Major League Baseball to Provide for Minor League Players







For the first time in Major League Baseball history, teams must provide housing for minor league players. 





A majority of baseball players signed to contracts do not get bonuses. They’re players that have just enough talent to be recognized. Teams sign many right out of high school. 





Those players have had to subsist on roughly $15,000 a year that Major League Baseball pays them.





They’ve had to hustle and grind for day-to-day living expenses. 





Many have to work side gigs outside of the game. In the offseason, they have to pay more attention to staying financially afloat. Players have to stay in shape and find proper nutrition.





Minor league baseball players usually have to scrape by on junk food and sleep on an air mattress. 





If the players are nursing injuries, it’s up to them to rehabilitate the damage. Most players have no access to healthcare when they can barely pay rent.





Speaking of rent, players have to share living accommodations. A recent ESPN article told the stories of players who lived six to a two-bedroom apartment and how some players lived in vans. 





Which brings up the fear and anxiety that most players feel about living conditions. They also deal with the tenuous grip they have on their career. 





Players live below the poverty line in a profession that demands high standards. There is always someone that wants to take your job. It’s not the best for that player's mental state. 





Alcoholism and depression result in pulling away from family. 





The support system the player had while pursuing the dream gets neglected. The dream can become a nightmare fast. It’s difficult for athletes to share their self perceived failure. 





It’s too early to tell how much Major League Baseball will contribute. 





Estimates, per Baseball Prospectus, are that if teams would pay current minor league players $50,000 a year, provide housing, pay in season meals and fly teams to road games instead of using buses, it would cost $16 million per season in an industry where the owners are worth $75 billion. 





Major League Baseball owners are business executives. They say that their teams are family. Outside of the sport, they wouldn’t treat their employees this way. They wouldn’t treat their families this way. 





If you respect the game, the game will pay you back. Every player hears that from coaches as they work toward their goal. It’s time that teams respect the players they sign. The players will pay them back. 


Photo by Wade Austin Ellis on Unsplash


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