Posted on 07/06/2014 10:53:32 AM PDT by SamAdams76
1975 Boston Red Sox Salaries
Carl Yastrzemski $175,000.00
Rick Wise $90,000.00
Carlton Fisk $80,000.00
Tim McCarver $65,000.00
Fred Lynn $38,000.00
Bob Heise $27,500.00
Jim Rice $27,000.00
Steve Barr $16,000.00
Tim Blackwell $16,000.00
Rick Burleson $16,000.00
Dick Pole $16,000.00
Kim Andrew $15,000.00
Jim Burton $15,000.00
Steve Dillard $15,000.00
Butch Hobson $15,000.00
Rick Kreuger $15,000.00
Andy Merchant $15,000.00
Funny thing about Catfish Hunter. In the early 70s, I used to think that was a description of him, not his actual name. I actually thought the Oakland A’s (team he was with at the time) figured a hunter of catfish would make a good major league pitcher for them.
Same here...a family of five outing to see the SF Giants runs probably $700 all in for so-so seats. We go at most once a year or when somebody is providing us free tix through their company. The bleachers run $45 to $85, for crying out loud.
I used to be a big baseball fan. Followed the Mets through all their ups and downs, mostly downs. But after a few players strikes, my interest has waned to the point that now I scarcely pay any attention to baseball at all. To me, a ball player making over $100,000 A WEEK, charging a little kid for an autograph at a show is truly disgusting.
I took my kids to their first major league game two weeks ago, Red Sox at Oakland. Cost $164.00 for four seats in the back row of the second deck, behind the visitor’s dugout, which I got because they’re in the shade all afternoon. Hot dogs were $5.50.
That’s not a bad deal.
My father got bleacher tickets in Yankee Stadium for $0.30 cents, when Ruth and Gehrig were playing for the Yankees. Of course, his father was making $88/month in those days, and glad to have a job.
For the 1930 season, Ruth was paid $80,000, based on his performance in 1929, and his credible threat to hold out. When a reported pointed out that he was making more than the President, he replied that he’d had a better year (in 1929) than the president. Tom Seaver, in 1970, iirc, was the first player to ever be paid more.
Saltalamacchia, 14 little letters.
When Babe Ruth started making $1,000 a week (and that was unimaginable in the day), he decided that he was going to never wear the same shirt twice. So he would buy 7 shirts a week and then donate them to the poor after wearing it just the one time.
You lived in a MUCH FREER COUNTRY than we live in now...very sad.
Uffda-Woofda!
Exactly the point I was getting at, that sports have gotten too expensive for the middle class. $1000 to take a group of six to a ballgame??? Holy Toledo. who can easily afford that?
for better or worse, professional sports has decided to write off the middle class or working class type fans, at least when it comes to attending games at the stadium. Of course they are happy to get all to watch on TV. There’s something about being there in person which is very different from watching on TV.
Thanks! I knew there was one.
It’s interesting to contemplate but there’s no lessons learned I don’t think.
No - prices aren’t going back to where they were.
No - teachers and doctors aren’t going to get paid what star athletes get paid.
It is what it is.
As someone else alluded to, the idea of ESPN and charging people for what they watch on TV was an idea that hadn’t yet hit in 1975.
Things change - some things get cheaper (computers, electronics) other things get more expensive (going to a game) - what of it?
How many millions of dollars did those surgeons make for somebody else? That’s always the key to making money: making somebody else money. Ball players are key ingredient in a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and that’s how they get paid. The day 20,000 people will spend $100 and up to watch a surgeon operate they’ll make $10 million a year.
Three of the top seven on that list are now in the Hall of Fame.
Fisk, Game 6 hero, only made $80,000?
During the Atlanta Braves worst to first season they had the lowest club salaries in MLB. The highest was the NYY who didn’t even get in any pennant race that season.
Well, the first time I saw the Red Sox and the A’s, the Kansas City As, I got a free Louisville Slugger with Joe Foy’s name on it.
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