Alex Rodriguez.

[Red Storm]

Also I believe there's around 3 times as many players in the MLB compared to the NBA, which would be another reason why the average salary is lower.

 

[techs]

I love how A-Rod is #1 and #2 on that list.

He's a self-absorbed, ego-driven sociopath.

He's just a highly insecure, spoiled man child. He has the two highest contracts because, well, they paid the MOST. To A Rod that is what matters. It means he is the BEST because he has the largest salary.

Actually the tremendous hate most people have for him is probably the worst thing in the world to him. Yet, he can't accept any punishment because that would just hurt his self esteem.

He's a sad case, actually.

 

[juiio]

If you want to use average, find me the average over the past 10 years. I'll bet you baseball wins easily.

You would lose, and it still isn't close.

NBA average salary in 2003: $3.8 million
MLB average salary in 2003: $2.4 million

NBA average salary in 2006: $4.9 million
MLB average salary in 2006: $2.8 million

NBA average salary in 2009: $4.9 million
MLB average salary in 2009: $3.0 million

Or find me the median salary for 2012.

2012-2013 NBA median salary: $2.1 million
2013 MLB median salary: I can't find an exact number, but a rough estimate based on eyeballing is $1.5 million.

Since it's monetarily the contractual top dog of the major sports (and has been since the 80's), it will get more media attention than the others.

You think MLB gets the most media attention? More than the NFL? You're joking right?

 

[juiio]

Also I believe there's around 3 times as many players in the MLB compared to the NBA, which would be another reason why the average salary is lower.

If you want to use the average payroll, NFL is higher than MLB.

 

[Red Storm]

If you want to use the average payroll, NFL is higher than MLB.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-10423863

Says NFL is lower, significantly.

 

[juiio]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=ycn-10423863

Says NFL is lower, significantly.

I said average payroll, not average salary.

NBA has the highest per-player average. NFL has the highest average team payroll. MLB tops neither.

 

[Red Storm]

I said average payroll, not average salary.

NBA has the highest per-player average. NFL has the highest average team payroll. MLB tops neither.

Why are you mixing numbers and categories?

The NBA has the highest average salary, but also has far fewer players in its league, about 3 times less than the MLB. Makes sense each position would be worth more as there are less of them.

The MLB and NFL have over 1200 players each in their respective leagues. Not only does the MLB have a much higher average salary (about $1.4M more than the NFL average according to that article), the average career length is also nearly twice as long as the NFL. Higher and longer pay.

 

[juiio]

Why are you mixing numbers and categories?

The NBA has the highest average salary, but also has far fewer players in its league, about 3 times less than the MLB. Makes sense each position would be worth more as there are less of them.

I'm not mixing numbers. You brought up the number of players on each team, so I showed you that taking that into consideration still does not make MLB #1 in salaries. No matter what metric you use, MLB is not the tops in salaries. MLB is behind the NBA in per-player salary and behind the NFL on a per-team basis.

Salaries have absolutely nothing to do with why the public ignores PEDs in other sports, which was the original faulty argument that he was trying to make.

 

[SP33Demon]

You think MLB gets the most media attention? More than the NFL? You're joking right?

Yes, more than the NFL. How come nobody gives a shit about PEDs in the NFL? Think long and hard about the answer.

Baseball will be the sport that survives (along with soccer's surge) in 20 years. The NBA will still be around as well. The NFL will have the popularity of boxing due to CTE and subconcussive hits.

RE: NBA vs MLB, the NBA may have slightly higher salaries but their shelf life is 1/2, so they are assuming twice as much risk on a contract. Baseball's lengthier contracts mitigate that risk so a 3 sport athlete (especially from a high socioeconomic status) will choose baseball over football and basketball more and more.

 

[Red Storm]

Yes, more than the NFL. How come nobody gives a shit about PEDs in the NFL? Think long and hard about the answer.

Baseball will be the sport that survives (along with soccer's surge) in 20 years. The NBA will still be around as well. The NFL will have the popularity of boxing due to CTE and subconcussive hits.

