Jim Murray was undoubtedly the greatest sports columnist of all time. “He was a superstar writer. He made words dance and images sing,” said Bill Dwyre, his boss at the Los Angeles Times.
You might wave off Dwyre’s praise, suspecting him of in-house bias. But you can’t dismiss the judgments of journalistic experts. Murray was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for commentary — an honor rarely bestowed upon anybody who covers sports — and he was named the U.S. Sportswriter of the Year 14 times by the National Sports Media Association.
Nobody wrote a breezy, colorful, enjoyable feature any better than Murray, but that’s not the reason I bring up his name today.
Jim Murray was equally skilled at getting to the heart of a story, of distilling the truth that his counterparts chose to ignore.
Such was the case in the 1950s, when the New York Yankees dominated the major leagues, and yes, dominated is the correct word. The Yanks won nine American League pennants and seven World Series crowns during the 10 seasons from 1949 to 1958.
Sportswriters scrambled to explain this unprecedented reign of supremacy. Credit should be given to the Yankees’ outstanding scouting staff, the writers breathlessly concluded. Or perhaps to their ruthlessly methodical minor-league system. Or to the front-office wizardry of George Weiss. Or to the genius of Casey Stengel.
Only Murray wrote the truth. The Yankees won consistently, he said, because they played in America’s largest city and consequently had the most money. Case closed.
“The Yankees had all the chips, market superiority with concomitant broadcast and ad revenues,” Murray later explained. “I began to perceive the Yanks as an economic hegemony, not athletic.”
It baffled him how any fan could form an emotional attachment to such a financial Goliath. “Rooting for the Yankees,” Murray said dismissively, “is like rooting for U.S. Steel.” (The same line has been credited to others, including columnist Red Smith and comedian Joe E. Lewis, but Murray wrote it first.)
Decades have passed since Murray handed down his caustic verdict, but not much has changed. The Yankees still exude the cold efficiency of a faceless corporation, and they still outspend the average major-league team by a vast margin.
Need a new ace for the pitching rotation? Toss $324 million to Gerrit Cole. Desire another top-flight starter? Give $162 million to Carlos Rodon. Want to keep a big bat in the middle of the lineup? Hand $360 million to Aaron Judge.
Those prices are beyond the financial capabilities of most major-league clubs — not all, but most — and they allow the Yankees to remain in baseball’s upper echelon. No, they haven’t made it to the World Series since 2009, but they have finished above .500 every season since 1993, an incredible streak that demonstrates the influence of cold, hard cash.
The power of money is more broadly evident when we review the past 10 seasons (2013 through 2022).
I divided the 30 big-league teams into three groups, based on the sizes of their metropolitan areas. The 10 clubs in Group 1 — the very largest metros — came away with 58 of the decade’s 148 playoff spots, the equivalent of 39.2 percent. The corresponding playoff figures were considerably lower for Group 2 (medium-sized markets) and Group 3 (the smallest metros).
The biggest franchises did even better in the subsequent postseason rounds, with Group 1 taking 11 of the 20 league titles (55 percent) and five of the period’s 10 world titles (50 percent).
Scroll down to see a detailed breakdown of baseball’s ongoing financial and demographic disparities. You’ll find, among other things, that big-market clubs spend almost twice as much as their counterparts in small metros. The average 2023 payroll for Group 1 is $205.6 million per team, based on estimates from Baseball Reference, compared to the Group 3 average of $116.9 million.
Is it any surprise that Group 1 consequently took roughly twice as many league titles in the 2013-2022 period as Group 3 did? (The big markets won 11 American and National League championships, while the small markets got five.)
You shouldn’t be shocked. Jim Murray certainly wouldn’t be.
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Group 1 (large markets)
Teams: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, and Washington Nationals.
Average metropolitan population (2022): 11,176,300
Compared to Group 2 (medium) average population: 125% larger
Compared to Group 3 (small) average population: 336% larger
Collective regular-season record (2013-2022): 7,816-7,365 (.515)
Average team record (162 games): 83-79
Playoff qualifiers (10 seasons): 58 (39.2% of total)
League titles (10 seasons): 11 (55.0% of total)
World titles (10 seasons): 5 (50.0% of total)
Collective payroll (2023): $2.06 billion
Average team payroll: $205.6 million
Teams over $200 million: 5 of 10
Group 2 (medium markets)
Teams: Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, and Toronto Blue Jays.
Average metropolitan population (2022): 4,971,300
Compared to Group 1 (large) average population: 56% smaller
Compared to Group 3 (small) average population: 94% larger
Collective regular-season record (2013-2022): 7,451-7,720 (.491)
Average team record (162 games): 80-82
Playoff qualifiers (10 seasons): 44 (29.7% of total)
League titles (10 seasons): 4 (20.0% of total)
World titles (10 seasons): 4 (40.0% of total)
Collective payroll (2023): $1.36 billion
Average team payroll: $135.5 million
Teams over $200 million: 1 of 10
Group 3 (small markets)
Teams: Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays.
Average metropolitan population (2022): 2,563,600
Compared to Group 1 (large) average population: 77% smaller
Compared to Group 2 (medium) average population: 48% smaller
Collective regular-season record (2013-2022): 7,497-7,679 (.494)
Average team record (162 games): 80-82
Playoff qualifiers (10 seasons): 46 (31.1% of total)
League titles (10 seasons): 5 (25.0% of total)
World titles (10 seasons): 1 (10.0% of total)
Collective payroll (2023): $1.17 billion
Average team payroll: $116.9 million
Teams over $200 million: 1 of 10