The structure is what it is.. sponsors work out deals with the teams so that they don't have to spend cash on tickets... housing and such, it has to happen becasue it's cheaper for owners to buy apartment complexes or hotels and rent them during the off season to generate revenue rather than pay the players to pay their own rent.
let's over generalize again..
lets say it costs a person $1000 a month to pay rent, utilities, and meal expenses.
they're making $800 a month roughly right now at $200 per game.
you'd have to double that for a player to be able to pay to live someplace. who's going to pay for that.. again think like a business.. the consumer..
means your $10 just jumped to $20. your $20 a seat a game season ticket package now costs you $560 a season for two seats, just last year is was $280 that would price me out of the market, and my combined family income is above average in Sioux Falls.
I'm not saying that the system isn't broken. but drastic changes cannot be implemented of we want the sport to survive. it has to remain affordable. If I could afford $100 a seat a game for season tickets I'd rather see NFL talent.
most owners are in this game to try to make some money. They're not going to make money paying players much more than they are now and keep the fans coming to the games affordably.
and come on Abyss.. Bob Scott over paying players... that's laughable.... not saying he didn't arrange good jobs sorting paper clips or something...
I look at it like this. If players are getting paid under the table to perform on the field who are we to judge. Chances are that those funds aren't coming off the general ledger of your favorite UIF team. and therefore the quality of your team is directly related to the depth of your pocketbook, right??
Then someone explain the Redskins to me. Daniel Synder has more money than the pope and he STILL can't put together a consistent team.
So, really it's not all about money, it's about personalities. It's not really even about talent. The teams in this league do what they have to do to keep quality guys around.
Like I've also asserted else where... players can talk all they want.. but I'd guess their actual salary for playing football is $200 a game. it's the total compensation package the separates the teams. Free apts, free meals, free gym memberships (multiple places for Storm players), hook ups for jobs and help with anything else they need. that's just like my employer paying my families health insurance at 100% versus yours asking you to pay $100 a week for the same coverage.. if we make the same salary.. where would you rather work.
OK this ramble is over.. time to get back to work today... I've heard players that have told me they make more than the $200 and i've had players tell me that it's just the $200. so whose telling me the truth? I'd trust both of them.