Ongoing CBA negotiations

[smg58]

A big part of the problem is that it is common knowledge what players get paid -- and oh boy, do they get paid -- but what the teams take in is not common knowledge. 

So if the last agreement expires, and the owners impose a work stoppage, at what point is the non-disclosure agreement for the teams' books no longer in effect?  That would be a ticking time bomb that gives the players some leverage.  That, and nobody likes billionaires right now.

And while the Angels are a big-market team, the fact that a perennial non-contender just got purchased for $4 billion should tell people something about the value that teams have.  

[Gwreck]

1 minute ago, smg58 said:

And while the Angels are a big-market team, the fact that a perennial non-contender just got purchased for $4 billion should tell people something about the value that teams have.  

Not only the $4B number but also that it’s been less than 6 years since Cohen purchased the Mets for half that amount.  Franchise values are tremendous and continually going up.

[Edgy MD]

A big part of that is because of the artificial scarcity in the marketplace caused by letting MLB operate as a cartel.

If I can't buy a Major League baseball team, I can't just start a club without permission from the other clubs.  I have to wait a generation for one to come on the market.  If I'm particular about which one I want, I will likely have to wait a few generations, and even then, I need permission from the other clubs to buy in.

Part of the reason we have this malicious disaster of a presidency is because nobody would let the guy buy an NFL football team like he really wanted.

So, yeah, an attractive, ego-boosting commodity controlled by artificial scarcity is going to lead to spiking prices.  And whether or not those purchases are profitable as enterprises, they remain a good investment because of those ever-increasing values lead to real equity pouring into your life.

It's sort of like the alpaca business on a large scale.