Bernie Sanders: If we can pay baseball players hundreds of millions, teachers deserve a raise

Arthur Weinstein

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Bernie Sanders: If we can pay baseball players hundreds of millions, teachers deserve a raise image

If Bernie Sanders were an MLB general manager, he would probably be the type who chases bargain players rather than signing free agents to mega contracts.

The presidential contender posted a video on his Twitter account Saturday showing him at a campaign stop talking about raising pay for school teachers. And he used baseball salaries to make his point.

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"If we are a nation that can provide contracts to baseball players for hundreds of millions of dollars, don't tell me we cannot pay teachers in this country the kinds of wages and salaries they deserve," Sanders said.

Sanders might have been referring to the huge contracts signed this offseason by Bryce Harper with the Phillies and Manny Machado with the Padres, although contracts worth more than nine figures are the rule rather than the exception now for baseball's top stars. Sanders' comments predictably drew a wide range of responses on Twitter, some serious, others definitely not. Here's a sampling:

— "Depends on the teacher’s WAR."

— "I don't know many teachers with a high batting average."

— "Damn right, Bernie! Get my mom a raise."

— "Bernie speaks in support of paying teachers more and people fall down a rabbit hole on how baseball players are paid. It's about valuation. We, as a nation, clearly reward athleticism more than education."

— "My math teacher struck out more than Bryce Harper."

— "Teachers will continue to receive less pay than other career fields, until an importance is placed on a valuable education. As a former educator, it’s a shame to see how many parents could care less about their children’s education. This country needs leadership that inspires."

— "There are less than 1000 players that can do what they do.. Skills pay the bills."

— "My tax dollars don't pay for ballplayers my ticket pays their salaries. That's called the free market."

— "Screw this. I’m gonna stop sending my kids to school, and just send them to baseball games."

Arthur Weinstein