Category: Baseball

Baseball is known as America’s favorite pastime, however Major League Baseball has turned America’s favorite pastime into a multi-billionaire business. According to Forbes the MLB’s revenue for 2018 was $10.3 billion, baseball being the second highest earning professional sport in the world, right behind the NBA. A variety of factors come together to create revenue for the MLB, such as merchandise, ticket sales, food and drink sales, online advertising, TV commercials, and sponsorships (Brown, 2019). The MLB is the only professional sport that does not have a salary cap, meaning that there is no limit on what the teams can spend and the amount given to the players. This allows multi-billion contracts to be given out to hundreds of players, making the economics of the MLB very different from other professional sports.

The franchises of the MLB operate like a business by measuring their costs and profits of picking up and transferring players, building a new stadium, or even relocating their whole franchise to another state. All of these decisions are analyzed in a way that maximizes their profits as much as possible and minimize their costs. The demand for the MLB ranges from the casual interest of some viewers to fanatical followers. The MLB has stimulated the growth of other industries that work complementary to its organization, such as sports magazines, sports television channels, radio stations, and fans clothing stores (Haupert). I will be analyzing the different factors that help create the economy of the MLB, such as the income of the players, the economics of the postseason, and the effects the World Series has on the economy.

Economics of the Baseball Player

The MLB business revolves around the player, the average MLB player earns around $4.35 million dollars annually. However, this average is distorted because of outliers such as Bryce Harper or Mike Trout that have annual salaries of $26 and $33.2 million. The median annual salary of $1.35 million is a better representation for average player in the league (Zirin, 2019). In any professional sport there is a trade-off between the player and the owner of the franchise, the player is trading off their talent and physical skills for an income, while the franchise is trading money in order to get a certain talent out of a player. However, in this type of trade-off, money can be decreased or even increased if the player puts out more skill than expected or underperforms. In order to have some type of stability in their careers, players sign contracts with franchises that promises their loyalty to team for a certain amount of years and a salary that is divided equally among those promised years.

Similar to other professional sports, once the athlete bypasses the collegiate level they are now open to paid endorsements. Baseball lacks popularity among the youth, that is why the sport falls behind other sports such as football and basketball in regards to endorsements. The highest paid baseball players only receive an annual income of $500,000 to $2.5 million in paid endorsements, which usually comes from companies such as Nike, Under Armour, Adidas, Wilson, and Mizuno. These types of endorsements are an example of how outside industries can have an impact on the economy of the MLB (Haupert). They can influence the type of gear the players use, certain advertisements being broadcasted, and the products sold in the stadium. The players are not exclusive in their partnership with these sponsorships, franchises and clubs can be sponsored by certain brands in order to receive free uniforms or gear.

As stated before, the MLB is the only professional sport that does not have a salary cap, this may be a benefit to the players they are most wanted, however this can be an issue for less talented or wanted players. Mike Trout recently signed the world’s largest sport contract in history, being paid $435 million over the course of his twelve years with the Los Angeles Angels. However, this contract affected many more people and franchises than Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels. The contract resulted in three teams having their payroll cut, The Pittsburgh Pirates had a cut of more than $15 million annually. Not only does Trout’s rise in salary affect franchises but it impacts free agent players and middle-class players. About one hundred free agent players will find themselves teamless next year due to Trout’s new contract, and even less money will be granted to players that are less known and “talented” than the all-stars of the league (Zirin, 2019). This reveals a major issue of having no salary cap on this multi-billionaire business.

Economics of the Postseason

The opportunity to play in the postseason is an amazing accomplishment for the club, however it is also a huge opportunity for the local economy of the state and city in which the team resides in. Once a team reaches the postseason its city has the opportunity to begin preparing for the large influx of people entering and visiting nearby restaurants, hotels, airports, and parking garages. With the increase rate of tourism occuring, the tourism industry increases and adds more revenue to the national GDP. However, the postseason of the MLB also creates more seasonal jobs for the economy, this creates a shift in the frictional unemployment rate in the economy. New jobs pertaining to ticket box offices, parking garage monitors, concession stand workers, and retailers workers in the staudium’s merchandise store are now open and lower the current unemployment rate of the given region. The postseason of the MLB not only provides entertainment for the country but acts as a source of income and revenue for all of the team’s economies.

By participating in the postseason, players and clubs earn a bonus from the additional revenue they earned participating in additional games to the regular season, this is known as the Postseason Shares. The Postseason Shares consists of revenue from all gate and ticket sales of postseason games, including the World Series. The additional bonuses must be split between the players and the owners of the clubs, this is where it can become challenging. It is required that all shares end in an agreement of who gets the shares and the amount they should be given. Since ten teams are apart of the postseason, all ten teams get a share of the total postseason share, however the percentage they receive is determined by their placing in the tournament. According to Craig Calcaterra, in 2018 the Postseason Share was $88,188,633.49, while the World Series winner, the Boston Red Sox received 36% of this total and the runner up received 24% of the total. The rest of the share is split among the other eight teams that made it to the postseason (Calcaterra, 2018). The Postseason Share is only one way the athlete can receive more income from playing in the postseason. By playing in the postseason, players have the opportunity being endorsed and the chance to rise next year’s annual salary if they are a free agent.

Economics of the World Series

The postseason is already a tremendous opportunity for an increase in economic activity, however the World Series alone has a huge impact on the economy. There is already a bonus in place for the teams that make it to the postseason, however once a team makes it to the World Series their sharing of this postseason bonus increases exponentially. The World Series has the greatest economic impact to the cities that host home games, on average $10 to $20 millions can be estimated to be earned per-home game during the World Series (Matheson & Baade, 2005). It is very common for franchises to use this as an incentive for their city and local economy to support new stadiums being built and the increase of money being spent to improve the talent on their team. This past World Series was the first time ever the Nationals made it to the series, while also winning. However, Gregory McCarthy, the senior vice president of community engagement is more focused on the economic benefits of the series rather than the win itself. Stating that the benefits the team brought to the economy was worth the amount of investments they put into the franchise (D.C., 2019). The World Series is a once in a lifetime opportunity to watch the highest level of baseball, this can be shown in the price of tickets. Since the demand for these tickets are so high they are able to mark the prices at extremely high prices compared to regular season game tickets. The high demand of tickets creates scarcity among the public, tickets selling out once they go on sale causes people to be willing to pay almost any price to attend the game. The average cost of a World Series ticket can range from $500 to $1,500 once reselling takes place. Similar to the Superbowl, the World Series is a great opportunity for companies to broadcast advertisements that have the potential to be viewed by millions. The largest and most influential companies have the income to pay for these advertisements, which only strengthened the influence they have on the public. A thirty second advertisement during the World Series costs an average of $500,000, while the 2019 World Series is predicted to earn on average $45.7 million per game from ad revenue (Kiergan, 2019). The winner of the World Series is rewarded with the Commissioner’s Trophy that is created by Tiffany Company, being created out of gold and silver and being a total price of $19,000. The World Series has an effect on other industries besides the industry of sports, this can be shown through the Commissioner’s Trophy and the money that is granted to Tiffany Company which belongs to the retail industry of jewelry.

