Grant Wahl crunches the numbers on MLS player salaries.
The MLS Players Union released its updated list of salaries for every MLS player on Thursday, providing the first clear look at the earnings of newly-added stars like New York’s Thierry Henry and Rafael Márquez, who instantly became the league’s second- and third-highest-paid players. When I posted the link on my Twitter page, a lot of my non-U.S. readers were startled that so much detailed salary information was available, considering it’s unheard of in the world’s other leagues. This is sensitive information, after all, and you certainly don’t see most people (me included) publicizing their salaries for the world to see.
Why would the MLS Players Union release this information? Because the transparency helps the collective, allowing players on the lower end of the pay scale to negotiate higher salaries than they would otherwise. And in MLS the lower end of the scale, as we know, can be awfully low. Still, the minimum salary for a senior player has risen to $40,000, which is better than it used to be.
I fed the latest MLS salary numbers into my spreadsheet and came up with some useful stats. Keep in mind, the salaries below reflect a player’s guaranteed annual income over 12 months.
