For the Love of the Game..."Not for Profit" professional baseball players who need your help.

US $428m...Mike Trout

US $330m...Bryce Harper

US $300m...Manny Machado...and so it goes.

Within a matter of weeks earlier this year, three young superstars had broken all records for US professional sports contracts and reset the benchmark for the potential that lies within Major League Baseball for truly elite players. In fact, the trio of young sluggers (none of whom are yet to celebrate their 28th birthday) were just the latest in a RICH history of mega-contracts in MLB, awarding 10 of the 11 richest contracts in sports history to baseball players.

So, why are these guys getting so much money? And why isn't every aspiring athlete rushing out to buy a glove and start earning these millions?

The answer to the first question is that it is largely a numbers game. Baseball (specifically MLB) plays a 162 game regular-season each year in a schedule that dwarfs any other professional code by a considerable margin. Consider for a minute attendance (aka "$$$") and in 2017 MLB single-handedly outstripped the combined attendance of the NFL, NBA, NHL, AFL, NRL and Super Rugby combined! While there are plenty of concerns within baseball circles as the sport fights to maintain its once exclusive mantle as "America's Pastime" (attendance dropped below 70 million for first time in 15 years last season) the sheer popularity of competing codes still can't match it with the overall quantity of content pumped out by the 30 MLB clubs.

Take the NFL's highest drawing franchise, the Dallas Cowboys. This juggernaut last season averaged 91,619 fans to their home games at AT&T Stadium. While that average rivals the biggest crowds we ever see in Australia (even for some AFL Grand Finals and SOO games); Jerry Jones' Cowboys couldn't even match baseball's Miami Marlins for turnstile total over the course of the season. The Marlins were baseball's worst attended team by a margin of almost 30% and yet still managed to outgun the Cowboys 811,104 to 732,958 last year. Just one more home game would have done it for Jones, but alas he only gets eight NFL games in Texas, compared with the 81 the Marlins' part-owner Derek Jeter (himself the recipient of over $265M in career earnings) gets in South Florida.

Now this isn't intended to be an in-depth dissection of professional sports economies overall and (before you start abusing the comments section) I know that the NFL TV contracts, and NBA licensing deals, and Premier League merchandise sales are billion dollar industries in their own rights. What I am simply pointing out is that by volume alone, baseball lends itself to these kind of mega-deals. Combined with a relatively long average contract length (10+ years in some cases) and these baseball contracts work out in the favour of the teams over time, even in the case of diminishing on-field performances.

SO...to the second question: If the economies of MLB teams seemingly will allow 9-figure contracts to continue for the foreseeable future, why aren't more young athletes gravitating towards baseball? Here again, we should consider a few select numbers...

Calling yourself a "professional baseball player" is a broadly defined term. There are tens of thousands (myself included) who've been able to lay claim to this moniker at one time or another by occasionally collecting a pay cheque for plying our wares on the diamond. Like most things in life however, the devil is in the detail. You see while the word "professional" in and of itself is technically correct, more often than not it is not 9-figure mega-deals, but 6-figure "salaries" (a term I use loosely) pro ballplayers are pulling down...and I am including two decimal places!

For those unfamiliar with the hierarchy of professional baseball, the clumsy analogy I often draw upon is acting. Coming from a family of thespians, I am acutely aware of the feast and famine nature of show business and if you've spent any amount of time in Los Angeles, New York, London or even Melbourne & Sydney closer to home, there is a good chance that one of your lattes or appetisers has been served to you by an aspiring actor. So for every Jennifer Lawrence, George Clooney and Chris Hemsworth out there pulling in millions, you are talking about literally thousands and thousands of actors who are barely able to pay rent, yet are in some cases no less skilled or passionate in their craft. Not too dissimilar to the plight of your average professional baseball player.

The current average MLB team payroll is a little over $135,000,000 for the 2019 season. However that number accounts for only the 25 players on the active roster, plus any other of the injured reserve lists, suspended lists or otherwise retained or deferred salaries for major league level talent. The Boston Red Sox, for example, are on track to pay about $225m to approximately 42 players under varying conditions (some of whom like Manny Ramirez, haven't played for them for over a decade). But that doesn't consider the roughly 130-160 other players who are proud to call themselves employees of the Boston Red Sox in 2019. These minor league players are typically paid anywhere from $1,100-$2,500 per month for the six months of the regular season and aren't paid a cent (aside from daily per diems) for spring training (aka "Pre-season training") and the other five months that account for the minor league off-season. Recently the Toronto Blue Jays gained attention for offering a 50% pay rise to their minor leagues - but the truth is that the vast majority of these players are still woefully underpaid.

