The Hub of the Universe has spun off its axis.
Boston has gone Minor League.
These days, the City of Champions can’t even land a WNBA franchise.
The list of the departed in 2025 includes the following:
Brad Marchand.
David Andrews.
Raffy Devers.
Kristaps Porzingis.
Jrue Holiday.
Luke Kornet.
(That last one really hurts.)
7 rings out the door.
Beantown frowns at each breaking news sounder on talk radio or ESPN insider post on social media.
Who’s next?
Jaylen Brown?
Derrick White?
Aroldis Chapman?
Alex Cora? (We should be so lucky.)
The Red Sox and Celtics have pruned more than $500 million in salary and tax payments off their books in just the past 2 weeks.
“Les Misérables dans le sport” opened when the Red Sox exiled Mookie Betts. After a brief hiatus last spring, its run has been extended until at least the spring of 2027.
The Red Sox dropped 8 of 12 games after the Joe Isuzu Twins told us the team could win more games than they lose after dumping Devers.
It was noted Tuesday that since the trade, new Red Sox pitcher Jordan Hicks has a higher WAR (0.1) than Devers (0.0).
To this, we quote the late, great Edwin Starr:
“War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”
Boston’s payroll has edged up to 17th in the majors. Adjusted for inflation, it remains flat over the past 2 years. And down 33.6 % since 2019.
The Celtics used the second apron as a human shield. Their Talkathon austerity makes sense given Jayson Tatum’s status. All eyes will be on “Dollar Bill” Chisholm and Brad Stevens this time next year when Tatum is/should be 100% ready for another title run.
How deep will Chisholm’s pockets be after he and his partners spent $6 billion on the team?
The Patriots work the NFL’s salary cap as well as any franchise. They are currently 10th overall in cash spending for the upcoming season, according to Spotrac. That’s up from 15th last season and 31st in 2023.
In this decade, the Athens of Georgia has won more national college football championships than the Athens of America and its suburbs have won NFL playoff games.
This isn’t “Loserville.” The real kicker back in the day was the local teams (save for the pre salary cap Bruins) spent wildly and still ended up empty-handed when it came to championships.
Robert Kraft signed Drew Bledsoe to a 10-year, $103 million deal in March 2001. At the time, it was the most lucrative contract in NFL history.
The Red Sox gave monster-money deals to Steve Avery, Jack Clark, and Matt Young in the 1990s.
The Celtics flushed away millions on Pervis Ellison, Travis Knight and Wayne Turner.
Never mind Rick Pitino.
The only savings was on gas for the Duck Boats.
The Bad Old Days were not the result of fiscal restraint, adherence to the luxury tax threshold, or fear of the second apron.
Cash was burned.
But Boston imported its title celebrations from Colorado.
Now, analytics rule on and off the field.
And all those titles (13 in 23 years) are now being held against you.
Sam Kennedy reminded you ingrates that this Red Sox ownership group minted 4 World Series rings. Robert Kraft once spoke about how great each championship felt in comparison to the previous one. Last week, he pledged that “we’re gonna have fun this year, I promise.”
Maybe if you take the under on 8.5 wins.
Never mind New York and LA.
These days, Boston can’t compete with Sunrise, Florida.
The Panthers and Marchand agreed to a 6-year, $32 million deal. It will keep him “playing” in Florida until he’s 43. The Bruins went all in to make a run in 2023. The Panthers have locked up their championship core of 10 players through 2030.
It’s not just the weather, or lack of potholes, that make the Sunshine State so appealing.
Nerd Wallet says the cost of living in Fort Lauderdale (the closest major city to Sunrise) is 20% lower than it is in Boston.
Then we get to the thorny issue of taxes.
Marchand’s deal has an average annual value of $5.25 million, or $64,000 per game. Marchand would save $429,300 per year in state taxes on his base salary playing Florida vs. Massachusetts if he played all his games in Broward County.
Florida has no state income tax, nor does it separately tax capital gains.
Marchand plays roughly 30 road games per year in states and Canadian provinces that collect taxes on the part of his salary he earns in each of those jurisdictions.
He will earn $128,000 for 2 games in Massachusetts next season. That will be taxed by the Bay State at 5%, less a small personal exemption. In California, he’ll get raked at 15% for the first $57,375 he earns while playing there, plus 20.5% on the next $57,375.
He pays those taxes regardless of where he calls home
After factoring in tax-jurisdiction games, Marchand clears about $273,000 each season in state taxes saved by playing for the Dynastic Panthers in the Free State of Florida over the Rebuilding Bruins in the People’s Republic of Massachusetts.
He gets to drink champagne from the Stanley Cup in a swimming pool with Matthew Tkachuk. And he doesn’t have to worry about Jeremy Swayman whiffing on a knuckler in the five-hole.
By not living in the Commonwealth – and here’s a key point often missed – the rest of Marchand’s income from endorsements, royalties, capital gains (8.5% on short term capital gains and 5% on long-term capital gains), appearances and other ventures escapes the grasp of the Commonwealth’s Department of Revenue.
It’s a miracle Boston was able to compete as long as it did.
Contact: Bill Speros (@RealOBF and @BillSperos on X) at bsperos1@gmail.com
