Abstract
Major League Baseball currently faces a crisis calling for radical reform of its operations. This article critically examines two recent reform proposals that call for a luxury tax on team salaries combined with revenue sharing that would bring greater financial and competitive parity among and between the league’s constituent teams. It is argued that these reforms do not go far enough in reestablishing the basis for fan loyalty that is the essence of the national pastime. A far superior reform model would have the teams become the property of the municipalities in which they operate, combined with a reserve clause that ties players to particular teams for their playing careers. A predetermined salary structure would make player compensation a function of longevity rather than the market. Salary cost control, in turn, would enable teams to price tickets at levels that would enable more families of modest means to attend games.
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