Conclusion

The economics of the MLB consists of many other factors and contributions. However, it is impossible to list all of the factors while still going into great depth. Other factors could be hotel packages, food and drink partnerships, gear sponpoorshipments, and merchandise deals. The MLB is not only a baseball organization, it is a multi-billion business that provides thousands of jobs for the nations while also providing a means of entertainment for percentage of the population. The professional sports economy alone is a huge contributor to the national economy because it incorporates and works with a variety of differing industries. Both complementing one another and making the national GDP grow. This project made me realize that economics is all around us, money makes the world go round, therefore economics is apart of every aspect of your life whether you want it to be or not.

Abstract

This paper will provide information on internet sites along with published articles that provide statistical data for Major League Baseball players and offer a broad view on specific stats that are used to analyze a player’s performance and prospective worth. Websites, such as Baseball Prospectus, Baseball References, USA Today, and Baseball Prospectus, provide an extensive overview of recorded statistical data for Major and Minor League baseball players for numerous years. News sites such as Sporting News and CBS Sports are provided accurate statistics and opinions pertaining to an MLB player to determine the player’s worth. These resources valuable opinions from the analyst’s point of view leads to a player’s value by the owner and team. Additional statistical information was obtained to ensure accurate variables were gathered.

Introduction

As we begin to determine the salary of a player, several variables need to be evaluated based on five key variables. A determining factor to review is On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS+), which is an independent variable but carries a higher volume because it carries a variable of 100. Three additional independent variables that carry an overall value in this evaluation Runs Scored (RS), Batting Average (AVG), and Years in League (YIL). The compensation of an MLB player is based on overall value and performance, which is Average Annual Salary (AAS), also known as the dependent variable. In the regression equation, all variables will be calculated to determine the player’s annual salary. This equation will give you a better understanding of how an MLB’s salary is calculated, as every player’s salary is averaged based on their stats.

Definition of Variables

In the introduction, we have referenced how the dependent variable is a player’s annual salary and the correlation between a player’s performance and salary. We have also determined that a player’s compensation based on AAS and participating member.

A primary focus in recent years has been on statistics provided by an analyst for On-Base Percentage Plus Slugging (OPS+), which is on the rise and looked an extensively on the value of a player. Given that information, a close look at the independent variable OPS+ is a focus on the regression equation. As Baseball-References glossary describes that, OPS+ has one more added value, such as base percentage, slugging percentage, and adjustments for park and league conditions (Baseball-Reference 2019). Presenting a player’s data as a whole will give them a higher rating above the team for overall performance. While searching internet sites, Sports News offers valuable information on why there is a primary focus on OPS+ rising and not only focusing on Batting Average (AVG) as the determining performance source. Research has shown that there is a similarity between OPS+ to OPS; however, OPS+ adds value because it uses league and park conditions. OPS+ “these factors are normalizing a player’s production based on league park factors, which looks as how a player performs compared to other league players and compares to everyone who batted in the park (Sporting News, 2019).” Analysts and research have proven that it has identified OPS+, RS, AVG, etc., take significant roles in determining a player’s salary.

As we determined which numbers are used as the independent variables, and how they are measured in determining an MLB player’s salary. However, we will look closely at OPTS+, but the other variables are AVT, since a player’s average by the number of hits when they are up to bat. For example, if a player is at the plate t5 times and gets on the base safe (Safe Hits) four times, the player’s average would be measured by the four hits divided by ten attempts (7/15=.4667). With knowing this variable, players batting average would be higher with more safe hits and will also increase a player’s potential for additional compensation on the determining AAS.

An additional independent variable to be considered is Runs Scored (RS), which is used to measure performance. The RS determines how many times the player crossed home plate. However, to score a run, a player must be able to touch home base (OBS). The chances of winning a game are for a player not just get a hit but also score a run for the team. The more RS by a player will add value and performance to determine the player’s average annual salary.

The last independent variable that will be used to determine the overall value of a player is Years in League (YIL). The independent variable defines how long a play has been in Major League, and the longer you have been in the league reflects that the player’s pay is increased. As an MLB player, the longer you have been in the league, the more experience you gain, but has advantages for collective bargaining for an increase in a contract agreement. An example is when an MLB signs a Rookie that player will make the minimum allowed by the league. However, depending on how they perform awards are given, such as (MVP, Golden Glove, CY Young), but the pay will remain the same. As the player remains in the MLB and adds value to the team, the contract is renewed for an increase in salary. For this research purpose, we have come to expect that, based on the number of years will have an impact on the player’s overall salary.

Data Description

The gathered MLB data used for this research is from these two references Baseball-Reference and USA Today Sports. However, there are other sites reviewed to reinforce the data set. The selectees Selected are the top 15 active players in batting average from the overall of the 2019 season to create the baseline to perform the calculations and to validate if, in fact, performance has an impact on the average annual salary. The statistical data extracted are specific to the 15 top batters of 2019:

• Player Name
• Average (AVG)
• Runs Scored (RS)
• On Base Percentage Plus Slugging (OPS+)
• Years in the League (YIL)
• Average Annual Salary (AAS)

Conclusion

The paper is to use a regression equation to relate to an MLB’s position player’s position and salary. The goal is to identify if a player’s performance has weight towards Average Annual Salary (AAS), because the mode used was to predict the AAS by using OPS+, AVG, RS, YL. We do understand that the more runs a player scores the player is then more valuable to the team. Additionally, these MLB players have a signed contract, and they are able to negotiate compensation and years.

Works Cited

1. Baseball Reference. (n.d.). 2019 Major League Baseball Standard Batting. Retrieved November 26, 2019 from https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2018-standard-batting.shtml
2. Baseball Prospectus. (n.d.). Baseball Prospectus | Statistics | Custom Statistics Reports: Batter Season. Retrieved November 26, 2019,, from https://legacy.baseballprospectus.com/sortable/index.php?cid=1918875
3. Edwards, J. (2017, August 17). Stat to the Future: Why it’s time to stop relying on batting average. Retrieved November 26, 2019, from http://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/explaining-sabermetrics-batting-average-criticism-ops-wrc-fangraphs-statcast/1d6p94zlvv3a01kqajw7vzrm3f
4. https://www.baseball-reference.com/about/bat_glossary.shtml
5. https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2019-standard-batting.shtml
6. Eye on Baseball staff Nov 16. (2019). What is the best offensive stat? Retrieved November 26, 2019, from https: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/stats/
7. MLB Advanced Media. (2018,). Standard Stats | Glossary. Retrieved November 26, 2019, from http://m.mlb.com/glossary/standard-stats
8. Spotrac. (n.d.). MLB Rankings. Retrieved November 26, 2019, from https://www.spotrac.com/mlb/rankings/batters/
9. USA Today. (2019). MLB Salaries – MLB Baseball. Retrieved November 26, 2019, from https://www.usatoday.com/sports/mlb/salaries/2018/player/all/

The Decline of Baseball’s Popularity and the Need for Change

Today’s MLB is nothing like what it used to be. There was a time when baseball was “America’s Pastime”; fans would flock to ballparks to watch their favorite teams while Americans all over the country tuned in on their radios and televisions. Much of this cultural significance has since dissipated due to decreasing viewership in the form of ticket sales and TV ratings. A recent lack of interest is largely due a rather unexciting postseason with the same teams experiencing success year after year as a result of the absence of a salary cap. The MLB should implement a salary cap that limits payroll spending in the near future to preserve the integrity of the league and increase ticket sales by as much as 17%.

