I'm not sure exactly what players get paid exactly. I hear some get 20,000 others 50,000 or even 200,000 or more. Myself, I would like to see the amounts at least doubled especially on the bottom end. But to me that's enough to pay sport people. I understand some will still go abroad. But that's what I think. Maybe we can even double the salaries of janitors while we are at it because they are important too. That's my view, what about you?
I think the most effective way to increase the quality of play at this point is to raise the league minimum salary. It's not likely to cost more than an additional $150,000 per club per year, and it'll increase the competition at the bottom by encouraging top A-League players to try MLS and by making professional soccer a somewhat more viable option for athletes.
Well, every other sport makes about 10 times what teachers make so it should be atleast 5 times what a teacher makes. That seems fair.
It would really help the viability of MLS if the players would just agree to play for nothing. On the other hand, if the minimum salary were $100,000 instead of $25,000 it would encourage a lot more talented kids to consider professional soccer. All I'm certain of is, whatever they're currently getting paid is absolutely wrong.
What really bothers me is that entering its 8th season, MLS can still pay some players a yearly wage of $24,000, or $11.55/hr.
Why not, the construction industry is much older than 8 years and Evan Marriott was only making 19K. And who says these guys work 40 hour weeks??
Isn't this more like a hundred times more than teachers make, at least for hockey, baseball and basketball? Andy
Soccer players are paid just like the rest of us, based upon what the market will pay. It all goes back to supply and demand. When more people are sitting in the seats w/ paid tickets, the owners will have more money to pay the players. Same thing with TV viewership. The reason the league can and will pay only $24,000 for some players is that there are plenty of players that are willing to play for that amount. If player A will not accept that salary and decides to go flip burgers or take out the trash for more money, player B is standing in line to take that same $24,000. And, on down the line until there are no more players that are willing to accept what the employer is offering. As long as the supply of players is there that are willing to take the pay for similar standard of play, that is what the minimum will be. (BTW, you can substitute Teacher/Fireman/Secretary, etc. for Players A&B). Now, when player B goes out and scores 22 goals in his first season he can demand more money or listen to offers from another team/league. Same goes for the Teacher/Fireman/Secretary. When the teacher can conjugate a verb better than other teachers, schools come looking for them and they can make more money. The reason that athletes in other sports league make so much more money than soccer players is because they have owners that are willing to pay them that much (right or wrong. Smart or stupid). They do this because they know that people will watch and they will make money (usually) off their investment.