Six guys in a two bedroom apartment, no furniture, sleeping on air mattresses…I’ve heard recent stories of guys sleeping in their cars when “home”…
I met with a big time prospect and family many years ago, and when discussing numbers, his dad said “$575,000 is what will sign him”. When I asked how he got to that number, he said that they penciled it out over five years, and that would be what it would take for him to live, eat and train, year-round, to be a big leaguer. No off-season job. His dad said “If he can’t make it in five years, he can go get a job”…He made it…
There is a reason why so many Dominican, Venezuelan, Cuban players make it, relative to American kids. Most come from nothing, and if they fail, they return to nothing.
The biggest issue would be housing while at home. I'm kind of surprised most teams just haven't built dorms for the players. Otherwise, food, travel, training in season are all paid for or available. The only other cost I could think of would be steroids.
There was a kid that graduated from Woodinville, won a national championship with Oregon State, and then got drafted by the Minnesota Twins. I interviewed him every summer for 4-5 years in a row, for an annual update. He would detail the minor league experience. Living in a house with three other guys and a host family, etc. My favorite was when he was staying in a hotel on the banks of the Mississippi River. Team management warned the players not to go outside unless it was necessary. I asked him, "Can you give me an example of the area?" And he said, "Let me put it this way... Our hotel door has four locks on it."
He actually reached the major leagues this season, and has one at-bat so far. 0 for 1. Catcher named Caleb Hamilton. He was close friends with the late Parker Moore.
The biggest issue would be housing while at home. I'm kind of surprised most teams just haven't built dorms for the players. Otherwise, food, travel, training in season are all paid for or available. The only other cost I could think of would be steroids.
It may be going that way now, 150 years later. It's probably gotten a little better, but most of my buddies that played in the minors ($850 a month for 5 months back then, no $$ in spring training) lived on PBJ, with occasional post-game pizza for bus rides. Host families were the thing then, and they have been fading fast. The families feed the players at home, but not all homes are alike, and there are tons of horror stories about bad situations happening. Imagine Annie's husband walking in on her and Nuke...
A big downfall is that guys that are used to having money spend it, and guys that never had it spend it. Six years to free agency, after you make the big leagues. That is where the money is. One of the first things I learned as a scout was when you ask what the goal is, if they say "play professional baseball", it's done. It's MLB or nothing...The bonus money is nice, but they all make the same when they put the uni on in the minors.
Scouts always laugh about going to spring training and the player's parking lot..you see a lot of hot, expensive older cars, who belong to career minor leaguers who were "going to the Show".
The fallacy that they are "all rich", or gonna be rich, because they are pros became laughable, once I was inside of it. Ball clubs want hungry players, and encourage the rough treatment as motivation to get out of there.
Truly survival of the fittest, and to the victors go the spoils...
I maintained this for a long time that college football and basketball had it way better than the minor league system that would exist if they didn't exist in their pre-NIL, especially if you could get bags under the table. Even without that you're getting better housing, the chance for a degree and connections, the chance for actual celebrity, fish in a barrel hot college chicks at your disposal, better travel, and way better chances for your family and friends to watch you play and care.
I think the NIL payments we are seeing now might be a gold rush too, the people paying will realize how terrible of an investment it is and we could end up with what's basically a shitty minor league eventually.
I maintained this for a long time that college football and basketball had it way better than the minor league system that would exist if they didn't exist in their pre-NIL, especially if you could get bags under the table. Even without that you're getting better housing, the chance for a degree and connections, the chance for actual celebrity, fish in a barrel hot college chicks at your disposal, better travel, and way better chances for your family and friends to watch you play and care.
I think the NIL payments we are seeing now might be a gold rush too, the people paying will realize how terrible of an investment it is and we could end up with what's basically a shitty minor league eventually.
The never ending TV commercials starring Drew Timme for Northern Quest Casino are pretty funny the first 23 times they air.
The @Swayes are good at marketing and taking the white devils' money with a sense of humor.
Too bad they can't chose to work elsewhere if the compensation in their sport doesn't suit them.