Historical Significance of Baseball: From World War II to the Great Depression

During the early to mid 1900s baseball had significant historical and cultural influence. Throughout the course of World War II the MLB was used as a massive platform to support the war effort. The careers of a number of star players such as Ted Williams and Joe DiMaggio publicly served in the war. From when the war started in 1939 to when it ended in 1945; baseball games turned into patriotic events. Even though the overall level of competition dropped due to the number of players serving in the war, stadiums continued to fill up. This time period is largely responsible for America’s love of the game. However, shortly before the beginning of World War II was the Great Depression. The nine year span from 1929 to 1938 in which the Great Depression was in effect proved to be a difficult time for the league. During a lack of nationwide financial prosperity only two teams were able to remain profitable. Teams were forced to resort to desperate measures in order to survive; additional games were scheduled, ticket prices increased, and players were cut. Nearly all tactics implemented proved to be counterproductive. By charging more for tickets, attendance was reduced somewhat expectedly. This made life very difficult for the MLB and the league struggled for a number of years.

Breaking the Color Barrier: A Milestone in Baseball History

Arguably the most important moment in the 150 year history of the MLB is the breaking of what was known as “the color barrier.” The MLB began as an all white league in 1869. The Civil War had ended just four years prior and racial tensions were at an all time high. African Americans who wanted to play professional baseball were forced to compete in separate Negro Leagues. Along with trying to preserve segregation and policies that coincided with the Jim Crow laws; high level executives in Major League Baseball feared that players in the Negro Leagues were more talented. The effort to maintain segregation in baseball was fueled by racist prejudice and ulterior motives. Efforts to integrate the league were not motivated by a desire for African Americans to compete on the big stage so much as they were to fight segregation. Teams on the other hand were far more interested in winning games than taking a political stand. Most of the attempts to break the divide between the racially segregated leagues known as the “color barrier” were suppressed by an imbalance of power. Major League Baseball had much of American on its side, it was going to be an uphill battle for the African American community.

The first serious attempt to integrate came in 1942. Businessman Bill Veeck attempted to buy the Philadelphia Phillies of the MLB and fill the roster with African American players. Veeck was motivated by trying to turn the Phillies into a winning ballclub. He believed that there was more talent in the Negro Leagues, integrating baseball was simply a byproduct of his goal. Regardless, Veeck also tried to take advantage of the fact that there wasn’t actually any official rule preventing African Americans from entering the MLB, it was just an unwritten policy. Ironically, after Veeck’s motion purchase the Phillies was denied by the league, the Phillies became one of the last teams to integrate. But this attempt did yield some hope for integration. Many MLB clubs began scouting the Negro Leagues for players after hearing Veeck’s claims that there was an abundance of untapped potential. Motivated by a desire to win, teams such as the Cleveland Indians and Brooklyn Dodgers explored the possibility of signing talented African American players. One player in particular caught the eye of Branch Rickey, manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Jackie Robinson had established himself as the most dominant player in the Negro Leagues. Although only playing one year in the Negro League with the Kansas City Monarchs, he finished the year with 63 hits in 47 games with a batting average of 0.387. Known for his athleticism and baserunning, there was no doubt that Robinson was capable of performing at the highest level. Yet no one could prepare Robinson for the mental trauma he would have to endure to break the color barrier. Rickey was determined to sign Robinson and was prepared to do so by any means necessary. Only after Robinson agreed to turn a blind eye to the racial criticism he would face did Rickey agree to sign Robinson to a contract on October 23, 1945. Robinson made his debut for the Brooklyn Dodgers in April of 1947 after spending a year training in the Minor Leagues. This turn of events paved the way for not only future African American baseball players, but steps towards integration nationwide.

Comparing MLB’s Struggles with the Success of Other Major Leagues

In recent history the MLB has struggled to compete with the other three major American leagues and their rising popularity. The NHL has doubled its revenue since 2006 and has exploded in popularity. Youth sports in general are on the decline but the amount of 6-12 year old hockey players has increased by 64%. Once a rather obscure sport, a steady upward trend has propelled the NHL into the same company as the MLB, NBA, and NFL. The NFL has kept its place at the top of American sports and more than doubled its revenue since 2005 largely due to the hiring of commissioner Roger Goodell. The NBA on the other hand is in an interesting situation trying to take advantage of the international market. China specifically represents massive potential, the NBA has over 178 million followers from China alone. The NBA is currently the third most popular league in America but poses a huge threat to the NFL and MLB if able to successfully advertise overseas.

Contrary to the recent success of other major sports leagues, ticket sales in the MLB were the lowest they’ve been in 15 years in 2017. Many signs point to baseball being a dying sport, the average MLB fan is 57 years old, higher than any of the other three leagues, and youth participation is on the decline. In the 1990s nearly 3 million kids participated in youth baseball, in 2015 that number was down to 2.4 million. Counties all over the country are no longer able to field little league teams due to a shortage of participants and interests. As youth baseball continues to fade and the fan base ages, the MLB will be faced with serious problems. Many old timers have an interest in baseball because it was the sport they grew up playing and watching, it possesses a certain nostalgic trait. Before the rise of the NFL, baseball was far and away the most popular sport in America. Nowadays, kids towards basketball, football, and hockey. In 2008 a poll was released asking Americans what their favorite sport was, a whoping 41% said football while just 10% responded baseball. Furthermore, from 1937 to 2017 a poll displayed that the amount of Americans choosing baseball as their favorite sport had decreased by 23% while football and basketball both tose by 10% and 3% respectively overtaking baseball. Perhaps even more surprising is the fact that soccer has nearly matched baseball in popularity.

The Challenges of Modern Baseball: Game Length, Action Deficiency, and Cultural Disconnect

