by Phil Dotree

Created on: August 22, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Essentially we're talking about whether capitalism applies to professional sports, and quite frankly, it clearly does.

The teams with the most money inevitably attract the best players because they're willing to pay a premium for those players services. It's a very simple case of supply and demand.

Sure, there are some players with team loyalty, such as Carlos Zambrano, who just signed a five year no trade contract with the Cubs at a lower salary than he could have gotten as a free agent, but these players aren't the norm (or we wouldn't read about them!).

The Yankees may be an example of a team that pays for its players, though they really do that through their farm teams more than with their MLB team. By getting players young and making generous initial offers, the Yankees have developed what is easily the most successful franchise in baseball.

Capitalism nearly always applies, and while money isn't everything, it's certainly something, especially where profession is concerned. Baseball players are businessmen, and it's very possible for a winning team to be bought.

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