The New Working Poor: Players in MLS?

Story in the Times today claims that lots of players in M.L.S. are struggling to get by. A $36,500 starting salary makes you broke these days?

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/27/sports/soccer/many-in-mls-playing-largely-for-love-of-the-game-.html?ref=todayspaper

 

They could work at McDonald's on their days off:

http://jimromenesko.com/2014/10/23/meet-the-medical-reporter-who-took-a-part-time-job-at-mcdonalds-to-make-ends-meet/

 

36000 is decent money?

 

Even with the understanding that they carry developmental players, it does strike me as a pretty low minimum salary for a league that insists it's a major league. The MLS' single-entity structure is a crappy model.

 

A $36,500 salary in a field that employs people exclusively in large cities is broke, yes. Or about as close as you can get to broke. The example here cites three players who live in Denver, where the median household income is $49,000 (Denver County) or $58,000 (state of Colorado).

 

I'd love to know where the minimum salary players in LA live.

 

Tijuana

 

They qualify for Obamacare subsidies.

 

Wow. That's weird. I never would've thought of that as being low, not for someone just out of college.

By comparison, I make the equivalent of around $37,000 a year in London. Yeah, I have to budget but I can eat out, go out regularly and live in semi-decent accommodation (without going to the cards.)

 

Are you a pro athlete?

 

No. I'm an idiot with a part-time civil service job. God bless the unions.

 

So then why would you compare your personal situation to that of a presumably elite level athlete?