Updating financial information to match reality

[cbbl]

Hey all ...

It's great to see that OOTP2007 can automatically import historical financial information. This makes it much easier for those of us playing leagues starting long ago.

It appears that the data file took the work performed last year by Raidergoo, which calculated financial coefficients based on historical GDP numbers. While this was a great effort and appreciated by many (including myself) it does not accurately reflect historical baseball salaries.

This is because the differential between baseball salaries has changed dramatically in the last 100 years (and even in the last 20) -- both from the disparity of overall salaries compared to average salaries as well as the disparity among the top and bottom-level players themselves.

For example, an article written by University of Wisconsin Economic History professor Michael J. Haupert titled "The Economic History of Major League Baseball" includes a table that lists, among other things, average player salaries and average ticket prices.

Looking at 1964, it shows:

Average salary (nominal) - $14,863
Average ticket price (nominal) - $2.25

The financials file in OOTP2007, however, says that the MINIMUM salary in 1964 would be $19,793, clearly out of alignment with the actual data. Ticket price is listed at $1.94, below the actual and in opposite variance from salaries.

I'd like to create a financials file that more correctly mirrors actual salaries, but it's hard to find sources -- especially when considering the disparity among players. While the "average salary" in 1964 was nearly $15K that doesn't necessarily mean it went to "average quality" players as defined by OOTP. I'd be more than happy to create a more realistic file if someone can help me find the raw data.

Any interest?

FWIW, here are the actual average ticket prices, 1964 - 2002 from Professor Haupert's study:

1964	$2.25
1965	$2.29
1966	$2.35
1967	$2.37
1968	$2.44
1969	$2.61
1970	$2.72
1971	$2.91
1972	$2.95
1973	$2.98
1974	$3.10
1975	$3.30
1976	$3.45
1977	$3.69
1978	$3.98
1979	$4.12
1980	$4.45
1981	$4.93
1982	$5.17
1983	$5.69
1984	$5.81
1985	$6.08
1986	$6.21
1987	$6.21
1988	$6.21
1989
1990
1991	$8.84
1992	$9.41
1993	$9.73
1994	$10.62
1995	$10.76
1996	$11.32
1997	$12.06
1998	$13.58
1999	$14.45
2000	$16.22
2001	$17.20
2002	$17.85

cbbl