Eli5: why are NHL athletes paid so much less than the other leagues?
In: 10
Here are approximate current league-wide revenues, divided by players on each league’s active rosters:
NBA $10000M / 450 = $22.2M
MLB $10800M / 780 = $13.8M
NFL $17190M / 1696 = $10.1M
NHL $5300M / 736 = $7.2M
Using the average salaries from [1], here are the percents of the total that players are taking home:
NHL $3.0M / $7.2M = 42%
NBA $7.0M / $22.2M = 32%
MLB $4.4M / $13.8M = 32%
NFL $2.1M / $10.1M = 21%
Given the revenues, hockey players seem to be doing quite well and maybe it is the football players that should have a gripe.
[1]https://hockeyanswered.com/why-do-nhl-players-get-paid-less-than-nba-nfl-mlb/
Here are approximate current league-wide revenues, divided by players on each league’s active rosters:
NBA $10000M / 450 = $22.2M
MLB $10800M / 780 = $13.8M
NFL $17190M / 1696 = $10.1M
NHL $5300M / 736 = $7.2M
Using the average salaries from [1], here are the percents of the total that players are taking home:
NHL $3.0M / $7.2M = 42%
NBA $7.0M / $22.2M = 32%
MLB $4.4M / $13.8M = 32%
NFL $2.1M / $10.1M = 21%
Given the revenues, hockey players seem to be doing quite well and maybe it is the football players that should have a gripe.
[1]https://hockeyanswered.com/why-do-nhl-players-get-paid-less-than-nba-nfl-mlb/
It’s not “so” much less. The NFL and MLB average player salaries are within an order of magnitude of NHL. The NBA average player salary is 2x-3x more than NFL/MLB/NHL.
And the main reason for that is basically the ratio of revenue to number of players. NBA revenue doesn’t have to be as high as MLB or NFL because NBA has fewer players. NHL has about as many players as MLB, so NHL has lower athlete pay than MLB because MLB has more revenue.
It’s not “so” much less. The NFL and MLB average player salaries are within an order of magnitude of NHL. The NBA average player salary is 2x-3x more than NFL/MLB/NHL.
And the main reason for that is basically the ratio of revenue to number of players. NBA revenue doesn’t have to be as high as MLB or NFL because NBA has fewer players. NHL has about as many players as MLB, so NHL has lower athlete pay than MLB because MLB has more revenue.
Smaller league revenue is the biggest reason, like many people have said. Another reason why hockey players don’t earn as much as other athletes is that an individual star player has less impact on a game than the stars in a lot of other sports.
A full NHL roster has 23 players, 20 of which can be active for a game. With 5 skaters and a goalie on the ice per team in most situations, even an elite (non-goalie) hockey player can only expect to play about 20-23 minutes of a 60 minute game. Spending too much of your salary cap on a handful of players makes it harder to find good players for the 40 minutes per game where your best players are resting.
Smaller league revenue is the biggest reason, like many people have said. Another reason why hockey players don’t earn as much as other athletes is that an individual star player has less impact on a game than the stars in a lot of other sports.
A full NHL roster has 23 players, 20 of which can be active for a game. With 5 skaters and a goalie on the ice per team in most situations, even an elite (non-goalie) hockey player can only expect to play about 20-23 minutes of a 60 minute game. Spending too much of your salary cap on a handful of players makes it harder to find good players for the 40 minutes per game where your best players are resting.
For athletes, It always just boils down to demand. Some sports are more popular than others. It is the exact same reason women’s basketball players make less.
For athletes, It always just boils down to demand. Some sports are more popular than others. It is the exact same reason women’s basketball players make less.
NHL athletes are paid less than the other leagues because the NHL brings in less money than the other leagues.
NHL athletes are paid less than the other leagues because the NHL brings in less money than the other leagues.
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