Thus the picture is becoming a little clearer, with most studies estimating between 9%-11% of players who actually sign a professional contract with an affiliated MLB team make it to the major leagues, you can see how a life of two-minute noodles and living in Mum and Dad's garage for the foreseeable future might not be that attractive to every aspiring athlete. Or if the appeal is there at the start of one's career, the allure quickly wanes as the years and all those games start to add up.

"But it's not all about money surely? What about the love of the game?", I hear you say. And here dear friends is the very point of this essay...the love of the game is alive and very real here in Australia.

As a former player and current administrator, I have enjoyed the privileged position to bridge several generations of baseball players in Australia and I am fortunate enough to call more than a few of them my friends. I've watched scores of players wrestle with the inevitable questions of when to give up on their love of the game and the seemingly unquenchable thirst to compete - and instead go out and get a "real" job. In reality this is not altogether different to the narrative playing out in athlete's minds across dozens of codes around Australia; however, the difference may be one of perception and the relative challenges professional athletes in baseball face in maintaining that "love" for the game.

For Australian baseball the Olympic Games hold an historic and memorable place in our sport. As one of only eight nations to compete in Baseball at three or more Olympic Games, and as one of only five countries to have medalled in baseball (Silver 2004), Australia holds legitimate aspirations of not only qualifying, but winning a medal in Tokyo next year.

Most, if not all, of the aspiring athletes vying for one of the 24 places on a potential Olympic Games team are, or have previously been, professional players contracted to an MLB club. Most, if not all of those players have made little to no meaningful income to speak of from their sport, and many now find themselves holding down one of those real jobs to keep the dream alive.

Amongst the current cohort , the two co-captains of the team are a NSW public school teacher and WA firefighter, both working hard to support young families and both of whom have combined for over 20 years of professional baseball in the United States and played as high as 'Triple-A' level - one step from the fabled Major Leagues and the aforementioned rivers of gold. They've been close enough to the water's edge to dip a toe in...but much too far to every take a swim.

Our captains share that story with most of their aspiring teammates and again, this double life of marrying full time work with elite sport is not unlike many of their contemporaries in various other disciplines. The financial plight of athletes and and lack of funding finding its way to Olympic sports across the board has been well publicised and even highlighted by the AOC itself.

The case therefore is not that baseball is unfairly singled out or should be rewarded at the expense of other sports. High-Performance funding for sport in this country is a complex issue and whether or not you agree or disagree with the Sport Australia methodology for their funding model, the fact remains there are finite tax-payer funded resources at their disposal and there has to be system with which to assign and administer those funds.

Thus, in spite of a relative funding gap facing baseball (less than 9% of the average funding per athlete across Olympic sports) the case is not that any of the other sports should miss out.

Instead, it's a need to shine the light on the fact that "professional" athletes aren't all created equal - and that most are certainly a long way off those deserving of the millions on offer in the upper echelons of the game.

More importantly it's to point out that for our professionals who have spent years plying their trade in MLB and other international leagues, the difference between taking an extra week of unpaid leave to attend a pre-Olympic training camp can mean the difference in giving up on their love of the game and with it and an Olympic dream. Fortunately it is also a problem that can be measured and solved by a relatively small amount of people, investing (or in this case gifting) a relatively small amount of money to directly support those athletes.

This week, Baseball Australia launched a fundraising program aimed at establishing a small but vitally important coterie group to underpin their High Performance programs and allow the 24 athletes on the Olympic squad their best possible chance at qualification for Tokyo 2020.

24for20.com has launched in an effort to raise a minimum of $240,000 ($10,000 per athlete) to directly fund the path for Australia's Olympic baseball squad. And while corporate sponsors and government funding go part way to securing that path - private, philanthropic giving is an as-yet untested lever baseball is seeking to pull in order to achieve the best outcome for it's more important stakeholder - the players.

I love numbers, especially big ones. When the latest talk of MLB free agency, arbitration hearings, contract extensions and the collective bargaining agreement hits the headlines, I indulge in the guilty pleasures of playing fantasy baseball and evaluating how I would or would not approach the millions of dollars on offer at my hypothetical disposal. The only trouble is, every time I do that my mind too quickly shifts focus to the reality facing the players I know and deal with on a regular basis.

Life and especially elite-level competitive sport is supposed to be tough. I like that it's tough. It would be good this once however, if we could find a way to make it just that bit little easier.

If you or anyone you know would like to apply to join Baseball Australia's 24for20 coterie group and donate to, membership information is available here