Baseball’s inability to appeal to the modern fan can be attributed to a number of factors. Baseball games are significantly longer than other sports. To make matters worse, baseball games are only getting longer. During the 2005 season the average length of an MLB game was 2 hours and 46 minutes, by 2018 that number had increased to 3 hours and 4 minutes. Unlike basketball, football, and hockey, there is no clock regulating the length of a game. Constant stoppages such as mound visits, bullpen subsitions, umpire reviews, and a number of others only serve to extend the game. Average game length has increased because of things such as walk up songs and unnecessarily long pre-pitch routines by both batters and pitchers. Teams have also become smarter and more strategic.In the heyday of the MLB around two different pitchers were used by each team per game. Nowadays teams deploy more pitchers to handle specific situations. For example; teams will do things such as put in a left handed pitcher just to face a single batter. This specialized left handed pitcher is known as a LOOGuY or left handed one out guy. These strategies were foreign concepts to ball clubs in the 1900s. More pitchers means more commercial breaks, delays, stoppages, etc. Another reason why baseball does not appeal to the younger generation is because of a deficiency of action. The vast majority of pitches are balls and strikes. Only a refined fan will appreciate a pitch on the corner of the strike zone for a called strike, or a batter having the self control to hold back on a tempting pitch and take a ball. Most fans consider this part of the game boring and want to see the ball batted in play. But with pitchers becoming more advanced and teams becoming smarter, hits are becoming increasingly rare. The baseball season consists of 162 games while the NFL has 16 and the NBA and NHL each have 82 game seasons. With so many games in a season each game is less important. Few fans are dedicated enough to tune in to all 162 games or even close to that. Baseball lacks character and a connection to popular culture. In other sports creative celebrations have become a way for athletes to express themselves and connect with fans. Meanwhile baseball discourages this kind of behavior and doesn’t allow for flashy celebrations or on field antics to the extent that its competitors do. Basketball, football, and hockey have all evolved with time by embracing trends in pop culture through celebrity endorsements, ad campaigns, etc. Baseball’s inability to change and adapt along with its slow playstyle due to the nature of the game has created a clear disconnect with younger generations in America. Finally, the MLB playoffs are uninteresting for many fans because there is little variation with the teams that make the playoffs each year. For example: the Seattle Mariners have not been to the playoffs in 16 years while there are a number of teams who have become mainstays in the postseason such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and the Houston Astros. These three teams along with a few others that consistently succeed all have one thing in common, they are located in big market cities and have relatively high payrolls.

The MLB has taken various steps to nullify these factors and retain interest in the league. Limiting the amount of mound visits helps maintain the flow of the game. Teams are now restricted to just six mound visits per game. The league has also shortened time between innings to help shorten games. In the past when a pitcher decided to intentionally walk a batter, he had to throw four intentionals to the catcher before the batter could talk first base. Now a pitcher or manager can signal to the umpire who would then put the batter on first. A more loosely enforced rule requires batter to keep at least one foot in the batter box between pitches. This is an effort to regulate routines between pitches by the batter. The change that could potentially be the most effective in shortening MLB games is not yet in effect. The idea of a pitch clock has been explored in the Minor Leagues and has been proven to be a very effective option. A pitch clock is a clock behind the catcher clearly visible to the pitcher that counts down from a set time alerting the pitcher of when the pitch must be thrown. This would increase the fluidity while shortening games which can help increase viewership and ratings.

The Argument for Implementing a Salary Cap in MLB

Of all of the issues responsible for a decrease in popularity, not having a salary cap is the only one that blatantly threatens the integrity of the game. A salary cap is a limit on the amount of money each team can spend paying its players’ salaries. The absence of a salary cap puts most of the league at a dramatic financial disadvantage. In 2018 there were six teams that brought in over $400 million in revenue, those teams were: the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, and the Chicago Cubs. In the NFL, NHL, or NBA teams prospering financially would be able to do things like improve their stadium, purchase new equipment or other amenities. But a salary cap prevents them from being able to spend more money than their competitors on player salaries increasing their payroll. In the MLB however, without a salary cap, teams are able to pay their players as much as they can afford to. Uncoincidentally, in 2018 the five teams with the highest payrolls were: the New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, and the Chicago Cubs. In the modern MLB win percentage and payroll have become closely linked. Success should be a measure of talent and skill, not money. In 2019 the Boston Red Sox had a payroll of $229 million, meanwhile the Tampa Bay Rays’ payroll was just $64 million. This is an astronomical difference that prevents a team like Tampa Bay from ever being able to compete with Boston due to a financial disadvantage.

The MLB has attempted to solve this problem by implementing a luxury or “competitive balance tax” in 2014. This is a method of taxing teams with payrolls that exceed a previously agreed upon threshold. For example: from 2014-2016 the threshold was $189 million, so any team that exceeded $189 million in payroll spending was taxed on each exceeding dollar. Since 2016 the threshold has slowly increased from $195 million in 2017 to $206 million in 2019. For the first year exceeding the threshold the tax is 20%, the second year is 30%, and each year after is 50%. There is an additional 12% tax for exceeding the threshold by $20 million to $40 million and an additional 42.5% tax for exceeding by more than $40 million. The problem with this strategy is that teams able to pay their players over $200 million per year aren’t affected by these relatively insignificant taxes. Teams that have exceeded the threshold in the past have made very little effort to change their ways and avoid the increasingly harsh taxes. Another method used by the MLB to level the playing field is a policy known as Competitive Balance Draft picks. This rule uses an algorithm to rank teams based on the relationship between winning percentage and payroll. Teams who do exceptionally well in relation to their payroll are rewarded with additional picks in the upcoming draft. In certain situations teams may also be compensated with seven figure sums of cash.

These steps do help mitigate the situation but the imbalance is still clear. The unfairness of the league can be seen in Michael Lewis’ novel, “Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.” Lewis explores one of the most notorious teams in MLB history. The 2002 Oakland Athletics accomplished something that should have been impossible. After having a successful 2001 campaign losing to the Yankees in the American League Division Series, the Athletics lost their three key players, Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Jason Isringhausen to the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and St. Louis Cardinals because they were unable to pay their three superstars. A frustrated Oakland management team led by general manager Billy Beane were forced to fill significant holes in their roster while working with a limited budget. The Athletics decided to adopt a method originally created by mathematician Bill James. James developed a formula that he believed could calculate the worth of a player based on how often that player gets on base. This idea was unique because it did not consider how the batter reached first base, it valued a walk just as much as a base hit. Using this formula Billy Beane signed a number of players that according to James’ formula, were severely undervalued. Although the Athletics did not win the World Series, they finished the regular season with the best winning percentage in the league and won 20 consecutive games from August 13 to September 3. The 2002 Athletics are a prime example of a team hindered by a lack of a salary cap forced to make do in a small market city. What they did in 2002 was remarkable considering the circumstances but anything like it is unlikely to ever happen again. A salary cap would effectively solve this problem and give teams with a winning procedure like the Oakland Athletics, a chance to succeed. As it stands, small market teams in similar situations become farm teams for the giants of the MLB such as the Red Sox and Yankees.

A salary cap would not only solve this problem, but it would make the league more exciting and interesting. The current system is unjust and the methods employed have proven to be ineffective. Winning percentage and payroll continue to be directly linked with money as a result of location determining the fate of small market teams. The MLB has acknowledged the problem by implementing policies to nullify the situation, but the steps taken have not been drastic enough. In conclusion, the forceful implementation of a salary cap in the MLB would level the playing field and could restore the league to its former glory.

On December 7th, 1941, Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan, and many lives were lost that day. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S joined the war, and men throughout the United States joined the military. As a result, many jobs were left open back home. With all these job openings, women were able to take over and perform jobs that they were never able to do before. One of these jobs was professional baseball.

When there weren’t enough men to play ball in the United States, President Franklin Roosevelt turned over to the women to keep on playing in order to entertain the US citizens. After hearing that President Roosevelt wanted baseball to keep going, Phillip Wrigley, the owner of the Chicago Cubs, created America’s first women’s baseball league in 1943 called the “All-American Girls Professional Baseball League”. More than 200 players were recruited from the women’s softball league to try out for the baseball league. In the beginning, only 4 teams existed with a total of 60 players. Also, the league first started out with softball rules, but switched to baseball rules later on.

