by Paul Semendinger
January 20, 2025
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My Thoughts - The problem with a chart like this is that it is not attributed to a source. The first question is, "Where did these numbers come from?" Without a source, it is difficult to take this as fact - or even too seriously. But...
If this chart is accurate, it shows, again, the tremendous revenues that (some) baseball teams make. (I suspect all baseball teams are bringing in lots of money.) People sometimes say, "No player is worth X dollars..." In fact, yes, they are. The players generate tons of revenue for their teams. Remember, they also generate money forever. The Yankees still make money off Babe Ruth merchandise.
Note, also, this chart is from 2023. The numbers for the Yankees should be higher from 2024 as they would include a long playoff run and the World Series.
Bottom line - whether this specific chart is accurate or not, the Yankees can easily afford whatever players they wish to have. When the Yankees fail to acquire players citing the luxury tax or payroll caps, or whatever, they're trying to sell the fans on the idea that they need to work within a budget that is lower than what they can really afford.
My Thoughts - I started saying this years ago, before almost everyone else. The Dodgers operate the way the Yankees used to. The Dodgers have made it very clear that their priority is winning. Period. Full stop. No one can say that about the Yankees. (I believe they've had a good off-season, but they're still holding back.)
My Thoughts - I absolutely, 100%, wish the Yankees of today operated like the Dodgers of today. I became a Yankees fan a long time ago when the Yankees of yesterday acted like the Dodgers of today...
My Thoughts - As I watched this play at the end of the game on Saturday, I thought, "That makes no sense..." I then asked, "What was the point spread?"
I don't gamble. I don't promote gambling. I believe that gambling and the big betting houses will ruin professional sports as we know it because of situations like the above. Situations like that threaten the credibility of the sport. A punter taking a safety for no reason? And then the points end up changing the point spread? That is not good for the sport - in any way.
Once encough fans stop believeing that the games are legitimate, there is no more reason to watch.
My Thoughts - I would love to see the Baseball Hall of Fame begin to include stars from other countries, such as Sadaharu Oh. Why not? All this would do it generate even more interest in the game, its stories, the players, and more.
Why do we need a citation? It's not like Xitter ever publishes erroneous or outright false information, ammirite?
As for the safety, there were 15 second left. The punter was standing on his 4 yard line. A blocked kick (or TD punt return) plus 2-pt conversion, and it's a 3-pt game. Onside kick recovered, field goal, tie game. Admittedly unlikely, but less even likely to result in losing the lead is the safety option: Give up 2 points. Run 6 seconds off clock. Now it's a 9-pt game, but still a two-score margin. Now there's a free kick (no risk of block) from the 20 with 9 seconds left. I'd have made the same call for the Chiefs.
There have…
assume the revenue to be roughly correct
Bottom line - whether this specific chart is accurate or not, the Yankees can easily afford whatever players they wish to have.
there's still no bottom line until you pin down expenses
and perhaps the Yankee expenses are extraordinarily high.....who knows the extent of Randy Levine's expense account?
let's keep in mind that the monies annually expended on player salaries has increased from less than $200M to more than $300M while revenue has not increased at the same proportion
Forbes put the Yankees’ revenue for 2018 at $668 million
https://www.pinstripealley.com/2019/4/16/18305860/yankees-2018-spending-payroll-percentage-revenue-lowest-mlb-priorities-winning-steinbrenner
Paul, as both of us wrote here in the early days of MLB (& Pro sports) being in bed with Gambling, its a recipe for disaster. I did not know the point spread in that Texan game, but it now makes perfect sense to me.
Yankees Team President, Randy Levine has been an outspoken complainer about revenue sharing, which is where the CBT tax money goes. Don't you think he has Hal's ear. I have no doubt that Father George would've voiced his strenuous opposition publicly to the CBT Tax if they were not going to be putting in a salary floor BEFORE he voted to ratify at least the last 3 CBAs. I think it is disgusting that the A's are spending money just so they can get the revenue sharing $$. Personally, I think there should be a floor, not one just for revenue sharing purposes. With the streaming deals, and uniform patches, there is no way that each club isn't pocketin…
The revenue chart is from an outfit called Statista. I found a link but it seems to be paywalled:
https://www.statista.com/statistics/193645/revenue-of-major-league-baseball-teams-in-2010/ not sure why the link says 2010
No I do not think Sadaharu Oh should be enshrined the the HOF. The NPB has its own HOF and he is properly enshrined there. The quality of play in the NPB during OH's time was far below major league standards. Failed and fringe major league players like Tuffy Rhodes and Randy Bass piled up up huge batting and slugging numbers even after Oh retired. And even later in the 2010s, Wladimir Balentien, who couldn't stick as an MLB regular, had a 60 HR season there. Although there are great players in Japan wh…