I never said it's a kids game. I mean, it's a game yes, but these guys work their asses off. They deserve to get paid. I work at a D1 university with the athletes, and it bugs me when people think they have it so good. I mean, they do have it good - they get scholarships and get fed well and get lots of Nike elite gear (at least at my school) and they get all kinds of cool opportunities and they get to play a sport - but they also work unbelievably hard and so they earn it.I'm primarily using your discussion to ask the question (which I admit is a little unfair as you've been clear that you think players should get more), but your argument pretty much reads as "players should be happy they're getting paid to play a kids game, look at what a plumber makes" argument, even if that's not what you intend. It's pretty easy for everyone who's played little league to imagine the joy of being a MLB player, but I don't see any reason this shouldn't be switched to asking why the owners should make that much more. I guess it's not worth imagining being Steve Cohen or JWH? The answer is just "capitalism"?
I am rooting for the players here. I want the owners to give the players more of the pie. I just push back on the idea that they're somehow not "getting well paid" when they're pulling in a minimum of $600,000 a year. That's more than the vast, vast, vast majority of even elite performers at the vast, vast, vast majority of jobs make. And if I can go back to my original post in this conversation (#572), I'll quote myself:
"I don't understand how this world works. It's a financial level I'll never be at, and cannot comprehend. I agree 100% - from what I've read - that the owners share the vast bulk of the blame here. They're billionaires squabbling over what amounts to rounding errors for them. They're willing to put the sport at risk in order to save what is for them a pittance individually.
I can't comprehend the players either though. And this is simply borne out of my inability to imagine life at that level of income. Ownership is wealthier than the workers. That's true everywhere. But I can't grasp being someone like Max Scherzer and being unhappy with the system. I can't imagine being Christian Vazquez and being unhappy with the system. Vazquez is a decent player who is in the last year of a 3-year, $20.3 million contract. TWENTY POINT THREE MILLION DOLLARS.
Again, it's all in my inability to comprehend what that figure IS. A guy who is 31 years old, with that kind of money. And willing to not play (and not get paid) unless he and his fellow players get more.
Presently, league minimum is $600,000. MLB is offering $615,000. The players want $715,000. I totally get why the players want $715,000. But, I mean, $615,000 a year is an incredible amount of money. Again, this is a ME problem, insofar as I cannot fathom making that kind of money, so therefore I can't imagine not being happy with that kind of money."
So yeah, this is just a ME problem. It's something that *I* can't fathom. *I* would be THRILLED to make $600,000 to play major league baseball. Doesn't mean THEY should be thrilled. Just that *I* would be thrilled. And thus I can't imagine being willing to let the game burn to the ground over this, even as a player.