As with anything, however, there was a dark side to the women’s baseball league. First off, even if you were good at baseball, if you were not “feminine” enough, you probably couldn’t join the league. Those women who joined the league had to take classes on how to behave and dress, and they also had to learn personal hygiene, not for themselves but for the watchers. Also, women didn’t wear traditional baseball uniforms. Instead, they wore an one-piece dress that had a skirt that was way too short to play baseball. On the bright side, women players’ salary was above average. They were paid anywhere from $45 to $85 per week; and their salary increased to about $125 per week eventually.

The league first started with 4 teams that were all Chicago based. The teams were Kenosha Comets, Racine Belles, Rockford Peaches, and South Blend Blue Soxs. All of these teams had 15 players, a coach, a business manager, and a chaperone. When the softball league noticed that more and more players were leaving to join the AAGPBL, they decided to form their own all women baseball league. The league was started by Emery Parichy, Charles Bidwill, and Ed Kolski, and they called their new league the National Women’s baseball league. It consisted of 6 teams: the Milwaukee Chicks, Minneapolis Millerettes, Fort Wayne Daises, Grand Rapids Chicks, Peoria Redwings, Muskegon Lassies, Chicago Colleens, Springfield Sallies, and the Kalamazoo Lassies.The two leagues were rivals, and many players appeared in both leagues.

During the 12 years of the league there were many outstanding players such as Jean Fraud, Doris Sams, Dorothy Kamenshek, and Dorothy Schroeder. Jean Fraud joined the league in 1946 and played pitcher for the Blue Soxs. She is considered the best player in the league because her lifetime ERA was 1.23, had 2 perfect games, and was a 4- time All-Star team player. Doris Sams played outfielder and pitcher and also joined the league in 1946. She was 5’9 and was an all around athlete; she was also the only player to play both outfielder and pitcher for the All-Star team. Dorothy Kamenshek is considered one of the best athletes during her time. She joined the Rockford Peaches in 1943 as an outfielder but also played first base. Dorothy Kamenshek was a 7-time All Star, the leagues top batter, and only struck out 81 times out of 3,736 at-bat appearances. Dorothy Schroeder was the youngest player at 15 and played shortstop. She was a top 10 player for multiple offensive categories, and she was also a 3 time All star player.

When the league first started there were about 176,000 fans, and about 450,000 people were following the league toward the end of the war, peaking at 910,000 fans in 1948. When the men came back home after the war, they all wanted their jobs back, which caused many women to lose their jobs. The league continued on even after the war ended, but it only lasted until 1954. The women’s baseball league ended because their games were not televised while the men’s major league baseball was on. Also, the women’s baseball league was not being promoted which resulted in loss of attention from people.

The AAGPBL still might have existed today if the games were televised or if the league was promoted more actively. It is also possible that the AAGPBL was left out on purpose. When the men came back from the war, they wanted their old jobs back, including the professional baseball players. Therefore, there was a competition between men and women’s baseball leagues, which most people probably didn’t approve since during this time women still didn’t have their equal rights. As stated before, the women baseball players were treated unfairly while playing too. For example, they were forced to learn how to look and act while practicing baseball, and they were punished if they did not wear lipstick while playing. Women’s sports are still not promoted as much as men’s sports, and they are not televised enough today. Hopefully, in the near future, female athletes will get more attention and be in the spotlight like the male athletes.

With concussions and head injuries, more than 9,000 children are in emergency rooms. And it’s not just at risk for children. Adam Greenberg’s, a famous baseball player, major career in the league ended with a pitch of 92 mph that struck him in the back of the head. For years after that hit, Greenberg suffered from dizziness, headaches, nausea and other symptoms of post-concussion. Also, trauma to the brain can result from an impact that can cause a concussion or open fracture of the skull. Even a shockingly moderate head injuries, where you don’t lose consciousness, that can cause permanent behavioral problems or even death. These are a several of the things that happened with people who don’t wear a helmet while playing baseball.

Whenever a player is up to bat, or running the bases, batting helmets must be worn. Some leagues might even have to wear make pitchers wear a face guard, so they don’t get struck in the face by a baseball. Helmets must fit and be worn correctly at all times. It must be attached if the helmet has a chin strap. This should be in good shape and safely attached to the helmet if it has a face guard. A catcher must always wear a helmet, a face guard, a throat guard, a full-length chest protector, a athletic cup supporter, shin guards, and a catcher’s mitt whenever they catch pitches, whether they’re in the game, bullpen, or warm-ups. Also, there are different types of batting helmets. For example, the largest development of the S100 Pro Comp ( a helmet that professionals use) is that its hardened shell is designed is intended to protect against balls thrown up to 100 mph, related to 68 mph, for older helmets. In addition, the helmet has a ear protection which covers your cheek depending on if you are a lefty or a righty. For the younger generation, they can use a face mask for the batting helmets. Furthermore, companies like Rawlings, a Major League Baseball’s official helmet provider, fire baseballs from tiny cannons using compressed air to test their helmets. In six different places, the balls are shot at the helmets from the front, the front at an angle of 45 degrees, the back, the back at an angle of 45 degrees , and the side when the helmet is heated to 120 degrees for four hours. At a random place, an extra ball is shot.Nowadays, companies design a number of helmets that take into account the batter’s age. For players who are young, there are helmets that are lighter and built to withstand a hit of 70 mph. Helmets for 12-16 year olds are heavier , but they can withstand the power of an 80 mph strike. Helmets for high school and college’s can withstand a 90 mph hit.

This graph shows how each year, the velocity of the ball increases. Pitchers throw 95 mph and higher in 2007. There had been 95 mph balls in 2014. When we look at pitching speed differently, we see that in 2008, the average four-seam fastball (a throw pitchers usually uses) in Major League Baseball was 90.9 mph. In the table, it shows the average velocities per pitcher, which is over 95 mph. (Youthpitching.com)

According to Journalstar.com Tim Gay did egg experiments in order to stop both eggs from cracking, Gay said the same amount of force was required. The impact period was increased by a matter of milliseconds for the egg that hit foam, reducing the outcome of that impact. First, their tough shells distribute force over a larger area, decreasing any spot of force. Second, the cushioning from inside the helmet extends the impact length of time, reducing the maximum momentum. In addition, without a helmet, he said, an area of the skull receiving a hit that will cause a lot of damage may be close to 4 or 5 square inches. He said with a helmet that the same force is spread over an area around one-sixth of the helmet’s surface area, or about 50 square inches. So the helmet decreases the force on any part of the skull. If the force was 10 pounds per square inch on just a skull, it is about 1 pound per square inch with the helmet. Drop a 2 pound weight from a height of five yards on a person’s head, he said, and it is likely to kill them. The weight will hit their head at a speed of 10 meters per second and will impact an area of about 4 square inches because the skull is curved. The hard shell reduces the force on any spot to about 0.5 pounds per square inch by spreading the blow over a larger area. (Journalstar.com)

Baseball and Soccer are among the two most popular sports in America, despite their differences. While baseball was originated in Ohio in 1839, soccer on the other hand came from England in the late 1800 ́s. Thousands of millions of people get out to see their favorite teams for these two sports play during that season. Baseball is played in the fall and soccer is played in the mid spring to summer.

