>>Counter-question. The average CEO salary in 2009 (salary + other earnings) was 9.5 million. Doc Halladay earned 15.5 million in 2010. Is Halladay earning 300 times the salary average worker? <s>
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>Let's face it, sports salaries are truly obscene, and I've never seen the stats one way or the other, which leaves me wondering. Does Doc really bring in the sort of value that 15 million deserves? You know I love the Doc, but Philly is sold out whether Doc is on the mound or not, so he's not really bringing in any more fans there. Does he generate enough interest on the road to generate $15 million worth of difference? I don't know. And then, does getting to the playoffs generate the kind of dollars that makes it worth paying out the sorts of salaries accumulated by Doc, Oswalt, Hamels and now Lee? I honestly don't know the answer to that question, but my gut reaction is, no. But I could well be wrong. I'd love to see some stats. Having said that, I am, of course, really looking forward to next season.

I can't give you numbers, but I can tell that, here in Philly, the sell-out streak started in the 2nd half of the '09 season, after Lee got here the first time, and when it became apparent that the Phils were going to the post-season for the 3rd year in a row. Before that, there were a fair number of sell-outs, but not everyday.

There's been a lot of talk here this week about the economics of the Lee deal and how they're going to pay for it. I've heard suggestions that one of the silent partners is fronting some of the money. Obviously, though, they think it will be worth it.

Quick off-the-cuff calculation. A sell-out is about 45,000 tickets. Average ticket price is somewhere in the neighborhood of $30. (I think it's higher, but I'd have to do a bunch of arithmetic to really figure it out. For sure, this doesn't include luxury boxes.) So per sell-out is $1.35M. 81 home games -> $109M just on tickets for regular seats. (Actually, a little higher. They have two preseason home games.)

How much does each ticket bring in additional revenue? It ranges from folks like us who buy nothing most games (we're allowed to bring in food and non-alcoholic drinks) to people buying 4 or 5 beers at $7.25 (I think) a piece. Feed a family of four at the ballpark and you're spending at least $50. Probably low to say it's $10 average per ticket. So 45,000 x 10 x 81 = $36.45M.

What about souvenirs? No idea how to estimate that.

Does the team get any of the parking revenue? I don't know, but it's $15 per car now. (I think the city gets the lion's share of that.)

Bottom line. Just the regular season ballpark revenue is probably well in excess of $200M. Of course, there are plenty of expenses beyond the players, but you can begin to see how the money works.

Then you add TV and post-season and licensing.

Tamar