The article linked below is a must read. One comment nailed it
http://camdendepot.blogspot.tw/2018/03/baseball-booms-minor-leaguers-still.html?m=1
“This is a great post. I want to hone in on one statement you made and connect it to the concerns about baseball’s inability to attract black players.
You write, “Based on unpublished research, the typical minor league baseball player comes from a white, upper middle class home and by the age of thirty has half the earning potential and assets as a similar person from the same background that did not go into baseball.”
Many of the white, upper middle-class players are able to pursue the dream because they are getting support from mom and dad. In other words, their family is sending them spending money, letting them drive their old car, helping them line up a decent job in the off-season, etc.
Players whose families don’t have money – which would mean lower-middle and working-class players of any racial background, disproportionately black players – are less likely to choose minor-league baseball or to stick with it. If they are American citizens, then they almost certainly have better options. You could make more money and better provide for your family even in relatively low-prestige jobs like restaurant service, for example.
Immigrant players are a bit different calculus. You maybe don’t have a better option as a poor kid from the Dominican Republic or Venezuela. So they’re more like to struggle through the minors.
But basically, if baseball genuinely wanted to attract a more diverse set of players, they would pay better in the minor leagues.”
Minor league pay has significantly declined when adjusted for inflation since 1976. Its increase of 75% is far less than inflation (330%)
As for minimum wage. Its been awhile since the last imcrease (2009). About due for another. CPI already understates inflation, but minimum wage does not even track that. 2.30 in 1976 is 9.90 today if adjusted by CPI. More reasonable measures probably double that.
Looking at the economics, the link above mentions minor league attendance at 41 million and average MLB team pays 1.1 million in minor league salaries (presumably non 40 man roster players) . Doing the math on 5 bucks a ticket plus concessions, advertising , milb.tv and minor league players are taking a pretty good haircut.
Granted, perhaps 20% of players take in significant bonuses of 100K or more, but the majority receive bonuses of 2500 or less per a THT article
Only 10% of minor leaguers ever make MLB and many of them don't ever reach arbitration and make more than the minimum. As indicated above - by age 30 the average minor leaguer who never made MLB has assets and future earning potential less than half that of a person who did not pursue baseball a career.
I guess we should ask are the economic obstacles MLB imposes on poor and low income athletes who wish to be baseball players , so as to earn more profits and which may disproportionately affect African Americans, any worse than those teams in the 1950's who did not wish to bear the higher operational costs of scouting and logistical expenses in signing and developing of African American players?