Both of the two sports consist of 9 players on the field at all times. In the United States either girls or boys can play the sport with different genders. For baseball and soccer, both sports use balls in the game in either throwing or kicking motion. Baseball and soccer are both great sports to get exercise. Also, both can be played by little kids or grown adults in America.

Baseball originated in a small town in New York called Cooperstown, in the 1800 ́s, while soccer originated in England. In baseball there are 9 different innings, one inning counts after one team gets to bat and play the field while the other team rotates in the opposite order. On the other hand in soccer, they use half. One game has two different halves that last around forty-five minutes appease. While in baseball there are only allowed nine players on the field at once, in soccer up to nine people for one team can be on the field.

Both sports are played in two different ways. In baseball, the player has to throw the ball to get someone out or hit it with a bat to get on base. In soccer on the other hand, the players cannot use their hands and are only able to use there shoulders, head, legs, and feet, to score the ball in the goal. The sports require two different types of cleats. In baseball you can wear cleats that have metal spikes on them to grip better to the grass and dirt when ur running. In soccer, the cleats cannot have metal spikes, it is required that they are plastic if you want to play. In soccer you have to wear shin guards which cover up your shins from getting hit with a ball or cleats. Baseball the only gear that is required, is cleats and long baseball pants so you don’t get rashes on you legs from sliding into a base.

In conclusion, baseball and soccer are alike and different in there own ways. But no matter, they are both still among American people’s favorite sports. There are alike and different in many ways but both give the same affection to people as the other does. I like both, but my favorite would have to be baseball. I just enjoy the feeling of being on the field with my friends winning tournaments.

Thousandsof fans gather for food, home runs, and the view on the field at Major League Baseball games all over the world. Hardly any fans will think about how conceivable it is that they could be harmed or endure genuine head damage by a baseball or a bat leaving the field of play. Actually, such wounds happen considerably more every now and again than many may understand, with a 2014 investigation finding that in excess of 1,750 fans are harmed every year by batted balls at MLB games. Who ought to be considered mindful legitimately when injuries like this happen? In another article, University of Georgia business Zachary Flagel contends that it’s the ideal opportunity for courts to rescind an outdated principle that has verifiably protected baseball crews from risk.

Baseball Rules

Under a century-old legal doctrine commonly known as the baseball rule,” U.S. courts have held that professional baseball teams are not liable for injuries to fans, who are stuck with the medical and rehab costs. Specifically, as long as a team takes basic precautions such as putting nets immediately behind home plate and ensuring that there are enough screened seats to meet anticipated demand, then under the Baseball Rule it will not be held legally responsible for fans’ injuries. Instead, courts have traditionally held that the danger posed by foul balls is sufficiently obvious and that fans legally assume the risk of any resulting Research shows that changes in the way that the sport of baseball is presented to fans, as well as in the underlying law of torts, undermine the courts’ continued support on the Baseball Rule.

Changes over the years

Many changes in the game in recent decades have considerably increased the risks that foul balls pose to fans. Fans going to MLB games today are presently sitting around 20 percent closer to the field than they were even only 50 years prior. A lot of this change has happened in the course of the most recent 25 years, as a flood of new arenas have put fans nearer and nearer to the activity. At the same time, baseball players are tossing and hitting the ball harder than at any other time because of better quality and molding regimens. Therefore, foul balls are as regularly as possible hit into the stands at 110 miles for every hour or more. Fans may have just a couple of tenths of one moment to respond to an especially quick moving foul ball, now and again actually making it truly incomprehensible for an observer to stay away from damage. There isn’t much time to dodge a ball at those speeds. While these developments themselves undercut courts’ proceeded with dependence on the Baseball Rule, the teaching is additionally inconsistent with ongoing scholastic bits of knowledge in regards to the most productive portion of risk in tort claims, which include individual wounds. Courts and specialists logically comprehend that genuine commitment should be constrained on the social affair that is in the best circumstance to thwart the harm on the most functional reason. On account of foul balls and broken bats, there is little inquiry that the group itself is best situated to forestall these subsequent wounds. While fans will be unable to respond rapidly enough to maintain a strategic distance from damage, groups effectively can secure them through introducing progressively defensive netting. Without a doubt, at US$8,000 to $12,000 per 60 feet, the expense of such extra netting is a small detail for MLB with its yearly alliance incomes of over $10 billion. Likewise, that little cost fails to measure up to the medicinal expenses of genuine foul-ball damage, which can be as much $150,000 or more in therapeutic expenses. Amazingly, starting late MLB has asked its gatherings to have additional guarded netting with all the almost certain guarantee fans sitting near the field. Whatever happens, the manner in which that MLB itself has perceived that fans sitting in behind home plate are in grave danger of damage just serves to underscore how old-fashioned the Baseball Rule has become. Keep in mind that there is no assurance that they are doing what’s necessary to secure all fans sitting in high-chance zones.

Reduce injuries

The time has come for the people in the court system to give out with the Baseball Rule.I believe that courts should hold professional baseball teams liable whenever a fan is injured by a foul ball, giving teams a better incentive to provide the most effective level of possible protection. By forcing teams to reimburse spectators for their injuries, teams would be more likely to engage in a cost-benefit examination to decide whether the risk of injury in a particular section of seating outweighs the cost, including potential lost ticket sales of installing a net between fans and the playing field. In the most dangerous areas, groups will very likely establish that the advantages of extra screening exceed the expenses. In lower-chance segments, in any case, groups could choose to accommodate fans leaning toward an unhindered view on the field, on the understanding that the group would then be subject in the uncommon situation when a fan sitting in such a area continues damage. This season, in excess of 110 million fans are probably going to go to a baseball game. For a few thousand of these fans, there will most likely be damage caused by a foul ball or broken bat leaving the field of play. Courts and different legal teams can urge baseball crews to find a way to better shield onlookers from these injuries. They should in my opinion get rid of the Baseball Rule.

“This guy didn’t just come to play, but he came to beat ya,” said manager Leo Durocher a manger for Branch Rickey(“Jackie Robinson, History”). Jackie Robison was a very competitive person. He came to prove what he had to offer. With all the accomplishments he archive. And all the hardships he overcame. Jackie Robinson was a very big social activist. With many events that happened even before his baseball career. Jackie Robinson was the first African American to play in the MLB. Overcoming many diversities that came in his way Jackie Robinson is now a very well known social activist and a great baseball player. Jackie Robinson’s early life before pro baseball . how does he step out of the traditional bounds of society and why? What did they accomplish? How does society respond to them?

