2020dad posted:No doubt it would be nice for MLB to do more for their Minot leaguers. We would all agree there I am sure. But thes young men know the score coming in. And know their dream at a young age. Goes back to what has been discussed on here before regarding student loans etc. do your best to not have them! Seldom do our dreams actually come true. So maybe you settle for the local juco for two years then a less expensive college and come out with no debt. When did cable become a need rather than a want? Minimize your cell phone plan. If this MLB dream is REALLY that important you will find ways. Get down to what is really necessary and you will live on $1500 a month quite easily. If I had no wife and kids I could do that right now without even an issue.
Kids (young men) have been finding ways for years, it is just getting a little harder each year given the lack of any increase in base pay along with the increased demands on a player's time, both in-season and off-season. And besides, $1,500 is pre-tax and there are probably lots of states and municipalities that have athlete taxes where it becomes cost prohibitive to hire some CPA to file for refunds. Tack on some mandatory club dues - without some good meals to show for it - and have a few roommates leave in the middle of the night, then the bills start stacking up. Add 6-8 weeks when you get zero salary (some sort of per diem during spring training) along with the risks that go with trying to line up a job that coincides exactly with the off-season, it soon becomes apparent that these young men are not getting some steady paycheck every two weeks - nor do they really have any control over which area of the country the live (how about getting move from low cost Augusta, GA to Sacremento, CA - good luck finding cheap housing right next to the ballpark so so don't need that car). $1,500 per month sounds good but they have to hustle all year to maintain that as an average monthly income.
If you want to argue that the financial struggle is part of the process, then so be it. Maybe it builds character. Personally, I'd prefer some of the day-to-day struggle get removed (access to housing, good dietary options, pay structure to extend to all periods where no outside employment is possible). I won't go into whether they are actually paid sufficiently to meet minimum wage standards, I'm just thinking MLB owners could waive their magic wand and get some of these aggravating struggles taken care of with minimal effort or cost on MLB's part.