Saving Baseball from a Global Crisis
IKEI Masaru / Emeritus Professor at Keio University
February 20, 2001
When Alex Rodriguez sealed a 10-year, $252 million deal with the Texas Rangers that made him the highest-paid professional athlete in history, news was made not only in America but all over the world. A commotion was caused in 1930 when the phenomenally talented and wildly popular Babe Ruth signed a contract with the New York Yankees that gave him $80,000 a year, paying him more than President Herbert Hoover, who earned $75,000. But $80,000 in 1930is equivalent to less than $800,000 today, which would not even rank Ruth among the 20 highest paid players in today's Major Leagues.
What set off this explosion of salaries in the Major Leagues was the advent of free agency in 1976. Under the free agency system, once a player has been in the majors for six years, he qualifies to become a free agent and can negotiate with any team. Rich franchises handed out lucrative multiyear contracts to talented free agents one after another. Sports agents, negotiating on behalf of players, took hard-nosed stances as they went from team to team fishing for better offers.
The result of free agency is that salaries have skyrocketed. In 1975, the last year before free agency, the league minimum salary was $16,000, and the average salary was $44,675. But by 2000, the minimum had grown to $200,000 while the average jumped to a whopping $1.9 million. It is only a matter of time before the average salary goes over the $2 million mark.
The high salaries of the players have changed not only the Major Leagues but baseball all over the world. Wealthy teams in major media markets collect good players and become stronger and stronger. But small-market franchises continue to decline. Unable to depend on television and advertising revenue, they lose their stars to free agency and are unable to attract talented new players.
Major League teams have recently expanded their overseas recruiting efforts from Latin America to include Asia as well. While it is only natural that players from poorer Latin American countries would want to play in America, Japanese players crossing the Pacific one after another is a problem. When Ichiro Suzuki, winner of seven consecutive batting titles in Japan's Pacific League, joins the Seattle Mariners, it is understandable.
But when a largely unproven player like Tsuyoshi Shinjo turns down a reported $3 million from a Japanese team and signs with the New York Mets for $200,000, the effect is a repudiation of Japanese baseball. If a player of Shinjo's caliber can succeed in the Major Leagues, we may well see an exodus of Japanese talent.
If things continue along this path, Japanese baseball will become nothing more than a farm system for the Major Leagues. The same thing happened to Russian hockey, which lost its vigor when all of the skilled players moved to the NHL in North America. Taiwan and South Korea may also see themselves become hunting grounds for talent-hungry Major League clubs.
If this happens, all the best players will become concentrated in America. Higher salaries will jack up ticket prices, though, and only rich teams will be able to win. These two factors will combine to drive fans away. The idea of a baseball "World Cup" that has been floated recently notwithstanding, baseball enjoys nowhere near the popularity worldwide of soccer. Because of a low level of interest, there were even some calls to remove baseball as an Olympic sport.
Based on these circumstances, the time has come for the position of World Baseball Commissioner to be established, allowing him or her to make decisions on what is best for the game from a global perspective.
The writer is an Emeritus Professor at Keio University. He has written a number of books and articles on baseball.
What set off this explosion of salaries in the Major Leagues was the advent of free agency in 1976. Under the free agency system, once a player has been in the majors for six years, he qualifies to become a free agent and can negotiate with any team. Rich franchises handed out lucrative multiyear contracts to talented free agents one after another. Sports agents, negotiating on behalf of players, took hard-nosed stances as they went from team to team fishing for better offers.
The result of free agency is that salaries have skyrocketed. In 1975, the last year before free agency, the league minimum salary was $16,000, and the average salary was $44,675. But by 2000, the minimum had grown to $200,000 while the average jumped to a whopping $1.9 million. It is only a matter of time before the average salary goes over the $2 million mark.
The high salaries of the players have changed not only the Major Leagues but baseball all over the world. Wealthy teams in major media markets collect good players and become stronger and stronger. But small-market franchises continue to decline. Unable to depend on television and advertising revenue, they lose their stars to free agency and are unable to attract talented new players.
Major League teams have recently expanded their overseas recruiting efforts from Latin America to include Asia as well. While it is only natural that players from poorer Latin American countries would want to play in America, Japanese players crossing the Pacific one after another is a problem. When Ichiro Suzuki, winner of seven consecutive batting titles in Japan's Pacific League, joins the Seattle Mariners, it is understandable.
But when a largely unproven player like Tsuyoshi Shinjo turns down a reported $3 million from a Japanese team and signs with the New York Mets for $200,000, the effect is a repudiation of Japanese baseball. If a player of Shinjo's caliber can succeed in the Major Leagues, we may well see an exodus of Japanese talent.
If things continue along this path, Japanese baseball will become nothing more than a farm system for the Major Leagues. The same thing happened to Russian hockey, which lost its vigor when all of the skilled players moved to the NHL in North America. Taiwan and South Korea may also see themselves become hunting grounds for talent-hungry Major League clubs.
If this happens, all the best players will become concentrated in America. Higher salaries will jack up ticket prices, though, and only rich teams will be able to win. These two factors will combine to drive fans away. The idea of a baseball "World Cup" that has been floated recently notwithstanding, baseball enjoys nowhere near the popularity worldwide of soccer. Because of a low level of interest, there were even some calls to remove baseball as an Olympic sport.
Based on these circumstances, the time has come for the position of World Baseball Commissioner to be established, allowing him or her to make decisions on what is best for the game from a global perspective.
The writer is an Emeritus Professor at Keio University. He has written a number of books and articles on baseball.
