OT: MLS Player Said American MLS Players Are "Underpaid"..

[sawchuk1971]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/dc-united/story/3944171/rooney-says-us-players-in-mls-are-underpaid

D.C. United striker Wayne Rooney has said that American players in Major League Soccer do not get paid enough.

The former Manchester United striker told ESPN FC in an exclusive interview that his U.S. teammates do not earn enough money, calling for team owners and league officials to increase wages in the next collective bargaining agreement.

"I feel that American players get underpaid," he said. "I feel they deserve to get more money to stay in line with football in the rest of the world and in terms of the American sports.

The existing collective bargaining agreement is due to expire on Jan. 31, 2020, with players previously threatening to strike if changes are not made to salaries, travel accommodations and more freedom of movement between MLS clubs when contracts expire.

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[TheMoreYouKnow]

That doesnt make a ton of sense. Rooney may suffer from some misconceptions regarding the quality of MLS and its position in the pecking order of international soccer.

 

[tarheelhockey]

That doesnt make a ton of sense. Rooney may suffer from some misconceptions regarding the quality of MLS and its position in the pecking order of international soccer.

I wonder if he's primarily talking about the lower-paid players. It's amazing that there are still so many guys in MLS with $50,000 salaries. The average AHL'er makes $90K.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

I wonder if he's primarily talking about the lower-paid players. It's amazing that there are still so many guys in MLS with $50,000 salaries. The average AHL'er makes $90K.

The thing is that there are so many professional soccer jobs available in comparison to pretty much all other sports. I imagine the guys who are good enough to land a gig in a European league or one of the better Latin American ones would have no shortage of offers and could go there. If such offers arent there then you probably aren't good enough and your leverage is non-existent. Its not like 50k is a poor mans salary. If its not enough, quit soccer and get a real job to make more.

 

[powerstuck]

Then again, soccer is the only sport where team A pays team B hundreds of millions of dollars to trade them a player...and usual the player doesn't get much if anything of that fee.

 

[tarheelhockey]

The thing is that there are so many professional soccer jobs available in comparison to pretty much all other sports. I imagine the guys who are good enough to land a gig in a European league or one of the better Latin American ones would have no shortage of offers and could go there. If such offers arent there then you probably aren't good enough and your leverage is non-existent. Its not like 50k is a poor mans salary. If its not enough, quit soccer and get a real job to make more.

$50K isn't poverty, but in NYC or LA you're gonna be sharing an apartment on that kind of income. For guys playing in the top domestic soccer league, the one with a national TV contract and 22000 average attendance, it's shocking that they're getting paid like a plumber.

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Well in 2006 the BBC reported the average salary of a 3rd tier player in England was 68k in Pound Sterling which would have been 115k in US$. Salaries have inflated dramatically since then so it is likely significantly more now. In 2017 it was reported that a German 2nd tier player makes on average about 450k.

If you aren't good enough to get a gig at that level you are a marginal professional and being a plumber instead might not be the worst idea.

 

[TheWhiskeyThief]

I wonder if he's primarily talking about the lower-paid players. It's amazing that there are still so many guys in MLS with $50,000 salaries. The average AHL'er makes $90K.

Considering that most AHLers are on their ELC and that maxes out at $70k, I’d be hard pressed to believe that other 5 players can skew the average that high.

But anyways, American MLS players are underpaid because most of them are fungible and even the ones who aren’t have limited opportunities abroad.

Unless you are in the NT program or eligible for U.K. passport, super tough to get a U.K. work visa. Anyplace else you have language & cultural issues and EU leagues only looking to poach top level players.

Meanwhile in MLS, they can get a CONCACAF regular on the cheap. The clubs don’t have enough dates and TV money to pay a designated player *and* take care of the squad all that well.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Considering that most AHLers are on their ELC and that maxes out at $70k, I’d be hard pressed to believe that other 5 players can skew the average that high.

Source:

Minor league hockey players benefit from NHL relationship

 

[TheWhiskeyThief]

Source:

Minor league hockey players benefit from NHL relationship

When Wade Redden entered the Hartford locker room, the average Wolf Pack salary went from $70k to $566k

When Redden got sent down, the average league salary would almost double.