Robinson had a hard life being raised in the 1919s. Not only because of his racial differences. His father left his mother Mallie Robinson just about a year after Jackie was born. Leaving Mallie to take care of him and his 4 siblings fatherless growing up. With only one source of income coming in it left Jackie Robinson’s family in poverty growing up (Obias). This had an impact on Jackie because being raised in a time when Africans had little freedom and he didn’t have a father to support their family really left Jackie Robinson with unfair advantages compared to the other kids his age. In his city’s small black community were often excluded from recreational activities. But that didn’t stop him. Robinson attend UCLA in 1939. He was the first student to letter in four different sports in one year. He played football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was the star running back for UCLA, won a swimming championship, and a broad jump record during a track meet ( History.com Editors). Had to leave due to financial problems. Soon after college Jackie Robinson moved to Honolulu, Hawaii and played Semi Pro football for the Bears, but was cut due to World War II (“ Jackie Robinson, Biography”). Jackie Robinson went into the army from 1942-1944. He was the second lieutenant but never saw combat (Stone). In 1944 at boot camp in Texas, Jackie Robinson arrested for not giving up his seat and moving back in the segregated bus which made him stand out for getting picked for his baseball career (“ Jackie Robinson, Biography”). In his early Life Robinson was already making non traditional moves for being african american. How did Robinson step out of traditional views of society?

Robinson didn’t follow the tradition society expectations for an african american . It all started when Robinson made an all afican american league. In 1945, Jackie Robinson played starting shortstop for the Kanasa City Monarchs, one of the best negro teams in the league (York). This is not common because not many africans americans played in this league so this was very rare. But robinson kept doing things more out of the ordinary, in 1946 played Minor League Baseball for the Montreal Royals. One year later he was called to play for the brooklyn dodgers (ordias). In his first year on the Dodgers, Jackie Robinson batted .297, had 12 home runs, and led the league in stolen bases. At twenty-eight years old Jackie Robinson played first base which he was not used to playing, as he always played second and shortstop. He won the Rookie of the Year Award (“Jackie Robinson,Biography”). Doing so made him become even more of an icon because he was the first african american to play in the MLB. In 1956 Jackie Robinson quit to start his new careers and then soon become more of a social activist.

After Jackie went to the World Series 6 times at the age of 37 he eventually quit baseball to work for the American coffee company Chock Full O’ Nuts. Soon he was the first African American to be vice president of a major american corporation. ( Obias) Another one of Robinson’s first and was the start of breaking the color barrier in a major american corporations.. He became even more active as a vocal supporter of Martin Luther King Jr and the National Association Advancement of colored people. He was apart of the Albany Movement- by speaking to two back churches that burnt down in 1962. (York ). Did Jackie have any success with all these things he has done. With all these uncommon things Robinson did he had so many accomplishments.

After Jackie Robinson died, his number forty-two retired from every team in the MLB. In 2005, George W. Bush awarded him the Congressional Gold Medal, which is the highest medal of honor the US congress can give a civilian (“ York Kyle”).Elected to the Hall of Fame in 1962, his first year of eligibility. NAACP’s prestigious Spingarn Medal. Elected to throw out the first ball at the 1972 World Series. Honorary degree from the University of Maryland. Honorary degree from Franklin Pierce College Honorary degree from Sacred Heart University.Honorary degree from Pace University.Honorary degree from the Howard University. Citation from the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Two Friends Award of the National Urban League

With all the problem robinson had and achieved through his life he gives everyone something to remember and changes the way american baseball is and so much more beyond the sport. Jackie Robinson was an inspirational person who showed that black people can do just as much as white people. Even though Jackie Robinson suffered a lot of racial inequalities in his lifetime and career, he learned how to stick up for himself and the people he cared about. He kept doing the thing he loved, playing baseball. “ Babe Ruth changed the way baseball was played Jackie Robinson changed the way people looked at baseball. Jackie Robinson has not only changed the way people look at baseball, but has helped with racism.

Abstract

Oaklands A’s has a secret success story related to their most consecutive win in Baseball History. Michael Lewis owned a team with low budget of 38 Million Dollars and with poor management of team. General Manager Billy Beane with a high vision used statistical analysis along with Economist Peter Brand which lead them to win 20 Games back to back without spending huge amount of money behind players. Oakland A’s selected the best player according to the statistics of player with keeping high base percentage value .Oaklands A’s with this statistical technique created history with most back to back win in baseball.

Challenges for Oaklands A’s

Oaklands A’s were in the hands of General Manager Billy Bean and they were losing the matches at home in the best of five series because of low budget to the highest budget team of 120 Million dollars Yankees. Oaklands A’s lost all the best player because of the low pay roll to high pay roll team such as Yankees and Red Sox. Oakland A’s faced a big challenge when the were losing their top player Giambie and Jhonny Damon by 8 million dollars.

Oakland A’s did not have pitcher who can take up to the mark of winning the matches. Oakland A’s had problem in understanding their player capabilities and always lead to trade their good player in the hunt of win. Oakland A’s spending a money on unnecessary player which valued less then what they were getting as pay roll.

Oakland A’s always used quirky reason to take a player out from a team or trade them off Poor Management of the team also lead to failure to win the matches because they tried to get player regarding their social life. No statistical data was used by the team management to know proper form of a existing or trading player which lead them to lose matches.

How Oakland A’s had overcome challenges

General Manager Billy Beane used sabermetrics which was developed by James which changed the fortune of Oakland A’s. Billy Beane meeting up with the Peter Brand who was working for Cleveland Indians who was economist which helped Billy Beane to understand proper statistics of player.

Peter Brand Evaluated using 2000 player which helped Oakland A’s to select their top 25 player with low pay roll. After selecting player, they were still doing statistical analysis for trading of the existing player.

Oakland A’s selected a player with high on base percentage and low budget using Peter Brand mathematics and program. Oakland A’s selected 4 players which replaced Giambi, Isringhausen and Damon using on base value they were Jeremy, David Justice, Scott Hatterberg, Chad Bradford. As Oakland A’s faced problem of pitcher Chad Bradford was great finding who had unusual action which lead problem to batter to hit.

Oakland A’s major replacement did not work at the start which lead them to lose the matches which kept them at bottom of the table.

Outcome of Analytics

Analytics helped Oakland A’s to select top 25 player which would get fit into their low budget and get them a win. Oakland A’s made a change in their team using statistical analysis which lead them to win 7 in a row back to back series win in Boston and New York in Mid of June 2002. Oakland A’s wins made them to be ranked number one in the table.

Oakland A’s further replaced Pane and Jeremy based on recent analytics with Ricardo Rincon and Mabry to win further matches. Oakland A’s replacement helped them to win straight win 17 games which created history after 1953 as they were unstoppable to win further matches. On September 2004, created history of longest consecutive wins of 20 games when Hatterberg hits a home run which was almost took 103 years. 20th Consecutive game also made them to stand for elimination match, but statistical analysis did not played role in 2002 ALDS game which was elimination in which they lost as match against Minnesota Twins.

