Skip to main content

Revenue Sharing: Levine – Where Has The Money Gone?

MLB Revenue Sharing Here we go again! More arguing about revenues, revenue sharing, salaries, salary caps, and how it all affects baseball in it’s competitive balance. These issue came to pass this week when Milwaukee Brewers principal owner Mark Attansio made comments regarding the Brewers ability, or inability, to resign their top stars, most notably Prince Fielder. The fireworks ignited when Attansio stated that the entire Brewers opening day roster payroll was less (and it’s true) than the New York Yankees starting infield.

After constantly being the target representatives for large market teams, Yankees president Randy Levine finally responded with words of his own. Levine stated:


“I'm sorry that my friend Mark continues to whine about his running the Brewers. We play by all the rules and there doesn't seem to be any complaints when teams such as the Brewers receive hundreds of millions of dollars that they get from us in revenue sharing the last few years. Take some of that money that you get from us and use that to sign your players. The question that should be asked is: Where has the hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue sharing gone?"

The Yankees are rich. They are wealthy. The have the most storied history, most recognizable brand, and the largest city in the world as their fan base. These truths are self-evident. Yet, for a Brewer team that just bid against themselves and overpaid for Randy Wolf, it seems a bit spoiled in nature to claim you cannot resign your biggest star athlete.

While I won’t beat a dead horse with more fodder on the pros and cons of a salary cap in Major League Baseball, Randy Levine has a great point. With the Yankees doling out over $175M over the past seven years and contributing nearly 92 percent of the total revenue sharing pie, the question has to be asked, where exactly are those millions going? While teams who embrace and even indulge themselves in the underdog “small-market” title state “financial inabilities” in competition, there are other organizations going about their business competing and improving themselves (kudos to the Minnesota Twins, Atlanta Braves, and Tampa Bay Rays).

And as we’ve seen after several years of a luxury tax and revenue sharing being in place, the salary cap debate will always come down to not how much money each organization spends, but in fact how each organization spends its money.

Recently Read

Quick Ponder: Future Self

We always think,  what would we say  to our  younger self? However,  what would  our younger self say  if they met us, today?

Quick Ponder: Talk

They're gonna talk.  What if you just. let. them. talk.  

Now That It's Over - Enjoyable and Pain All At Once

Welp, it's over.  Is it possible for something to be so enjoyable yet hurt so bad now that it's over?  That's the only way to describe the end of this New York Knicks season. Even after giving it a few days, ironically on the night that the NBA Finals begin - the Finals I thought we really could have gotten to - I still find myself reeling.  Everytime that damn clip of Haliburton's shot bouncing into the air and dropping in...bruh... But, I needed the time to gather my thoughts and feelings, reject the crazy hot takes and absurd opinions, and adjust to some of the immediate changes the Knicks made.  So here we go:  Immediate Thoughts This was easily! - my favorite Knicks season and team since 1998-1999. I know I said that last year, but this era of Knicks basketball has provided me with such luxury to move the goal posts and update these personal lists.  I genuinely loved this run despite its ending.  Jalen Brunson's shot in the Detroit Pistons series ...