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Who is Tim Lincecum?

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Published: 11Mar2012
Word count: 643
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As many sports fans and commentators know, sports news is not just about who wins or loses games, or how certain players are ranked. It is also about money and contracts. Given the excitement surrounding the players themselves, and the huge amounts of money changing hands at the highest levels of sports, it is no wonder that sports journalists—and their readers—can become very enthusiastic about the business aspect of sports, as well. It is this sort of excitement that currently surrounds Tim Lincecum and his contract negotiations.

Lincecum is a pitcher for the San Francisco Giants. He is known for his very powerful throws, which are especially surprising, given his unusually small frame. His teammates have nicknamed him "Franchise," "Freak," and "Freaky Franchise." Other nicknames used for him include "Tiny Tim." He has twice won the Cy Young Award, which is a yearly honor given to pitchers in the major leagues. He and the other pitchers are considered the backbone of the team. According to the Major League Baseball website, there is an "imbalance" between their hitting and pitching, and it really appears to be pitching skills that push team to victory. Lincecum is popular with fans not only because of his skill and power on the field, but because of his paradoxical "underdog" image: with his long hair, slight body, and angular features, he does not look like a typical baseball hero, and is more relatable to many fans because of this.

This arbitration season, Lincecum has asked for a $21.5 million salary, a very large increase on his $13 million last year. The amount of money being asked for by Lincecum and his representatives is noteworthy because of its magnitude, surpassing the sum requested by legendary players such as Derek Jeter. There is a relatively narrow margin between Lincecum's asking salary and that of the recorded highest amount ever: Roger Clemens' $22 million in 2005. There is a distinct possibility that Lincecum will not get the price he is asking for. The representatives of the Giants baseball team have previously been able to deal well with negotiations, coming to a settlement with players (including Lincecum himself in a previous season) before the bargaining reaches an arbitration hearing. In fact, in Lincecum's previous salary negotiations, there was an even greater distance between the amount he asked for and that proposed by the team's negotiators, so prospects for quick settlement seem very good. There is some speculation that a settlement between Lincecum and the team management will be reached, but could ultimately become a short-term measure. Lincecum could leave the team next year and start hunting for better bargains. If Lincecum continues to perform well and retains his popularity, he may stand a good chance of getting this kind of high figure, either from the Giants or some other team.

If Lincecum does end up leaving his team, this move could be considered part of a phenomenon that is sweeping baseball and other sports, such as soccer. We refer here to the growing commodification of teams. Teams are bought and sold, and players seem to be demonstrating less loyalty towards particular teams or clubs. This is manifested in more frequent sales of teams, trading of players, or non-renewal of contracts. Fans are becoming more accustomed to this, which of course means that the nature of fan loyalty will also change. Some fans are more likely to be loyal to particular players, rather than to a certain team, especially if hometown loyalties are not involved. Perhaps if Lincecum moves to another team, he will also be taking some provisional Giants fans with him—a factor that the Giants' negotiation representatives will have to take into account.

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