Player salaries in 1978

[QuantumMechanic]

Ran across the above today from 1978. The mean salary was $62,585 and the median was $53,715. Average payroll per team was $3,319,340.

Adjusted for inflation those numbers are $246,461 / $211,531 / $13,071,632 respectively.

The wonders of free agency!

 

[Family]

It was a 17.9% increase from the year before!

 

[jah]

I'd take it now no adjustment

 

[chris_in_sunnyvale]

The wonders of free agency!

And of insane TV contracts.

Regards,
Chris

 

[mosslost]

Ran across the above today from 1978. The mean salary was $62,585 and the median was $53,715. Average payroll per team was $3,319,340.

Adjusted for inflation those numbers are $246,461 / $211,531 / $13,071,632 respectively.

The wonders of free agency!

Only two stars of the 1975 Cincinnati Reds made more than 100K

@Hyped I'm actually not certain about that. But I am pretty sure I heard that once...

 

[1960Pats]

That 62k is about 1/10th of the average salary now. Do I have that right?

 

[mosslost]

I don't begrudge superstar players at all for making big bucks.

I used to get into arguments with my FIL (RIP) when he would say sports players should be disgraced for making 20 mill a year but thought it was fine for Harrison Ford to make the same amount per film.

I told him it is the same exact thing.

He would say "Ford makes a work of art for the ages some ********" and I would say no it is just supply and demand and what the price is for what you can do and that is it.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

That 62k is about 1/10th of the average salary now. Do I have that right?

$62K is less than one-tenth of the veteran minimum, I’m pretty sure.

 

[1960Pats]

$62K is less than one-tenth of the veteran minimum, I’m pretty sure.

For some reason I had 600K as the number. Thanks.

I did go look up some numbers but the vet minimum wasn't included. One article I found had the average NYFL salary in 2018 at 1.9 mil.