how has it increased throughout the years (or has it?) I think getting the minimum up to about 50K a year would be a solid goal and bring the league more credibility... I am sure this has been covered somewhere already, but I couldnt find any info in previous threads
i believe the min is ~24k and the max is either 268k or 278k the min has pretty much stayed the same (i believe) and the max started out at 250k
Yeah I think those numbers are about right. I think the max is like 265k or 268k, but don't think it's up into the 270's yet. Nah, minimum of 50k would make a huge dent in the league's pocketbook. Probably a third of the league is under 50k. The league has decent salaries despite what we think. We tend to compare salaries against other US sports and against "real jobs" but those aren't the correct barometers. The baseline is international soccer leagues. If you leave out the top dozen leagues in Europe (and granted that's a lot to leave out), you'd probably find that MLS is pretty competitive salary-wise. They simply don't make that much in South America, Central America, Asia, Oceania or Africa. When you consider that our economy is so strong and our standard of living is so high, even minimum wage in the US would be a lot of cash in many countries. Also, we're only after two types of players, Americans and non-Americans. The Americans prefer to stay at home in the US--all other things being equal. Many non-Americans would like to move to the US so their families and children could enjoy the benefits of our fine society. So, to those people, MLS doesn't have to offer the top money to attract them. Of course, when you add in those top leagues in Europe, you changes things. It is really only those top dozen leagues in Europe that offer better incentives against MLS, with the primary one being money. The goal of MLS is to grow the game in the US and to have a place for young US players to develop. I think MLS is achieving those goals splendidly thus far. While I'd like to see player salaries go up, I'd much rather see a lot of new investors. New investors will not jump on the bandwagon until the league has a track record of being a money-maker for the owners. Right now it's still losing tons of money hand over fist, and even the interested investors are scared to take on the losses. Once MLS becomes consistently profitable, then we can worry about the salaries. As it is, players that want to develop can make a living, and stars are hansomely rewarded compared to most of the world. I can live with that. -Tron
There is no maximum. The league says there is, but there isn't. (Since they've admitted they pay some players more.) So, the cap is a farce. And the minimum is $500-$1,000 per *month* (that is not a misprint) for developmental players, which you can make working at McDonald's ...
The thing with the minimun is, it's not so bad for a league that is far from being profitable, or even breaking even (although I see that day coming--really!). 24K wouldn't be so bad for a young, single guy, splinting rent with some buddies and giving a career in pro soccer a try. For someone who's married, got kids or thinking about them, though, it's a different story. 24K in New York or LA--or most other places, really--won't bring home much bacon for a family. Lots of people in this country DO struggle on that much or a lot less (unfotunately), but at that point, it would be a real economic issue for the player. How much do I want to do this? Will it lead to something more lucrative?
Most of the guys making 24k (if not all) are project 40....which means they are kids....which means they can suck it up because they wouldn't be making much more anyway...... I remember reading that Jim Rooney had some tough talks about his salary because he couldn't leave his construction job if his contract was goign to offer him at least the same money.... And the max is still the max...some players get league assigned sponsors though to boost their 'salaries'....
I would imagine that most players at the low end of the salary scale could augment it a bit by making some camp appearances and so on. Not that this is ideal, but if you're making 24k it seems like an easy way to add a few thousand bucks to the total.
On the salary topic, anybody have any idea what kind of compensation players get for the lower levels of the Nat's?
I believe I read that it is 2500 an appearance.....although I did read this rigth after the 98 cup, so maybe it has gone up somewhat..
Phrase it however you want, the max is not the max. There is no max, whether the cash first passes through the league's greasy palms or not.
WUSA players in large cities usually end up living with fans because they can't pay rent on such expensive apartments. That's pitiful, but wouldn't it be cool to have a professional soccer player living with you?
I think this reasoning is a little flawed. It doesn't matter that 24k American dollars is a lot for a player in the North Burundi League. What matters is that 24k a year just doesn't go very far in New York City or the Bay Area, or even LA. The barometer is how reasonable is the minimum salary, judged by various factors such as cost of living, supply/demand, other jobs with like requirements, etc. Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of these guys that thinks the league is screwing the players and "owes" them something. I just thought your rationale was a little screwy.
Who's the highest paid player in MLS at the moment? Also, on another note, how much do the coaches make?
I suspect Donovan earns more or as much as anybody else. I suppose including endorsements and appearances. This only makes sense. Obviously he is earning something close to what Bayer would pay him. If Bayer would pay him, say, three times more I think it would be a nobrainer that Donovan would be going to Germany. I suspect that he must be getting some good money for his popularity in the US that he couldn't get in Europe.
Yeah, I understand what you're saying, and for markets like San Jose that's a big hit, because even the police officers cannot afford to live in the city, and they make more money. But my point is that when Americans look at playing here it has the extra benefit of playing in their home country. When a non-American plays here he tends not to make the minimum. The only way those types get drafted is if they're already here playing collegiate soccer generally. And, none of the developmental players or minimum salary players expects or intends to be making that little for more than a couple of years. Most of them are college aged or close to it, and they're accustomed to living without a lot of amenities, so it's less of a strain. Few are married or have kids. So their requirements are lower in the short run. They all expect to be the next Leitch and be promoted to the full squad, where they'll start to make decent money. From there they hope to become stars and make lots of money. Really, the average salary in the US isn't so high that these wages are unacceptable. Just because many of the posters are more affluent, don't forget that most of these guys are looking at a 25k salary out of college anyway, so why not make it playing soccer? -Tron
Hmm. Professional soccer player or McDonalds hamburger flipper. Now that's a tough one! Nobody in MLS is on food stamps. Nobody is homeless.
24K per year is 2K per month. In most cities in America, a single guy could "get by". But add a wife and kid, no way. Minor league baseball players often make half that. The Sioux City Explorers of the independent Northern League average between $800 to $1000 per month during the summer only.
Exactly.....if you can't afford to do it....don't......Please no discussions on how 'unfair' it is that these guys get to play a game for a living......most of the guys that make 24k are still college age (less than 21) and would be making a f-load less than that doing workstudy or part time at the mall....
And that's still more than you make in the A-League. That league needs to improve the salaries for their players!
I've only read it around here (and thus have no link), but it seems that most minimum players have pretty easily achievable performance bonuses in their contracts - so few players actually make the $24,000 minimum except for the young, end of the benchers and the developmental players.
Remember, too, there's a lot of other good benefits, like easy health care, free food (at least when travelling, which is fairly often), a lot of great travelling, potential for camps/appearances, etc to boost salary, potential job experience if you wanted to get a job somewhere coaching...I'm sure there's other stuff I'm leaving out, too.