Should the AFL release player salaries for the betterment of fans? Or are these figures private matters that should remain behind closed doors?
With the season just under a month away, the AFL have released their tiny snippet of AFL player salaries, confirming a record nine players will earn over $1 million in 2018.
We weren’t given their actual salaries, as the AFL still maintains secrecy over the exact amounts each player is making and how much cap room each team has at any given time.
Leagues such as the NBA, NFL and NHL all release player salaries to the media and public alike, so they are able analyse how each team spends their money and what possible moves they can pull in trade and free agency periods.
With these three leagues being among the best and most progressive in professional sport, it is time the AFL moves forward and releases this information for fans to see.
Money plays such a critical role in elite sport today.
In the world of salary caps and long-term deals, all clubs spend countless hours negotiating with their players and coaches in order to give themselves the best chance in assembling a premiership quality squad.
With salaries playing such a key part in the competition, it is more than fair for the public to be able to see just how much each player is earning and how much room their club has to work with in the off-season.
The main argument against the release of AFL salaries is the respect of the players, as their earnings are a personal and private matter.
Although fair, in this new age of professional sport and the importance of money in the league, fans deserve to know how much their club is spending, with players having to deal with the fact their careers are in the public spotlight and are a hotbed of interest.
The fans are without a doubt the key stakeholders of the league.
Year by year, they filter countless dollars into their beloved clubs through tickets, memberships, merchandise and a host of other investments.
As a result, they deserve to know how their club is spending its money and its financial position in regards to the salary cap.
Some deals are eventually made public, with last year’s high-profile re-signing of Dustin Martin to the Tigers being a solid example of what is released to the public in terms of player salaries.
But we are left frustratingly in the dark with the situation of most players in the league, as the AFL simply isn’t transparent enough in how they deal with player contracts.
An excellent example of this being done right can be seen in the NBA.
The public are able to look up each teams’ player salaries at any time, and get information on exactly how much each athlete is making, the length of their contracts and how the team is situated in terms of the salary cap.
Fans should be able to know when their club gives out a poor contract, or when they have managed to snatch up a high-quality player for a much lower price.
If the public knew how much each player was making, it would also make it much easier to judge one’s performance and keep them accountable for the investment the club has put in for them.
The public is tired of guessing how much their players are making and how much they are worth.
It need not be a closed-door affair.
Let’s get over the games and have the AFL release every single contract for fans to dissect on their own, and let the clubs focus solely on improving their lists.
Former Port Adelaide champion Kane Cornes highlighted the issue on his radio show Sportsday, claiming the AFL needs to be more transparent.
“It’s never been more expensive to go to the footy. Season tickets for the family, merchandise and food at the game equates to a significant investment,” Cornes said.
“As key stakeholders, [supporters] deserve to know where their club spends its money.”
Cornes also highlighted how greater transparency would help the media accurately analyse the performance of players in regards to their contracts, rather than taking wild guesses as to how much they are being paid.
AFL reporter Caroline Wilson criticised Port Adelaide forward Charlie Dixon on Footy Classified early last season, claiming his performance against Geelong was far from a player who was reportedly making $650,000-$700,000 a year.
This was later proven to be an incorrect figure, with Power coach Ken Hinkley saying Dixon was not paid as highly as previously reported, proving just how much of a circus salary speculation has become.
To avoid the spread of misinformation, the AFL needs to make this information public.
Even if the AFL wants to maintain the privacy of its players, they should at the very least release how much each club is spending as a whole and how they stand in regards to the salary cap.
This would at least take fans out of the unknown and make them aware of how much their club is spending and what they can do to improve their lists.
So as we enter the 2018 season, will we finally see the AFL catch up with the world’s other premier sporting leagues and release this information?
Or will they continue to leave their fans in the dark?
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