I am a big sports fan.
A few interesting factoids in the world of sports that I have seen recently..
Fairways, Greens and Real Green
Ted Scott is the caddie for the current #1 golfer in the world Scottie Scheffler.
Scheffler had a tremendous year in 2024.
He won The Masters. The Olympics gold medal in golf. He also won the season long FedEx Cup on the PGA Tour.
Scheffler won a lot of money this year---$62 million.
Ted Scott earned a lot of money carrying Scheffler's bag.
In fact, the estimated $6.2 million that Ted Scott earned caddying for Scottie would mean that he made more money traversing those fairways and greens on the PGA Tour this year than all but 14 Tour players.
To put that in additional perspective, that $6.2 million is more than the LIFETIME earnings of Jack Nicklaus playing golf on the PGA Tour ($5.7 million) that included winning 18 majors.
Yes, inflation is part of it.
However, even if you inflate the winnings of Jack, he still earned only $31 million over his entire career in today's dollars.
That is only half of what Scheffler earned in one year.
Ted Scott still earned 1/5 of the career earnings of Nicklaus caddying this year.
That is some real GREEN.
It also makes you wonder that with all this money in play, why is it that the PGA Tour and LIV golf still cannot figure a way forward in their merger talks?
Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark was a generational talent who vastly expanded the popularity of college women's basketball while she played for Iowa.
There were veteran women's players who were of the opinion that Clark would have a difficult time transitioning from the college game to playing as a professional in the WNBA.
Diana Taurasi was one of the most vocal about Clark.
Those assessments seem to have been proven wrong.
Compare Caitlin's rookie stats to other WNBA stars in their first season, including Taurasi.
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| Thru games of 9/11/24 Source: https://stats.wnba.com/player/1642286/ |
Caitlin Clark is also responsible for putting fans in the seats at her games.
Total attendance at Indiana Fever home games is up 264% compared to last year.
Caitlin has put more eyeballs on the WNBA than any other player before.
All 14 of the most-watched televised WNBA games ( and 17 of the top 20) this year were games in which Caitlin Clark's Indiana Fever team played.
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| Source: https://sportsnaut.com/wnba-tv-ratings/ |
And how does the WNBA allow that to occur without taking major actions such as ejecting and suspending the offenders?
Did we see anything like this on the PGA Tour when Tiger Woods arrived on the scene?
Or when Larry Bird came to the NBA?
Is it jealousy? Is there something different in the makeup of men and women on this subject?
Is it reverse racism? Only 19% of WNBA players are White.
A combination of both and the fact she is also a rookie who has not "paid her dues"?
What is it?
How does it makes any sense to do this to the one player that is putting all that money in your pocket?
What Would Brock Purdy Get Paid In The SEC?
Brock Purdy is the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers. He led his team to the Super Bowl in his second year in the league last year. He was fourth in the NFL MVP vote.
Brock Purdy is earning a base salary of $985,000 this year in the third year of a four year contract that he signed after he was the last player drafted in the 2022 NFL draft.
What is really wild is that Brock Purdy is making less money than the average starting college quarterback is in the SEC this year---that dollar figure is $1,040,000.
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| Source: https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/1832892721759187449 |
Just a small example of how absurd the entire NIL scheme has become in college football.
Student athletes?
If you doubt the power of the SEC to dominate college football, take a look at the pay scales across the various positions compared to the other Power 4 conferences.
As far as Brock Purdy is concerned, he should soon find himself in a better financial position soon if he does not get hurt.
The going rate for a top NFL quarterback appears to have settled in at $50+ million per year and trending to $60 million.
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| Source: https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfls-top-10-highest-paid-qbs-of-2024-where-dak-prescotts-new-cowboys-deal-stacks-up/ |
That is a nice chunk of change.
However, it is not as much as Scheffler earned on the golf course.
Of course, those quarterbacks don't have to pay a caddie!
The Worst Team in the History of Major League Baseball?
The 1962 New York Mets are generally considered to be the worst teaim in the history of the modern era (since 1900) of major league baseball.
The Mets were an expansion team that year that were comprised of cast off players from other major league teams. Most would probably have been playing in the AAA level of the minor leagues but for expansion.
The New York Mets finished 40-122 in 1962.
Through 147 of their 162 game season the Chicago White Sox are 33-114.
The Los Angeles Angles have the second worst record in the American League. They have won 27 more games than the White Sox.
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| Source: https://www.mlb.com/whitesox/standings/ |
The Chicago White Sox are not an expansion team. They were a charter member of the American League when it was founded in 1901.
To avoid becoming known as the worst team ever in Major League Baseball the Sox have to win at least 7 of their remaining 15 games.
Can they do it?
It is going to take a .500 record in the last couple weeks of the season when they have only been winning at a .224 clip so far. The odds do not look good.
The hapless Mets of 1962 may soon be replaced in the record books.
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