Lifestyles of the greatest

[todeen]

Originally Posted by Hankphenom

The big stars lived very well, probably the equivalent of bank presidents at the time, and could enjoy the off-seasons if they wanted. There was also side money from exhibitions, endorsements and promotions, etc. Little or no income taxes helped, too. Average players had jobs in the off-season and had to get another gig when their careers ended, many parlaying their renown as major leaguers into owning bars, restaurants, bowling alleys, etc., or selling cars, insurance, and the like. Lifestyles for both was roughly equivalent to current players into the 1980s, when free agency accelerated. The minimum salary in 1975 was $16,000, and the average $44,000. Old-timers must look on with amazement at utility players and set-up pitchers who these days can retire after a 9-year career with a $50 million-dollar portfolio.

I know only a little about Ernie Lombardi, HOF star of the world champion Reds, but his battle with depression post playing days makes it seem like his attempts to find endorsements was degrading. Living in California, living on past accomplishments with no current star power.... I am going to assume he wasn't the only player who felt like that. Eventually it led him to attempt suicide. From SABR:

"Unfortunately for Lombardi, his life after baseball was not a comfortable one. He held different jobs on the West Coast, unable to settle into a steady profession. He lived the life of a recluse, still haunted by the “Lombardi Snooze” moniker. In April of 1953, he and his wife were visiting relatives in Castro Valley, California. Ernie used the bathroom, said he was not feeling well, and went to lie down in a bedroom. Bernice, his wife, checked on him a short time after and discovered that he had cut his throat with a razor he found in the bathroom. He struggled with emergency personnel, saying that he wanted to die. Lombardi was saved from his suicide attempt and entered a private sanitarium."

Tris Speaker continued to work almost to his death. Wikipedia says he worked in various sports related jobs post career: indoor baseball league, Cleveland boxing commissioner, and finally as a goodwill ambassador for the Indians in the late 1940s.

I think we all have quiet respect for that star player of any generation who is able to escape the spotlight, find a quiet life for themselves that they desire, and live content. And then we all talk about how hard it is to obtain their auto.

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