I say disband college sports and have true minor leagues for football. This will allow the players to be compensated on the open market and be paid what they are worth unencumbered from the universities.
There was a kid that graduated from Woodinville, won a national championship with Oregon State, and then got drafted by the Minnesota Twins. I interviewed him every summer for 4-5 years in a row, for an annual update. He would detail the minor league experience. Living in a house with three other guys and a host family, etc. My favorite was when he was staying in a hotel on the banks of the Mississippi River. Team management warned the players not to go outside unless it was necessary. I asked him, "Can you give me an example of the area?" And he said, "Let me put it this way... Our hotel door has four locks on it."
He actually reached the major leagues this season, and has one at-bat so far. 0 for 1. Catcher named Caleb Hamilton. He was close friends with the late Parker Moore.
Let players have the option to get drafted by the NFL out of high-school or after 3 years of CFB. Oh the league doesn't want your scrawny ass before you're old enough to drink in Canada?? Well suck it up and learn the game for few years with a free degree and a chance for the big payday.
Let players have the option to get drafted by the NFL out of high-school or after 3 years of CFB. Oh the league doesn't want your scrawny ass before you're old enough to drink in Canada?? Well suck it up and learn the game for few years with a free degree and a chance for the big payday.
Exactly. Fuck the kids, in other words.
Their stipend should have been expanded many times over so they could have a reasonable living without having to work. That along with all the other perks and benefits should've been enough for minor leaguers.
Too bad they can't chose to work elsewhere if the compensation in their sport doesn't suit them.
I say disband college sports and have true minor leagues for football. This will allow the players to be compensated on the open market and be paid what they are worth unencumbered from the universities.
This. And they’d realize that the fans would no longer be encumbered by their fandom and the players would earn jack shit.
Comments
I met with a big time prospect and family many years ago, and when discussing numbers, his dad said “$575,000 is what will sign him”. When I asked how he got to that number, he said that they penciled it out over five years, and that would be what it would take for him to live, eat and train, year-round, to be a big leaguer. No off-season job. His dad said “If he can’t make it in five years, he can go get a job”…He made it…
There is a reason why so many Dominican, Venezuelan, Cuban players make it, relative to American kids. Most come from nothing, and if they fail, they return to nothing.
At least cfb players get a degree and connections necessary to do something. Especially in the Seattle area.
And they get paid better too
It's delusional to think
1 colleges will be minor league teams
And
2 NFL players will care anymore than MLB players about the kids
Some guy on the Nationals turned down 420 million and NOGAF about baseball
Fucking noyds.
He actually reached the major leagues this season, and has one at-bat so far. 0 for 1. Catcher named Caleb Hamilton. He was close friends with the late Parker Moore.
Don't feel sorry for minor leaguers.
A big downfall is that guys that are used to having money spend it, and guys that never had it spend it. Six years to free agency, after you make the big leagues. That is where the money is. One of the first things I learned as a scout was when you ask what the goal is, if they say "play professional baseball", it's done. It's MLB or nothing...The bonus money is nice, but they all make the same when they put the uni on in the minors.
Scouts always laugh about going to spring training and the player's parking lot..you see a lot of hot, expensive older cars, who belong to career minor leaguers who were "going to the Show".
The fallacy that they are "all rich", or gonna be rich, because they are pros became laughable, once I was inside of it. Ball clubs want hungry players, and encourage the rough treatment as motivation to get out of there.
Truly survival of the fittest, and to the victors go the spoils...
I think the NIL payments we are seeing now might be a gold rush too, the people paying will realize how terrible of an investment it is and we could end up with what's basically a shitty minor league eventually.
The @Swayes are good at marketing and taking the white devils' money with a sense of humor.
I say disband college sports and have true minor leagues for football. This will allow the players to be compensated on the open market and be paid what they are worth unencumbered from the universities.
Their stipend should have been expanded many times over so they could have a reasonable living without having to work. That along with all the other perks and benefits should've been enough for minor leaguers.