NFL

[VirtualSmitty]

Originally Posted by Stephen

Right or wrong, there has always been the, "have" and, "have-nots" in MLB. It usually wasn't an issue; prior to 1994 that is. After the strike, however, the, "have's" desperate to regain attendance and popularity figures pre-strike, loosened the purse strings (or in this case opened Pandora's box) to build instant contenders or overpay their current players to keep them from hitting the open market. The chasm in baseball is sickeneing. A simple web search of payroll versus winning percentage over the past 15 years speaks volumes. So while you're in a position to say that baseball is doing great, the grass isn't so green on the other side.

So footballs brand of sports socialism is the answer? And your websearch fails, this was the first result I got

Highest:

1) New York Yankees: $209, missed the playoffs

2) New York Mets: $138.6, missed the playoffs

3) Detroit Tigers: $138.6, missed the playoffs, and dead last in their division

4) Boston Red Sox: $138.2, Wildcard team, lost to Tampa Bay in ALCS

5) Chicago White Sox: $121.1, Won their Division, lost to Tampa Bay in ALDS

Lowest:

30) Florida Marlins: $21.8, missed the playoffs

29) Tampa Bay Rays: $43.8, won division, lost in World Series to Philadilphia

28) Oakland Athletics: $47.9, missed playoffs

27) Pittsburgh Pirates: $49.3, missed playoffs

26) Washington Nationals: $54.9, missed the playoffs

Now almost immediately, the first piece of information that jumps out is that the top three teams in the league, in terms of salary, did not even make the playoffs. Moreover, the 2nd lowest paid team (Tampa Bay) won their division (defeating the 1st and 4th highest paid teams to do it), had the second-best record in the American League, and made it all the way to the World Series (by defeating the 4th and 5th highest salary teams, Chicago and Boston).

Of course, there are statistical anomalies like the LA Dodgers. The Dodgers, statistically, should have missed the playoffs, but thanks to playing in the weakest division in baseball, made the playoffs with a winning percentage of .519%.

The Middle of the Pack...
It is clear by looking at the above numbers that paying too much for a team does not necessarily lead to positive results, but neither does skimping on player salaries, either. Yet, by being in the "middle of the pack" and having a payroll near the middle of the league, the level of success that teams enjoy proves that it is possible for teams to remain competitive, and not break the bank.

By examining the bottom five teams in the league in terms of payroll, and the top five, it is clear that the bottom five had a combined winning percentage of 0.47%. Not very encouraging. Yet, it by examining the winning percentage of the TOP five teams, their combined winning percentage was 53.7%, and the only team that made the playoffs in 2008 with a winning percentage below 53.7 % was the previously mentioned LA Dodgers. Moreover, the World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies had a payroll of $98.2 million, good for 13th highest and less than 1/2 the payroll of the New York Yankees.

Finally, by looking at the teams ranked from #4 - #15 in payroll (12 teams), 7 of them made the playoffs (out of a 8 possible spots) including each team from #4 (Boston) to #8 (Los Angeles Dodgers).



Read more at Suite101: Team Payrolls in Baseball vs. Performance: Does a High Team Salary in Major League Baseball Guarantee Results? http://www.suite101.com/content/team...#ixzz1GPj5WhNW

Look up highest payrolls, then search the last decade of world series games, you'll be surprised what you find. There is more parity in baseball than what you think.