Is $15,000 per year a 'living wage'? This rich boomer thinks so (minor league pay)

[teach1st]

Is $15,000 per year a ‘living wage’? This rich boomer thinks so
Deadspin, 7/20/2022

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, a man who makes $17.5 million a year, told minor leaguers to shut up and be grateful this week amidst calls for a living wage for professional players who haven’t yet been called up.

Okay, he didn’t phrase it like that, but he did tell reporters that he “kind of rejects the premise of the question that minor league players are not paid a living wage.”

In 2021, minor league salaries were raised so that minor leaguers now make between $400 and $700 a week along with provided housing. Before the raise, they made between $290 and $502 a week without housing. Minor league players are only paid during the regular season — not spring training, not any postseason games, and not any offseason workouts — which means that they’ll usually make between $4,800 and $14,700 from the sport each year. Players are paid by their affiliated teams, not the league as a whole, but the league sets the minimum salary.

MLB classifies them as seasonal workers, which allows them to be paid below minimum wage. Obviously, most need second and third jobs to supplement this income, but it can be a real challenge to work around a full-time in-season game schedule while keeping other forms of employment.

https://deadspin.com/is-15-000-per-year-a-living-wage-this-rich-boomer-t-1849210371

[Lovie777]

1. Not in California . ....

[patricia92243]

2. People making $15k yearly don't get home with that much to live on. $15k is

the gross. The net is what they actually have to buy groceries, pay for heat. etc.

[jimfields33]

3. They are provided housing

That means the 15K is spending money. I’d love my profession to Pay for housing. In fact, the military are paid crap wages but nobody has done any stories on them.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

5. I don't know if they're providing housing year-round

I know they are during the season. Knowing how stingy Manfred and the owners are, I'd be shocked if they were providing offseason housing.

And of course the $15,000 (which is basically the high amount) is only being paid during the season. They're on their own to bring in income during the offseason.

And yes. You're right. The military are paid crap wages... Which I also wish would be addressed.

Too many people in "the richest country on Earth" are paid crap wages. A pretty fucked up situation when we have so many billionaires while others get crap wages.

[IngridsLittleAngel]

4. No. It's not enough.

Especially considering that minor leagues are paid only during the season. So along with their meager pay, that's six months out of the year they aren't paid at all.

Considering the revenue that MLB is bringing in, there is more than enough to pay minor leaguers. But then again, some of the owners would be more than happy to not pay major leaguers as well. So of course they couldn't care less about paying the minor league players.

My guess is the more pressure that's put on Manfred (Fuck Rob Manfred!), the more he and the owners will do to burn down the minor leagues. They already eliminated 1/4 of the teams in the last couple of years. I absolutely could see them doing more of the same if they're forced to pay these players a living wage.

There's something very, very wrong when some greedy asshole making $17.5 million a year thinks "$4,800-14,700 a year is enough." That means at most they see a few thousand more than I receive in Social Security/SSI, with many players making less than I do.

I'm tired of the greedy assholes running baseball.