One of the key things for any employee entering the workforce is starting salary: it normally sets the baseline for future earnings and possible raises. That’s why it’s so sad that management has played professional sports player unions for fools, pitting veterans against rookies in negotiations (at least in North America). Owners hand veterans with a bigger role in the union larger salaries today, in exchange for keeping the salaries for rookies nice and low. Here’s the problem: if rookies started off at a higher salary, then they’d be able to get even more in free agency. It’s common sense: starting higher up the ladder earlier is better.

MLS is no different from any other sports league in that regards. Yes, NFL players have a higher salary for rookies (entry-level employees), but it’s still well below the median and what a veteran earns. Yes, MLS salaries have gone up. DPs also make made bank. However, I took a survey of the Top 10 picks from the MLS Super Draft and then looked at their starting salaries. Then I found some other professions with equivalent salaries. The results were forehead-slapping.

1) Andre Blake

Team: Union

Salary: $75,000 per year

Alternate profession: Computer Engineer

2) Steve Birnbaum

Team: DC United

Salary: $55,000

Alternate profession: Budget Analyst

3) Christian Dean

Team: Vancouver

Salary: $80,000

Alternate profession: Petroleum Engineer

4) Steve Neumann

Team: New England

Salary: $65,000

Alternate profession: Chemical Engineer

5) Eric Miller

Team: Montreal

Salary: $57,500

Alternate profession: Contracts Administrator

6) Tesho Akindele

Team: Dallas

Salary: $48,500

Alternate profession: Applications Systems Specialist

7) Andre Lewis

Team: Vancouver

Salary: $48,500

Alternate profession: Benefits Analyst

8- Damion Lowe

Team: Seattle

Salary: $57,500

Alternate profession: Mechanical Engineer

9) JJ Koval

Team: San Jose

Salary: $48,500

Alternate profession: Building Inspector

10) Nick Hagglund

Team: Toronto

Salary: $48,500

Alternate profession: Commercial Loan Review Officer

There are, of course, several responses to why rookies get such lower salaries (probably above qualifying for Medicaid, admittedly). First, MLS loses money. The response: so do many other soccer leagues that still pay higher entry-level salaries. Second, who cares about the draft? Most teams sign DP’s, foreigners, re-entry level players, or home-grown talent. I definitely agree that college soccer has become less of a factor in MLS – slowly, the league looks more and more like an NHL or MLB model.

Lastly, you could just repeat the argument that the rookies are “untested” and “haven’t earned it.” But how many times have you seen a veteran tank? Nobody knows when a 30 something center back will lose that half-step and get tossed to the trash bin. Ultimately, all players would benefit from a higher starting salary in individual negotiations later on – veterans could insist they get paid more from their club, and rookies would have more leverage in re-signing. The next CBA session is less than a year away and everybody knows it will be about money – I just hope some of it trickles down to the new guys.

IMAGES: The Guardian, MLS, ESPN, Houston Chronicle

