Low Wage Life Proposal

When we think of professional baseball we think of Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and all the players who make millions upon millions of dollars. We think of how these players are 'overpaid' and how in general professional athletes are overpaid, but there is a forgotten race in professional sports. There are a multitude of men who are forever stuck in the ranks of the minor leagues, and stuck in the low wage life. We don't understand how little these people are paid because we only think of the players who have made it to the majors, and that the players in the minors are only there for a short while until they are on their way to the big bucks. Although for many the minors is just a mere stepping stone, for some it is a destination. No matter how hard they try they are stuck in the low wage life.

This low wage life is slightly different in that the employees are usually doing something they love and are playing a game. This leads people to disregard the profession as low wage because they think it doesn't have the same effect as say a cashier at McDonald's, but these factors lead to a whole new psychology in the low wage life. These players, these people are psychologically at war with themselves because they are dealing with a myriad of conflicting ideals. This is something that can be debilitating and is unique to minor league baseball. The low wage life, the sports mindset, and common human nature are all intermixed and causes quite a confusing life style. This goes overlooked because these are 'baseball players' not low wage workers. I want to investigate just what the career minor league baseball player has to deal with psychologically as I present it from a low wage point of view.