RE: NBA vs MLB, the NBA may have slightly higher salaries but their shelf life is 1/2, so they are assuming twice as much risk on a contract. Baseball's lengthier contracts mitigate that risk so a 3 sport athlete (especially from a high socioeconomic status) will choose baseball over football and basketball more and more.

I believe the average career length of baseball and basketball are about the same, ~6 years.

 

[SP33Demon]

I believe the average career length of baseball and basketball are about the same, ~6 years.

A rookie could expect to play 4.3 years in what the authors call the Early Era, between 1902 and 1945, 6.47 years in the Golden Age (1946-68) and 6.85 years in the Modern Era. The study does not include players whose careers began later than 1993, because many are still playing.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/15/sports/baseball/15careers.html?_r=0

Not sure what basketball is, but I doubt it's equal to 7 or more years. Of course that's just one study.

BTW:
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/9...why-mlb-takes-more-heat-peds-other-pro-sports

Some tongue in cheek about why baseball takes the most heat for PEDs, great stuff (actual article has hyperlinked some of the text mocking the NFL and NBA Ped efforts):

1. Never, Ever, EVER Investigate Media PED Allegations. When the media breaks a story about possible PED abuse, do not make matters worse by launching your own investigation, for heaven's sake. Definitely do not try to clean up the mess by punishing some of the biggest names in your sport. Instead, just sweep the dirt under the rug! If a newspaper reports that players on a Super Bowl team took steroids or that NBA players were involved in Biogenesis, just say, "These aren't the droids you're looking for. Move along. And hey, when is baseball ever going to clean up its sport?" It also helps to hold up shiny objects.

2. Don't Strain A Muscle Trying To Catch Cheaters. Don't give yourself bigger and blacker eyes by catching everyone you possibly can. Just repeatedly stress that you are aggressively testing, even if you are not. For instance, make a dramatic public announcement that you're going to test for HGH … but then never get around to actually doing it. Or warn the players ahead of time that they'll be tested for PEDs. This way, you'll keep positive tests to a minimum and keep everyone focused solely on what happens on the field. (Just so long as the attention is not on all those darn concussions, which, of course, are completely harmless.)

3. Keep The Punishment Light. Now, if by some remote chance you do catch someone, don't go overboard with the sentencing. Forget about lifetime or multiyear bans. Just suspend first-time offenders for four games and everyone will have forgotten about it when they come back in a month.

4. Don't Let Any Of Your Big Names Be Suspects. So what if a player looks like Hugh Jackman's stunt double in "The Wolverine" and bounces back from an injury many, many months ahead of the norm and then has a superlative season. Make sure the media hypes it as awesome and inspiring, not suspicious.

5. Do Not Revere Statistics and Records. The only time fans really care about players getting suspiciously bigger, faster and stronger is when someone challenges or breaks a hallowed record. So avoid this problem by never hallowing any records! Make historical statistics irrelevant, as they are in football and basketball. (Quick, what's the record for most yards passing in a season? Or the most points scored in a season?) Ignore career or season statistics. Make certain the only statistics anyone cares about are the points in their weekly fantasy leagues. Once those games are over and the scores are totaled, make everyone's sole focus the next game. Remember, this is the age of Twitter. If it happened five seconds ago, it's ancient history. Move on. As Satchel Paige said, Don't look back. Something may be gaining on you. And that something probably is carrying a camera and has some uncomfortable questions to ask.

Of course, none of these rules will actually help clean up your sport in any way. But they will either make people think the sport is clean or keep them from caring that it isn't.

Which, as other sports have shown, is really what matters, isn't it?

 

[techs]

I just read something that I haven't heard mentioned.

Arod is due to earn 33.5 million dollars if he plays next season. Yes, 33.5 million.
He has a base salary of 27.5 million plus he gets a bonus of 6 million dollars if he reaches Willie Mays 660 career homers. Arod has 651 homers now.