Hired Guns
Olympians in the NPF: Are They Worth Their Salaries?
By John Thorson
Father of Chicago Bandits pitcher Kristina Thorson
I just returned from the Chicago Bandits-Philadelphia Force series. Although it was a little chilly for a couple games and seemed threatening for another, the weather was no factor. The fans who were there were treated to some great softball played by both sides and the fans seemed appreciative. Unfortunately, the great product on the field didn’t translate into fans in the seats despite the Bandits fielding two great Olympians: Vicky Galindo and, arguably the best known active player in the game, Jennie Finch.
This made me wonder: are the Olympic players worth the significant salaries they’re supposedly being paid? It becomes even more questionable when, based upon what I was led to believe, they will be paid their salaries even though some will be spending most of the summer playing with the National Team and providing probably $0 value to the NPF.
To be sure, this is not, in any way, directed negatively towards those players. They are great players that have represented our country with skill and class and deserve whatever they can negotiate. The question is simply are they, from the NPF or ownership view, worth their salaries?
How much are these players being paid? Maybe we can back into a “reasonable” number. NPF teams have a $150,000 salary cap, up from $100,000 in 2008. According to printed reports, most players salaries range from $2500 to $5000 for the season. Let’s assume that the average team has 16 non-Olympians making $7,000 (should be high) and 2 Olympians. That leaves $48,000 to be split between the latter (obviously, there are big assumptions in this analysis). Further, assuming that they are gone playing on the National Team for 6 of the 8 series (Championship series not included), THAT is a very significant amount of the team cap!
During the last Bandits-Thunder series (4 games) of 2008, the Bandits attracted 4167 fans, or 1042 per game. During the opening 5 game series at Chicago in 2009, the recaps show an attendance of 2578 fans, or 515 game. Granted, it’s early in the season, kids are in school, Little League players have games, travel ball players have tournaments, and families are busy. But that is all the more reason to question the rationality of large salaries given the Olympic players were absent during the 2008 season.
Assuming they are not “earning” their salaries (i.e. bringing in more profit than their salaries), there are two possible reasons:
1. their names and notariety can’t command the marketing potential needed, and/or
2. the NPF and owners haven’t used these players to their full marketing potential
Personally, I’d love to see them really promote the “regular” players—those that will be playing day in and day out, so that locals can learn to identify with and support them. It is especially important that the young ladies playing Little League and travel ball be able to see their local heroes in action and interact with them during the autograph signing period following each game. It also allows these young ladies to dream about what they can accomplish with desire and hard work. Recognize, however, that given the new format of 5-game series, little time is afforded to get the players out into the community.
I am a huge fan of the NPF, the owners, and, especially, the many outstanding athletes, Olympic and non-Olympic players alike, that compete and entertain those that have the pleasure to sit in those seats. I bring this up because 1) I’m very curious how others feel regarding topic and, more importantly, 2) I know players that would have received a substantial raise but couldn’t be paid more due to the salary cap. I hope this topic doesn’t offend anyone; that is the furthest idea on my mind.