MLB '09

[Ghoulish Delight]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

To me, though, in looking at the financial troubles of the NBA at present, I wonder how long it is before salaries price the average fan out of the ability to go to the game and the teams start to lose money. That salary will push up other salaries and eventually it becomes unsustainable. Or so I'd figure. I wonder when that point hits.

A few things. Baseball tickets remain dirt cheap compared to every other pro sport, so they've got a ways to go. The Dodgers continue to pull in record attendance #'s, and with Manny that won't stop. Even with this hefty contract, the Dodgers have significantly reduced their payroll this season over last. So if having a name like Manny continues to fill seats in a down economy, he's worth it.

In terms of Manny's more direct financial impact, two other factors haven't been mentioned. Merchandising. We went to the first game that Manny played in for the Dodgers. By the time we arrived at the park, every 4th person had some sort of Manny merchandise. A big $ player, especially one as charismatic as Manny, is a merchandising sales engine. People don't just buy one Manny-cornrows wig and leave it at that. The money just keeps coming in.

The other thing to consider is that Manny was, without argument, the difference between the Dodgers making the playoffs and winning the first round vs. finishing the season out of the playoffs. I don't know what the teams themselves make from that, but I know that the player bonus for making it to the 2nd round and losing was about $120K. With a 40 man roster, that's near $5 million. So I figure the team must receive a decent bonus as well, on top of the added merchandise and other revenue.