“They buy their championships!”

That’s something you hear a lot about the Yankees.  Particularly from Mets fans, and Red Sox fans.  I pity the Orioles enough that I don’t blame their fanbase for complaining.

But here’s a statistic worth sharing.  Or if you’re not in the mood to click links or read articles: Of the eight teams in baseball that draw the most revenue, the Yankees spend the least on their player payroll as a percentage of revenue.  Only 46.8% of their income goes towards paying Jeter & co.  The Red Sox, on the other hand, spend 61% of their revenues on David Ortiz (and, I might add, his fat butt).  The average team in baseball spends 46.4% of their revenue on players – so in fact, you could argue that the Yankees’ payroll is right around average.

Also of interest, via a note from the author in the comments section: “The Yankees owe a lot of money on the new Stadium, and this debt DOES effectively reduce what the Yankees would otherwise pay in revenue sharing.”  Or in other words, not only do I have to put up with New Yankee Stadium, but in some perverse sense, the Baltimore Orioles get to help pay for it.  Cheers, guys!

So, in sum: The Yankees don’t buy championships, they buy good business.  But that doesn’t mean they aren’t assholes.