possessing better-paid, more talented players.

The future of baseball rests in the hands of a few powerful men. If the owners of baseball's few profitable franchises push for a salary cap, the small market teams can be saved. But, if men such as George Steinbrenner continue to revel in their ability to throw millions at top players of teams who can't afford to pay them, then salaries will continue to spiral upward and small market teams will be forced out. Someone should tell Mr. Steinbrenner and his cronies that assembling an invincible team is no fun when there is no one left to play, and everyone is too disgusted to watch.

Alex M. Carter '00, a Crimson editor, once loved to watch baseball.