The English-Speaking Union of Japan
Baseballの世界的危機を救おう
池井 優 / 慶應義塾大学名誉教授
2001年 2月 20日
Alex RodriguezがTexas Raugersと10年契約＄252 millionの契約を結んだとのニュースはスポーツ選手が締結した史上最高の額だけにアメリカのみならず、世界中の話題をさらった。1930年、当時実力、人気とも抜群であったBabe RuthがYankeesと年俸＄80,000で契約、Hoover大統領の＄75,000を上回ると騒がれたが、当時の＄80,000も今日では＄800,000に過ぎず、今日の大リーガーの高額所得者トップ20にも入らない。
大リーガーの年俸が急騰したのは、1976年に発足したFree agencyにある。6年間大リーグでプレーすればfreeとなってどこの球団とも交渉できるsystemができたため、金持ち球団はfree agentとなった有力選手を高い契約金と複数年契約で次々と手に入れた。条件の釣り上げにはやり手の代理人（Sports agent）がタフな交渉と駆け引きを各球団と行った。
その結果、1975年に最低＄16,000、平均＄44,675であった大リーガーの平均年俸はスカイロケットのように上昇、2000年には最低でも＄200,000、平均で＄1,895,630にいたり、＄2,000,000を突破するのは時間の問題だ。
選手サラリーの高騰は大リーグ、いや世界の野球を変えた。財政に余裕のある球団はいい選手を集めてますます強くなり、小都市をフランチャイズとし、ＴＶ放映権料、広告収入も期待できない弱小球団は有力選手にはfree agency systemを利用されて出ていかれ、有望な若手も入団しようとせず、ますます弱体化する。
そして、大リーグの手は、中南米からアジアにまで伸びた。生活の格差の大きい中南米諸国からアメリカに渡るのは当然としても、アジアの野球王国日本から続々と選手が太平洋を超えはじめたのは問題だ。７年連続首位打者のIchiro SuzukiがMarinersに入団したのは理解できるが、日本球界であまり実績のない新庄剛志（Tsuyoshi Shinjo）が＄3,000,000といわれる日本の球団の申し出を断って、＄200,000でMetsと契約したのは、日本野球への愛想づかしの結果である。新庄クラスが大リーグで成功すれば、日本の選手は続々と後に続くであろう。
このままでは、日本野球は大リーグのファーム化する。丁度有力選手が皆アメリカとカナダに移り、火が消えたようになったロシアのアイスホッケーと同じようになる。韓国も台湾も大リーグの草刈り場と化そう。
そうなると、世界の野球のバランスはアメリカの一極集中となる。年俸の高騰は入場料の値上げにつながり、金持ちチームのみが勝つのでは二重の意味でファン離れを招く。野球のWorld Cup構想が浮上してきたとはいえ、サッカーに較べ、世界における野球の普及はまだまだである。関心度の低さにオリンピック種目から野球をはずせとの声すらある。
この状況を踏まえて、World Baseball Commissionerの就任とその世界的視野に立っての英断を期待したい。
（筆者は慶應義塾大学名誉教授。野球に関する著書多数。）
大リーガーの年俸が急騰したのは、1976年に発足したFree agencyにある。6年間大リーグでプレーすればfreeとなってどこの球団とも交渉できるsystemができたため、金持ち球団はfree agentとなった有力選手を高い契約金と複数年契約で次々と手に入れた。条件の釣り上げにはやり手の代理人（Sports agent）がタフな交渉と駆け引きを各球団と行った。
その結果、1975年に最低＄16,000、平均＄44,675であった大リーガーの平均年俸はスカイロケットのように上昇、2000年には最低でも＄200,000、平均で＄1,895,630にいたり、＄2,000,000を突破するのは時間の問題だ。
選手サラリーの高騰は大リーグ、いや世界の野球を変えた。財政に余裕のある球団はいい選手を集めてますます強くなり、小都市をフランチャイズとし、ＴＶ放映権料、広告収入も期待できない弱小球団は有力選手にはfree agency systemを利用されて出ていかれ、有望な若手も入団しようとせず、ますます弱体化する。
そして、大リーグの手は、中南米からアジアにまで伸びた。生活の格差の大きい中南米諸国からアメリカに渡るのは当然としても、アジアの野球王国日本から続々と選手が太平洋を超えはじめたのは問題だ。７年連続首位打者のIchiro SuzukiがMarinersに入団したのは理解できるが、日本球界であまり実績のない新庄剛志（Tsuyoshi Shinjo）が＄3,000,000といわれる日本の球団の申し出を断って、＄200,000でMetsと契約したのは、日本野球への愛想づかしの結果である。新庄クラスが大リーグで成功すれば、日本の選手は続々と後に続くであろう。
このままでは、日本野球は大リーグのファーム化する。丁度有力選手が皆アメリカとカナダに移り、火が消えたようになったロシアのアイスホッケーと同じようになる。韓国も台湾も大リーグの草刈り場と化そう。
そうなると、世界の野球のバランスはアメリカの一極集中となる。年俸の高騰は入場料の値上げにつながり、金持ちチームのみが勝つのでは二重の意味でファン離れを招く。野球のWorld Cup構想が浮上してきたとはいえ、サッカーに較べ、世界における野球の普及はまだまだである。関心度の低さにオリンピック種目から野球をはずせとの声すらある。
この状況を踏まえて、World Baseball Commissionerの就任とその世界的視野に立っての英断を期待したい。
（筆者は慶應義塾大学名誉教授。野球に関する著書多数。）
一般社団法人 日本英語交流連盟