Do rising tides lift all boats? It depends: if you’re talking about Major League Soccer and the mean rise in player salaries, this has been brought on by a handful of players signed under the new designated player rule, most notably David Beckham, who’s base annual salary is $5.5 million for the five years he’s committed to MLS. Per an assortment of sponsorship and marketing deals, he’ll be making far more than that; how much remains to be seen.
Even so, Beckham’s base salary is 50 times the league average, according to the salary figures released by the MLS Players Union. Bob Foose, the Union’s executive director, says the organization decided to publish the numbers in order to expose the massive discrepancy and place pressure on the league to raise player salaries. He points out that the Beckham situation was unique because his price tag was based on his market valuation; it came about in a similar manner to a big acquisition by large company.
Whether or not the Beckham tide lifts all boats comes down to how the league does in the wake of its decision to allow teams to bring in designated players. Beckham and the other designated players are investments; league salaries will only improve meaningfully if these acquisitions boost the performance of MLS the company.