"The last European monopoly, in any area, is crumbling. This recently-opened transfer window has underscored, more than anything else, that it is no longer the European football clubs’ birthright to sign the greatest players in the world." -- Leander Schaerlaeckens on the growing clout of Chinese, Brazilian, and (WTF?) Indian soccer leagues in grabbing the top talent
posted by bardic on Jul 11, 2012 - 24 comments

When athletes are in financial trouble, they often go to high end pawn shops to get money.
posted by reenum on Jun 24, 2011 - 27 comments

100 million just doesn't get what it used to... Ilya Kovalchuk becomes the poster boy for irony in the NHL. [more inside]
posted by lumpenprole on Nov 12, 2010 - 55 comments

Today, Deadspin leaked financial documents detailing the finances of several MLB teams, including a few that are getting revenue sharing money. They show that several of MLB's "poorest" franchises turned a profit due to these cash infusions. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Aug 26, 2010 - 56 comments

Cuban players have long been a mainstay in baseball. After Fidel Castro made it impossible for people to leave the island, the flow of players stopped to a drip. That changed with the defection of Rene Arocha in 1991. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Nov 8, 2009 - 4 comments

When people think of the pitfalls of the baseball draft, it is hard not to remember the story of Matt Harrington. Harrington was drafted in the first round of the MLB draft by the Rockies and the Padres in successive years, only to go back into the draft after failing to reach an agreement each time. As the years went by, his stock kept falling. [more inside]
posted by reenum on Nov 3, 2009 - 50 comments

Lenny Dykstra was lauded for his heroics with the Mets and Philles. After his career, Dykstra became well-known as a post-career athlete success story. Then the truth started coming out... [more inside]
posted by reenum on Oct 27, 2009 - 22 comments

How (and Why) Athletes Go Broke [more inside]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero on Apr 13, 2009 - 130 comments