Monday, April 7, 2008
MLS Salaries Not Exactly Merit-Based
Much has already been written about the recent release of MLS players' salaries so I'm not going to add all that much. I'm also not going to say that certain players deserve less than they are actually geting, which some have commented on already. All I want to say is how can a professional sportsman, or anybody else for that matter, live on less than $18,000 a year (Kosuke Kimura, weekend goalscorer John DiRaimondo) and how come merit isn't exactly rewarded (Bouna and Colin Clark on a paltry $33,000 a year)? It seems strange to think that you would know the salaries of all the other people in your organization, no? Imagine that in any office or corporation your average Joe works in. If you think of the four Rapids players highlighted here (Kimura, Bouna, Clark and DiRaimondo), who are clearly not exactly amply rewarded for their talents, I think it speaks volumes for them as to how committed they are to the team and how they don't value success purely financially. A little bit more financial comfort would be nice though (L'argent ne fait pas le bonheur mais on est tout de meme content de l'en avoir). Here's a link to a nice piece by our friends at the Rocky Mountain News. (http://blogs.rockymountainnews.com/denver/soccer/2008/04/list_of_2008_mls_player_salari.html#more.) Check out View From The Couch (http://www.view-from-the-couch.blogspot.com) also whose link I will now be putting on the site.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Kirovski is way overpaid, I don't even want to see him on the field this year. Go back to LA and play beach soccer, Jovan.
Conor Casey is a hometown boy, so I don't want to hate, but he's prone to getting fat, out of shape, and hurt. Unless he's healthy and svelte, and producing, he's also way overpaid.
I can't necessarily label Mastroeni overpaid, given his experience, but last year he was prone to brain freeze (i.e. amassing stupid cards) and he's getting slower. He can win the ball and distribute, but I don't see him keeping up with quicker opponents.
Deserving of a raise: Kimura, DiRaimondo, (where is LaBrocca?), Keel, Bouna, and Colin Clark.
Given that these players have been starting as of late, the Rapids (Kroenke) had better show them the green. Bouna is a steal for a foreign club with his athleticism and low salary, the Rapids better not part with him cheaply.
Joey, I think LaBrocca was too late to be included or something, not really sure. Bad news on Bouna. My understanding is that he will be out of contract at the end of this season and the Rapids will not get anything for him if (when) he is traded. Very bad business.
Wow, I had no idea that the league minimum was so low. Even a first year teacher makes more! Who the heck is Nico Colaluca? and how can he be making over 100K?
John, Colaluca is a Generation Adidas player and I think his base salary is higher for that reason. The whole salary structure is a little opaque. Colaluca played as a sub last season. He is a midfielder but he is going to find it hard to break into the team right now.
Post a Comment