 

[cptjeff]

When Wade Redden entered the Hartford locker room, the average Wolf Pack salary went from $70k to $566k

When Redden got sent down, the average league salary would almost double.

Yeah, averages are skewed to hell with the NHLers being buried for cap or performance reasons. I'd imagine Scott Darling threw the Charlotte average way out of whack, too.

MLS players play for a minor league and get minor league pay. Sure, they should try to get a revenue split like the NHL has or something of that ilk- but c'mon. Players play there because they can't get a better job. It's the single A of soccer.

 

[Blackhawkswincup]

I wonder if he's primarily talking about the lower-paid players. It's amazing that there are still so many guys in MLS with $50,000 salaries. The average AHL'er makes $90K.

MLS players play 34 games (And then a few playoff games potentially)
AHL players play 82 games (And then playoffs potentially)

I would say you cant compare MLS and AHL salaries

Also MLS is so far down on soccer pecking order while AHL is top developmental league in hockey

 

[tarheelhockey]

Yeah, averages are skewed to hell with the NHLers being buried for cap or performance reasons. I'd imagine Scott Darling threw the Charlotte average way out of whack, too.

MLS players play for a minor league and get minor league pay. Sure, they should try to get a revenue split like the NHL has or something of that ilk- but c'mon. Players play there because they can't get a better job. It's the single A of soccer.

MLS players play 34 games (And then a few playoff games potentially)
AHL players play 82 games (And then playoffs potentially)

I would say you cant compare MLS and AHL salaries

Also MLS is so far down on soccer pecking order while AHL is top developmental league in hockey

To both:

It's more about the top-heaviness of the salary structure than about the caliber of soccer. As far as I can tell, the players as a whole are paid fairly. The average MLS salary is almost exactly what it would be if the players had a 50% share of revenue.

But that average is some 7x larger than the minimum salary, and about 15% of the league is on minimum salary or very close to it. So you've got about 1 out of every 7 players playing on a very small fraction of average revenue, while the top paid players are rapidly approaching NHL-level salaries. Whether that is fair or not is a philosophical question, but it does point to a potential sense of underpayment from a large number of players.

 

[Hivemind]

When Wade Redden entered the Hartford locker room, the average Wolf Pack salary went from $70k to $566k

When Redden got sent down, the average league salary would almost double.

This is why you use median, not mean.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Considering that most AHLers are on their ELC and that maxes out at $70k, I’d be hard pressed to believe that other 5 players can skew the average that high.

Top paid players on the Grand Rapids Griffins:
Chris Terry - 425,000
Matt Puempel - 375,000
Brian Lashoff - 275,000
Dylan McIlrath - 275,000
Turner Elson - 175,000
Joe Hicketts - 115,000

Those guys bring the Griffs average to over 115k.

 

[tarheelhockey]

Top paid players on the Grand Rapids Griffins:
Chris Terry - 425,000
Matt Puempel - 375,000
Brian Lashoff - 275,000
Dylan McIlrath - 275,000
Turner Elson - 175,000
Joe Hicketts - 115,000

Those guys bring the Griffs average to over 115k.

Mother of god, Chris Terry still makes almost half a mil? The guy has had one call-up in three years.

No wonder the MLS players are feeling put out.

 

[DoyleG]

Mother of god, Chris Terry still makes almost half a mil? The guy has had one call-up in three years.

No wonder the MLS players are feeling put out.

Maybe he's good enough that the Griffs wanted an effective player on their team.

 

[cptjeff]

To both:

It's more about the top-heaviness of the salary structure than about the caliber of soccer. As far as I can tell, the players as a whole are paid fairly. The average MLS salary is almost exactly what it would be if the players had a 50% share of revenue.

But that average is some 7x larger than the minimum salary, and about 15% of the league is on minimum salary or very close to it. So you've got about 1 out of every 7 players playing on a very small fraction of average revenue, while the top paid players are rapidly approaching NHL-level salaries. Whether that is fair or not is a philosophical question, but it does point to a potential sense of underpayment from a large number of players.

And those top salaries are being paid because for MLS to be a viable product, they need to keep a few marketable names around as stars so American fans don't realize just how terrible the average quality of the league really is.