Baseball’s first salary cap. From the New York Clipper, Dec. 1, 1888:
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“The delegates then took up the salary question and decided to make a change that would regulate the players’ salaries in the future. The reduction is to be done by grading the players into classes, with stated salaries for each class; and in order to insure the carrying out in good faith by all parties, any violation of the rule will subject both club and player to severe penalties.
“The compensation for all League players shall be limited, regulated and determined by the classification or grade and shall be as follows:
“Class A compensation $2,500; class B $2,250; class C $2,000; class D $1,750; class E $1,500.
“In determining such assignment batting, fielding, baserunning, battery work, earnest team work and exemplary conduct both on and off the field, at all times shall be considered as a basis for classification.
“Each player upon executing a League contract shall make affidavit in form prescribed by the secretary of the League to the effect that the consideration in said contract includes all salaries, bonuses, rewards, gifts and emoluments and every other form of compensation.
“A violation of the limit or any false statement in said affidavit shall subject the Club to a fine of $2,000 and the release of any player the subject of such illegal compensation or false statement . . . which player, however, will be retained under reservation (the Reserve Rule) as the League may determine.”
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The indications are that the salary classification plan with its $2,500 ceiling was not enforced. Then as now-this was 104 years ago, when baseball was in its infancy-the owners and players were in stalemate, both sides struggling for a larger slice of the diamond dollar.
There was a significant difference. Instead of threatening a strike, the players rebelled and the next year, 1890, formed the Brotherhood League, also known as the Players’ League. The revolt was led by John Montgomery Ward, captain and star shortstop for the New York Giants who had a law degree from Columbia University.
The Brotherhood found investors who advanced the capital for construction of new ballparks and opened their own league with terms more liberal to the players. Eight franchises were awarded-in Chicago, New York, Boston, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Buffalo, the only city not represented in the established National League.
As many as 90 players, many of them as famous as their progeny, joined the Brotherhood. Among the jumpers were Mike “King” Kelly, Ned Hanlon, Connie Mack, Buck Ewing and Charles A. Comiskey, who abandoned the St. Louis club in the American Association in favor of Chicago. Ten years later, Comiskey founded the White Sox in the fledgling American League and was as penurious as his employers had been with him.
The warring leagues, in a direct battle for patronage, adopted conflicting schedules and falsified attendance. According to published figures, the Brotherhood led the NL at the gate, 980,887-813,168. The combined attendance probably was less than that of the NL the year before.
The Brothers were allowed to invest in their club and were governed by a 16-man “senate,” two from each club, one chosen by the players, the other by their backers. Final decisions were made by a three-man tribunal which, in effect, remained intact until the owners anointed Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis as commissioner in 1920.
Initially, profits were pooled and divided equally, but this was soon abandoned in favor of making each franchise financially independent. Ticket revenue was shared 50-50 between the home and visiting club, but the home team was allowed to keep profits from concessions.
The schedule was played to completion, Brooklyn finishing first, five games ahead of runner-up Chicago. The Brotherhood folded after this one season with a reported aggregate deficit of $340,000.
This is mentioned now because the centerpiece of the current struggle between the owners and the Players Association is management’s desire for a salary cap. In exchange, the owners have promised that the current salary levels would not be diminished and have agreed to turn over half of their annual $2 billion revenue for player compensation.
The temptation is to parallel the Brotherhood with today’s dispute. But because of the changing times there is scant basis for comparison. In the 19th Century and considerably beyond, the players were constantly abused and had no recourse. The players have been winning since 1966, when Marvin Miller arrived, and now enjoy an average annual salary of $1.2 million.
Don Fehr, executive director of the players’ union, has been railing against the owners but has made no mention of a rival Brotherhood League. It is an understandable omission. The players are content with the present salary structure.
The top annual player wage has risen to $6.3 million. On Opening Day, 119 of the approximate 700 major-league players were earning $3 million or more. For today’s players, the Brotherhood dream of 1890 would be a nightmare.
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