--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A comparison of the average professional…" description: "\"A comparison of the average professional baseball salary to the national average salary over the last one hundred years shows that for the first fifty ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/douglas-brunt-18401_average_a-comparison-of-the-average-professional_2878548.jpg" --- # A comparison of the average professional baseball salary… ![“A comparison of the average professional baseball salary to the national average salary over the last one hundred years shows that for the first fifty years, 1920-1970, baseball players held a steady multiple of about 3.4 times the national average income.” quote by Douglas Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/douglas-brunt-18401_average_a-comparison-of-the-average-professional_2878548.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/douglas-brunt-18401_average_a-comparison-of-the-average-professional_2878548.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e6/douglas-brunt-18401_average_a-comparison-of-the-average-professional_2878548.jpg) > “A comparison of the average professional baseball salary to the national average salary over the last one hundred years shows that for the first fifty years, 1920-1970, baseball players held a steady multiple of about 3.4 times the national average income.” [Douglas Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-brunt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Baseball salaries were roughly 3.4 times the national average from 1920‑1970, showing a stable premium for athletes. **In simple terms:** Players earned much more than average workers. Key Takeaway Recognize how specialized markets command higher pay. Themes economics labor markets sports history inequality Mood analytical reflective Type informative analytical When to use this quote - sports contracts - career planning - salary negotiations - policy discussions - investment decisions Key Concepts premium wages market segmentation historical trends Questions to Reflect On - How do skill scarcity and entertainment value affect pay gaps? - Should athletes’ earnings be capped? A Different Perspective The premium may reflect talent scarcity, not broader economic fairness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Baseball player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-player/) [Baseball Players](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball-players/) [Comparison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparison/) ## Related quotes > [In my first start-up, I didn't get any salary for four years, so I had to move back with my parents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-kalanick/in-my-first-start-up-i-didn-t-get-any-salary-for-four-years-so-i-had/) [Travis Kalanick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-kalanick/) > [There's a whole generation that's retiring. It is unconscionable that the average salary of a lawyer is $79,000 a year and the average salary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/there-s-a-whole-generation-that-s-retiring-it-is-unconscionable-that/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [If you work for the federal government, the average salary is $7,000 higher than the private sector. Something's wrong with that, when you're making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/if-you-work-for-the-federal-government-the-average-salary-is-7-000/) [Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/) > [“Think this trend is the exclusive doing of the Republicans? Think again. The average income of the top 400 tripled during the Clinton Administration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-befumo/think-this-trend-is-the-exclusive-doing-of-the-republicans-think/) [Joseph Befumo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-befumo/) > [Manhattan is increasingly less available to average-income earners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-di-giovanni/manhattan-is-increasingly-less-available-to-average-income-earners/) [Janine di Giovanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-di-giovanni/) > [The average income in France is $1,000 a month, and you can't live decently on that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-luc-godard/the-average-income-in-france-is-1-000-a-month-and-you-can-t-live/) [Jean-Luc Godard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-luc-godard/) > [Your income tends to equal the average income of your five best friends,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-olson/your-income-tends-to-equal-the-average-income-of-your-five-best/) [Jeff Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-olson/) > [After adjusting for inflation, the average income of the top 5% of households grew by 38% from 1989 to 2013. 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This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) ## More by Douglas Brunt > [It's common knowledge that professional athletes earn extraordinary incomes. 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