Professional Sports - It’s Time to End the Corruption of Baseball

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It’s Time to End the Corruption of Baseball

Baseball used to be a simple game, associated with the smell of hot dogs, the sweet dew of the night air as fans rose for the seventh inning stretch, and the beautiful spectacle of the field with its freshly cut grass and newly chalked base lines. Now it seems like each game is won by at least five runs, the stadiums are half empty, and the pride of a baseball radio announcer, once an honorable career, has dwindled along with the game. Additionally, since 1976 players’ salaries have increased 168% a year, numbers too high to be blamed on inflation (Breton 4). These current conditions reflect the growing corruption of baseball.

Why is there corruption in baseball? It’s simple; players are asking for more money, which only big market teams can afford. If a player comes up through the league in a small market team and becomes a success, he demands more money, which the team can’t afford, so he moves to a big market team that will satisfy his demands. For example, look at Cincinnati Reds’ former players Bret Boone, Dimitri Young, Pokey Reese, Denny Neagle, Mike Cameron, and Jeff Shaw, all players of all-star caliber now playing for teams paying a bigger salary. This causes the problem of uncompetitive small market teams, who make up 44% of baseball (Player 1). With nearly half of the league being uncompetitive, it doesn’t make for a really surprising season.

This lack of competition snowballs into corrupting other parts of the game. There is a

steady decrease in attendance; the Cincinnati Reds total attendance for 2001 was about two million, a twenty four percent decrease from the 2000 season (Cincinnati 1). To make up for lagging attendance there is an increase in ticket pri...

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Lewis, Corey. “Salary Cap, Anyone? Yankee Wealth Killing Baseball.” 18 Feb. 2002.

< http://www.thedailyworld.com>.

Mann, Dinn. “Behind the Seams with Bud Selig.” 27 March 2002. < http://www.mlb.com>.

Plimpton, George. Out of My League. New York: Lyons and Burford, Publishers, 1961.

Smizik, Bob. “Baseball Can’t Bear Costs for Salary Cap.” 18 Feb. 2002.

< http://www.post-gazette.com>.

Unknown. “2001 Standings: Regular.” 18 Feb. 2002. < http://www.espn.go.com>.

Unknown. “Cincinnati Reds Attendance.” 27 March 2002. < http://www.cbs.sportsline.com>.

Unknown. “Fehr: Forget about It.” 18 Feb. 2002. < http://www.sportsillustrated.cnn.com>.

Unknown. “Player Salaries Opening Day 2001.” 18 Feb. 2002.

<http://www.sports.espn.go.com>.

Unknown. “World Series Winners.” 27 March 2002. < http://www.historicbaseball.com>.

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