Reference

1. Sony Picture Entertainment (Firm) 2012
2. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/09/the-many-problems-with-moneyball/245769/
3. https://www.mx3metrics.com/blog/2016/3/14/moneyball-overcoming-resistance

When it comes to impact, Jack Roosevelt Robinson or as most call him Jackie Robinson is conceivably one the most historically important baseball players ever, ranking with legends such as Babe Ruth in terms of his influence on the national pastime. Ruth shifted the way baseball was played; Jackie Robinson shifted the thoughts and mindsets of people all across America. The first time Robinson entered the field as a Brooklyn Dodgers on April 15, 1947, more than sixty years of racial segregation in major-league baseball (MLB) came to an abrupt end. Jackie was the first African American player to compete in the Major Leagues in the twentieth century and went on to be the first to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame, the first to win the Most Valuable Player award, the first to win a batting title, and. He also won major-league baseball’s first-ever official Rookie of the Year award and was the first baseball player, to be placed on a United States postage stamp. Being the first African American to play in this league and to be decorated with so many accomplishments came with a lot of difficulties. Throughout his career, he faced racism, war, and people not wanting him to succeed. Within this essay, we will explore his life and how he was able to: combat racism, break the racial barrier and leave a legacy behind him.

Jackie Robinson was born on January 31, 1919, in Cairo, Georgia. Jackie was the youngest of 5 children. He was four older brothers and an older sister. Jackie came from an impoverished family. His mother and father, Jerry and Mallie were sharecroppers until his father deserted the family when Jackie was only six months old. After his father left, his mother did what she could in order to move the family to California. The family traveled by train to Pasadena, California, in 1920 when Jackie was only 14 months old. His mother maintained a steady job as a domestic worker in order to pay bills. She would often bring home leftover food from the houses she cleaned in order to feed him and his siblings. With the assistance of a welfare agency, his mother was then able to purchase a home in a mainly Caucasian Pasadena neighborhood. Upon his family’s arrival, neighbors immediately petitioned to get rid of the newcomers and even offered to buy them out. When those efforts failed the Robinson family was harassed for years after. The Robinson boys often had to fight to defend themselves, and at a young age, Jackie was involved in his fair share of fights with local white children and even had some run-ins with law enforcement.

People noticed Jackie’s athletic talent at a very age. Following in the footsteps of his brother who was also a great athlete and a famous track runner Jackie excelled in just more than one sport. Throughout high school, he played basketball, baseball, football, and also track and field. Having to share the running back duties with Kenny Washington, “who later became one of the first black men to play in the National Football League”, according to Sports Weekly, “Jackie averaged 11-plus yards per carrying as a junior. According to Sports Weekly referred to him as ‘the greatest ball carrier on the gridiron today.” As a basketball player, Jackie was the head Pacific Coast Conference in scoring as a junior and as a senior. Because of his outstanding achievements in these sports, he was given the opportunity to attend the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Here, in school, Jackie Robinson excelled in sports also.

Jackie Robinson has been fighting against racism his entire life. In 1938, while still in junior college, he was arrested after disputing the police’s holdings of one of his friends. He managed to escape a long jail sentence, but this and other run-ins with the police earned him a reputation of being very open and combative against racial oppression. Despite being a world-renowned athlete, and dominating in any sport he played, he was still black. After leaving college for financial reasons, Robinson played in Honolulu for a Hawaiian football team. Upon his return home from Hawaii shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Robinson was drafted into the United States Army in 1942. He was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, where he was originally denied entry into Officer Candidate School although he did have a college background. Luckily for Jackie fellow soldier, and boxer Joe Louis, who was also stationed at that same base, managed to get the decision revisited and reversed. Yet, Jackie was not allowed to play on the segregated camp baseball team. Which, according to a Sporting New article “infuriated him so much that he refused to play on the football team even when superior officers pressured him to do so.” After OCS, Robinson was used as a morale officer for the African American troops and won concessions for them that angered a few in command. After being relocated to Fort Hood, Texas, Jackie continued to stir up controversy. Jackie disobeyed a white bus driver’s command to move to the back of the bus ‘where the coloreds belonged.’ When the leaders of the base wherein support of the driver, Robinson objected. facing a dishonorable discharge. Jackie ended up winning the case, but the quickly sent him out with an honorable discharge.

Jackie Robinson’s negative clashes with white authority in the military led to his rise to the top of Branch Rickey’s list of people that could be used to break baseball’s color barrier. Rickey, the head of baseball’s desegregation, was a part-owner, general manager, and president of the Brooklyn Dodgers. Rickey’s scouts had been searching the Negro Leagues for major-league talent to break the unwritten agreement to banned blacks from participating in the Major Leagues. Rickey was able to quietly pull Jackie from a club team in Montreal to the parent team, the Brooklyn Dodgers. April 15, 1947, was Robinson’s first major-league game: ‘It was the most eagerly anticipated debut in the annals of the national pastime,’ wrote Robert Lipsyte and Pete Levine in Idols of the Game. ‘It represented both the dream and the fear of equal opportunity, and it would change forever the complexion of the game and the attitudes of Americans.’ In the World Series, Jackie and his teammates lost to the Yankees in a seven-game series. This 1947 season was the first in which the full membership of the Baseball Writers Association of America selected a Rookie of the Year, and Robinson beat Larry Jansen of the New York Giants for the award.

On January 22, 1957, Robinson’s announced his retirement from baseball in an article in Look magazine, in which he took a few parting shots at the few segregated teams that remained in the majors. Jackie had actually decided to retire before he was dealt with the Giants, but couldn’t say anything earlier because of the deal he had with Look. The Giants reportedly offered him $60,000 to stay. He thought played with the idea of staying until Brooklyn general manager Buzzy Bavasi publicly Stated that “Robinson was just trying to use the magazine article to get a better contract.” This led to Robinson’s decision to prove the Dodgers wrong and declined the Giants’ offer. Though Robinson’s career as a major-league baseball player was over, he was not about to retire from being in the spotlight. He was hired as the chairman of the Board of Freedom National Bank, founded to provide loans and banking services for minority members who were largely being ignored by established banks. He was also a vice president and served at the Chock full o’Nuts coffee company. He authored several autobiographical works and hosted a radio show.

Conclusion

Though Robinson was scorned by some of his teammates, was harassed by enemy bench jockeys, and received a steady diet of fastballs close to his head; he faithfully abided by his promise to Rickey to turn the other cheek. Even when veteran outfielder Enos ‘Country’ Slaughter of the Cardinals appeared to deliberately try to maim him with his spikes in an August 20 game at Ebbets Field, Jackie didn’t retaliate. Robinson did what he could to break the racial barrier in the major league in order to pave the way for African American baseball players after him. Jackie Robinson did not let racial tension get to him. He made his life bigger than just baseball and left a legacy behind him. Jackie Robinson as he began to age gave out early. Diabetes and heart disease weakened him and he was almost blind in middle age. On October 24, 1972, he died of a heart attack at 53. In 1997, baseball dedicated the season to Robinson on the 50th anniversary of his debut.

References

1. Frommer, Harvey. Rickey & Robinson: The Men Who Broke Baseball’s Color Barrier. New York: Macmillan, 1982.
2. Marshall, William. Baseball’s Pivotal Era 1945-51. Lexington: University Press of Kentucky, 1999.
3. Ardolino, Frank, ‘Jackie Robinson and the 1941 Honolulu Bears.’ The National Pastime, SABR, 1995.
4. The Sporting News, November 1, 1945.
5. New York Daily News, July 20, 1972.