The "Baseball Salary Cap" and why we should have one.

Essay by BeeefyTacoCollege, UndergraduateA+, February 2003

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Baseball Salary Cap

Baseball. America's most passionate sport and pastime. But is it really what it used to be? Time and time again, we've heard the rumors about the players going on strike. Would this be the end of baseball? Why would there even be a strike? With all the long debates, it all boils down to the money. Everyone wonders why there's not a salary cap on baseball, but the other big sports (football, basketball, etc.) do have one. Why is this? Why won't baseball put a salary cap on baseball to stop the franchise dynasties such as the Yankees or Red Sox? It's not fair to the "lower priced teams", that they can't receive the "big named" players because all these players want is the money and a championship, so they sign with the bigger teams.

This debate has been going on for over 3 decades, the first strike being caused in 1972.

Then in 1994, the players refused to accept such salary limits and stopped playing, causing the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years. With the most recent strike rumors happening mid-season of this year, the Player's Union (a union made by the player's against the team owners) brought up topics and ideas to get their demands with the team owner's. Among all the player's thoughts, the salary cap was at the top of their lists. If the owners couldn't get a salary cap, the owners wanted a tax on the financially better off teams that would give some of the money to the teams that are struggling. The owners also brought up a "luxury tax" on the higher paid teams which would slowly stop the rise of player's salaries. "The blue-ribbon panel commissioned by baseball recommended a 50 percent tax...