C.C. Sabathia's Unimaginably Rich $161 Million Contract and How a Normal American Relates

For months, the baseball world watched and waited for the class of mega free agents to jockey for position and find a new place to call home. Endless reports had the soon-to-be unimaginably wealthy headed to a string of big market cities-all bidding numbers that seemed not only unreachable but also completely incomprehensible for the average person. Names such as Manny Ramirez, Mark Texeria, A.J. Burnett, and Derek Lowe flooded the daily headlines; however, one man's services attracted more interest than all the others: C.C. Sabathia.

Formerly thought to have a true sense of allegiance to his home state of California as well as a desire to remain in the National League so he could indulge his wish to swing the bat, Sabathia dangled his talents in front of many; yet, ultimately dollars signs won, and Sabathia became the property of the richest team in all of sports, the New York Yankees. After agreeing to a seven year, 161 million dollar contract, Sabathia will represent for the Yankees a new hope after a year of unrest and failure. He also helps to usher in an expansive new Yankee Stadium, a 1.3 billion dollar replacement for the House that Ruth built.

While the Yankees spending spree has occurred in a faltering economy, Sabathia, like any other American living in a capitalistic society that has its economic philosophies rooted in the concept of a free market, has the right to pursue the money offered. His 23 million dollars a year will compensate him for his ability, a talent set that the Yankees felt was worth the money. Thus, as we all know to well, the value of something in any market is not what a piece of paper says or what an evaluation may report, it is what another person will pay for it.

The most interesting facet is not necessarily examining the deal in relationship to other players across the league. Putting his salary up against Alex Rodriguez's monster deal-275 million over ten years, or the equally as impressive set up Mark Texeria and Scott Boras recently constructed-180 million over eight years, attempts to liken numbers that the average American simply cannot fathom. The teachers, police officers, firefighters, and tradesmen of this country merely shake their heads at these contracts, with some only wishing for such luck. Others, those who many consider wealthy by normal standards-doctors, lawyers, politicians-still wane drastically in comparison to the riches handed out to Mr. Sabathia.

So, let us draw some similarities, or should I say dissimilarities, between C.C. Sabathia and the rest of working American.

First of all, recall that Sabathia will bring home 23 million dollars a year. Assuming he makes 35 starts, which is a solid number based on a 182 game schedule, he should average $657,143 per start. If he were to pitch a compete game, he would receive $73,015 per inning, or $2,704 per out recorded. If he were to have a sub-par outing and last a mere six innings, he would pull in $109, 523 per inning, or $6,084 per out.

Now, for the comparisons.

In 2007, a New York City firefighter who had at least five years on the job collected a base salary of $68,475. Include a series of possible fringe benefits and overtime of $18,043 and that firefighter earns $86,518 per year-a nice salary, and one that is undoubtedly hard-earned. The minimum numbers of hours worked by an NYC firefighter is fifty-six. If Sabathia were to add his time of direct service up, he would approximate 12 total hours of competition and game day preparation. It is true that Sabathia must put in training hours to prepare for his starts, but virtually every meaningful profession requires the employee to prepare on his or her own time. The payment comes as a result of your production hours. Thus, if Sabathia started two games a week, he would average $54,761.92 an hour. A New York City Battalion Chief for the fire department makes $145,645 per year, which is $511,498 less than Sabathia makes in one game.

In 2005, the average teacher in New York City received $53,017 per year. Without factoring any tax withdrawals, and basing the bi-weekly collection on twenty-six pays per year, this teacher would take home $2039 every other week, or a grand total of $4078 per month. If Sabathia, considering his per game salary of $657,143, pitches a complete game, he will have averaged $73,015 per inning, or $2,704 per out recorded. Thus, with one pitch that is popped up to the shortstop, Sabathia has taken home $665 more than the NYC teacher earns in two weeks. If Sabathia has a poor performance and only lasts six innings, he will have averaged $109,523 per inning pitched, or $6,084 per out made. So, for functioning poorly, he actually ends up making $4,405 more for one out than that teacher makes over ten days of work. This teacher would need to work 433.8 years to earn Sabathia's yearly salary, and he would need to invest 3,306 years to make the money the pitcher will accumulate over his seven year contract.

If a student has goals of become the world's next great brain surgeon, he must endure at least eight years in school, and, using current tuition rates at a high-profile institution as a barometer, he will spend a minimum of $50,000 per year, or $400,000 for his opportunity to operate. Once this student has reached his goal of a highly respected brain surgeon, he can expect to earn, on the high end, $209,000 per year. If Sabathia were to donate his salary for six innings of pitching, he could easily cover the cost of the doctor's entire education and still give him $38,090 to keep in his pocket. In fact, Sabathia pulls in more in nine innings of baseball than three brain surgeons combined, who would earn $627,000 compared to the pitcher's $657, 143.

America's first president, George Washington, was paid a massive $25,000 during each year of his tenure in office. Today, since the presidency of Bill Clinton, the President of the United States earns $400,000 per year. The most powerful man on the planet, in charge of policy decisions that will impact the world for years to come, makes $257,143 less a year than Sabathia will make in three hours. If George Bush were to remain in office at his current salary, it would take him exactly fifty-seven and a half years to make what Sabathia draws from February to October.

Despite the incredible differences between an elite pitcher in the big leagues and the normal American worker, there exists no true reason to criticize Sabathia. Some call him greedy and others tag him as selfish, yet all he has done is accept an offer for his service. While the bid from the Yankees defies the logic of laymen everywhere, Sabathia has the distinguished right to make as much money as he can within a legal construct, and he has done just that. One of the primary reasons our country is the envy of so many is that we exist in a free market place that allows a person to grow and accumulate wealth. Thus, the truth is that this is all just fine.

The truth, however, does not always represent the real story seen from the eye of public opinion. Often times, the truth seems so far out of reach that individual and collective perspectives tell the most popular story, and, in the case of Sabathia's contract happening in a financially challenged world, the average person may very well hold a perspective that defies the truth.

Some may ask how a man who trains for years to know the intricacies of the human brain make so much less than an athlete who exists for entertainment purposes, while others may delve into why a teacher, who works countless hours to inspire and instruct our nation's youth, must struggle at the same time a man who plays a game flourishes.

Therefore, the comparisons offered above do not represent a man's legitimate right and the truth surrounding that right; instead, they reveal the truth behind the common man's perspective. Although neither the truth nor perspective offers a perfect view, the world and its events have taught us one main ideal: Perspective often defines a truth more so than a truth defines a perspective.