“Sports is a business” has almost become a cliché that we fans hear from athletes whenever they are having contract negotiation troubles, or a teammate is traded, but rarely do we really read into their words.
Sports have evolved so much in the past few years, in every sense. A few years ago, players made a few hundred thousand dollars, these days, players are receiving record breaking hundred-million dollar contracts, such as Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia, who both just received contracts worth over $100 million from the Yankees this past offseason. Just the other day at the MLB Network was playing the 1977 World Series, in which the Dodgers played the Yankees. While watching the game, I noticed how there was absolutely no advertisements around the stadium on the outfield walls, behind home plate, or anywhere else. It got me thinking about how much money had gone into sports in just the past 30 years. That year, 1977, one of the highest contracts was Reggie Jackson’s, Mr. October, who made a then groundbreaking one million dollars.
The point of all this is, is that once marketing and advertisement evolved to the point of bombarding consumers constantly, in this case during their form of entertainment, sports was the natural beneficiary. Advertising dollars allowed owners to do more with their teams, whether it was improving stadiums, hiring more workers, or most importantly; paying higher contracts to players. As this went on over time, higher contracts snowballed to the point of where we are today. Owners may complain, and fans may say it is ridiculous to pay a player that much money, but the fact of the matter is that it is corporations and the owners who are at fault, not the athletes. For every dollar that these athletes make, an owner is benefiting more than double.
For better or worse, professional sports have evolved beyond entertainment. We must take the good with the bad, because despite how corporate sports have become, we the fans have also benefited through the up to the second media coverage that sports have attracted, or even the creation of fantasy sports, allowing fans to get even closer to the game. Was it not for the money that was thrown into sports, all of that would never have become possible today. Sports have become a business, but it has also become one of the most fascinating and captivating forms of entertainment. For many people, sports has almost become an obsession, constantly seeking the newest news or keeping an ear to the ground about their favorite team’s next move. As fans we may not always like the fact that someone is making ludicrous amounts of money as we shell out five dollars for a hotdog to watch the game, but in all honesty I wouldn’t have it any other way, because I love what sports have become.
A month has passed in the young 2009 baseball season and the Giants are currently sitting at one game over .500 (as of 5/3), but it has been a very interesting and hope inspiring road to 12-11. After stumbling out of the gates to a 3-8 record and being absolutely steam-rolled in their series sweep by the Dodgers, something that I unfortunately had to experience live, the Giants are now surging after winning their last 10 of 14.
What we have seen so far from the 2009 Giants has pretty much what we expected and for the most part hoped for; a pitching staff that is capable of being as good as advertised, a struggling and frequently frustrating offense, and many, many close games. After a rough first two outings, staff ace Tim Lincecum (2-1, 46 Ks) has returned to form, while Matt Cain (2-1, 3.09 ERA) has finally gotten lucky enough to receive some run support. Meanwhile, Randy Johnson has proven that he still has some in the tank inching two more wins towards 300, while Jonathan Sanchez has continued to show flashes of dominance posting a 2.60 ERA. However, the real story so far, to me at least, has been the $126 Million Dollar Man, Barry Zito. The numbers don't tell the whole story for the lefty who is the current owner of a 0-2 record to go along with a 3.99 ERA. Zito, most known for his strange twittering recently, hasn't been dominant, but he sure has been quietly effective. After taking two absolute dumps in his first two starts of the season, giving up 10 runs in 10 innings, has since only given up 3 runs in the last 20 1/3 innings- that's a 1.33 ERA for those of you keeping score at home. Despite his stellar outings, Zito hasn't had a win to show for it and is quickly beginning to look like he's stricken with a Matt Cain-like lack of run support when he takes the mound.
On another note, the Giants' offense has been absolutely frustrating to watch. It really doesn't look like this year's lineup has improved much since last season. Thanks to fangraphs.com, I was able to check and so far this season, the Giants are 24th in the league in batting average, 29th in HRs, and dead last in RBI. You can't even call this Giants team a small ball team, because they aren't working counts or moving runners over consistently. The Giants are walking a thin line in becoming a team with absolutely no offensive identity that relies on its pitching staff to carry them completely. Outside of Bengie Big Money Molina and the Round Mound Pablo Sandoval, the offense has been pretty bad. I'm beggining to get scared that the Giants don't have enough lucky hits in them to keep winning games by 2 or less runs, while essentially blanking the other teams (a feat the Giants have accomplished 7 times already this season).
While they are winning games and are looking a lot better as of late, the 2009 Giants have many glaring holes that need to be addressed before they even start talking playoffs this season. However, I am hopeful that the team we saw take 2 of 3 from the red-hot Dodgers at AT&T Park are the real 2009 Giants, compared to the mess we saw get outscored 23-7 en route to a sweep in Dodger Stadium. That's why this weekend (May 8-10), when the Giants return to play the Dodgers, who are starting a season high 11-game homestand and have yet to lose a game, will absolutely be one of the most important series of this young season in determining just what this year's club is capable of.
