yes, but shot is ommitting avg. life of player in X league and depency of poisition for wage. Having written that, I have no idea what the avg. money is for differening leagues/position, so maybe he is right, but if we were to assume you didnt know which sport to choose and as to whether you could make it as a career, it seems, given the gobal demand for soccer, one would choose soccer. Why? because worst case senario, you play 3rd div for 100k in soccer or, you play for Science City Jena in the second division basketball and get 700euros. Best case senario, your are rich either way.
Here is the thing though, in soccer, the lower leagues pay roughly the market price for your talent. We see the Swedish league paying out 100 to 500k per year salaries. So even if the Swedish league would be roughly the same as AA baseball or AHL hockey, the salaries in the minor league sports in America drop dramatically. The minimum salary for an NHL player is 500,000$ per year. However, if you are sent down to the minor leagues, the AHL, your salary will drop to $60,000 on a two way contract (one way contracts are guaranteed NHL rate). That's obvious a lot lower than if say an out of contract player from Germany went to Sweden and signed a deal there. Minimum MLB salaries are similar to the NHL, not sure exactly but I believe the base minimum is $400,000 per year. Minor league salaries are a bit complicated because the highest regarded prospects get big signing bonuses, several million dollars. Minor League salaries are usually in the 5 digits though, with the minimum at 50k. I believe NBA D-League salaries are even worse at 10 to 20,000 per season. I believe Arena football is similar around 20,000 dollars per season. One thing I guess you'd have to consider is, how many of these yanks abroad would fit into a structure where there was only 30 teams in a league? Maybe Dempsey, Donovan, Howard get into that league? The rest of the yanks probably would be minor league players, and making a whole heck of a lots less money in an American minor league system. So in that way to think about it, soccer is actually the safer choice. But for an elite athlete, American sports in general would be the more lucrative choice.
yes, well this is not a fixed labor market. US players and go whether they want. Although now that I am slightly drunk I realize, the whole model is also conditioned for US soccer players assuming they can play in Europe. So assuming you are Danny Califf at age 12, if you are Jamar Beasley, you are screwed making 25k, or if you are the Bengals reciever, I think you choose soccer
There are more $100,000 jobs in soccer than in all American sports combined. What are the odds of making A-Rod's dough anyway? First, you need to start taking steroids at 13 ...
People make the point a lot, but I just don't believe that 12-year-old kids decide they want to change from soccer to baseball/football/bball because of the prospect of increased future earnings.
OH there are plenty of young kids who stick with sports because of the money. Just take a look at the demographics of football and basketball compared to baseball. The first two sports have a much higher percentage of players from minorities and low income backgrounds. Why? College's offer more scholarships and the money is better, in the immediate, than in baseball.
Well, you're going off on a tangent here with demographics. The original point was something akin to "no wonder more US kids don't play soccer since the salaries are so much smaller than the other sports leagues offer." I dispute that kids are so far seeing. I think more kids choose sports besides soccer because, well, as we all are aware, the other sports are more popular and prevalent in this country.
I think it starts in high school where a HS football star will play in front of 10,000-20,000 fans and then be courted to play at a big college where he's bound to get lot's of attention from hoooottttt girls. He gets treated like a king. Then you look at soccer and they play on the field out back and nobody watches their games, they don't get introduced at High School pep rallies, no cheerleaders, etc. Nobody cares about them like they do football, basketball, baseball. Then the colleges come and there aren't that many colleges with full rides and its almost certain that the soccer coaches aren't bribing HS kids with money and women and cars like they do in football, and they certainly aren't buying his mom a house or giving his dad a job. So right here is where we lose the best athletes, in high school. Some of the football guys might come back when they realize their aren't going to be a star but can dominate in soccer, but the best guys are going NFL, NBA, MLB from High School or earlier. Their dad, their coach/role model probably sits down with a talented athlete at around age 13-14 and says ok kid you have the potential, but now you have to choose, I can make you a pro if you play football, but you have to stop with soccer. If we make soccer an important sport in high school, just like football, then a lot will change. I'm also a big proponent of needing to pay MLS players real money so they can get some respect.
Friedel is by far now the highest paid American abroad. He pulls in over 50,000 pounds a week. Only Dempsey and Howard come close and they're in the low 30's I believe.
IMHO the key is strengthening the academies of the MLS teams. That way you a) bypass an existing model that is front-loaded in favour of other American sports, b) get kids exposed to pro soccer structures and disciplines at the key age when the kid has to move up from raw talent and c) give the 15 year olds regular access to role models who've already made it to the pros. Kind of "how they do it in Europe" As MLS consolidates and grows, their budgets and clout in their respective communities will increase, so houses for moms and jobs for dads of kids with real potential will become more common.
I'm curious to know what Friedel is making at Tottenham? I know during his time at AV he was by far the highest paid Yank. I believe Howard, Gooch and Dempsey were following him.
theoretically you can go either way, the academy way is probably easier and less effective as there are thousands and thousands of more high schools than there are MLS academies, there is a fixed system of sports in the USA in the HS>college>pros and nothing is ever going to change or overcome that... it may be be best to come up with ways to get soccer to be big in HS and College like football... i've just started to think about this idea and havent come up with any solutions but i think it would solve the problems, but could be impossible.
says who? in baseball, and in the NBA when it was allowed, players routinely skip college and go to the pros. soccer can just put absolute emphasis on that model.
In hockey nearly all drafted players leave home at the age of 15 to play in semi professional leagues. Very few high schoolers are drafted.
A little late but still ... Taxation data say that Bedoya had a yearly salary of $82k. According to people involved in Örebros player investment company he also received a signing-on bonus of around $220k. Divided by the three years he signed for that adds $73k to the $82k making his contract worth $155k/year.
Unlike Denmark, Sweden do not have the special low income taxes the first 5 years you work there, but they do have one loophole in their tax laws, which is a very low tax on sign-on fees.... so instead of paying a very high wage, they tend to pay fairly high sign-on fees, as part of the wages, if they can afford it. New income tax rules are now finally on the way in Sweden though, because of the complaints the Swedish government have been getting the past many years about the special low Danish income taxes... .
Probably should update this. Curious how much Jozy is making at Sunderland and what Bedoya is making in France. Also did Friedel take a paycut (since he's no.2 with Spurs now) or still making his high wages as before?
anyone know the wages of Bradley and Dempsey before they came back to MLS or Senior Gooch currently at Sheffield W. Or Bedoya? I know Ligue 1 has that controversial high tax for players making over a million euros a season. Isn't that why many of the top players are expected to leave? Good reason for the league to make some moves on MLS players.