MLB vs NFL Pension most complete comparison

This is a work in progress. As added info comes in or corrections are needed I will add them to this comparison. So far there are no corrections.

Donald Fehr makes $1 mil and the NFL active players pay Upshaw $3 mil to produce half what Fehr produces for the MLB players. Think about that active players, you pay 3 times as much for half (the hours) and half the results.

1) Total Pay out annual benefits MLB $80.9 mil* vs. NFL $50.58 mil
2) Average annual benefit MLB $34,890 vs. NFL $14,451
3) Monthly benefits paid (nearly) MLB $7 mil vs. NFL $5 mil
4) 10 yr player at 62 gets MLB $175,000 vs. NFL $32,000
5) Percent total salaries in benefitsMLB 5.5% vs. NFL 2.2%
6) Participants included (21% diff.) MLB 7,560 vs. NFL 9,560
7) Active players covered MLB 1,200 vs. NFL 1,800
8) Investment income MLB **** vs. NFL $54.7 mil
9) Assets available for benefits MLB $1.083 Bil vs. NFL $1 Bil ***
10) Current liabilities MLB $2.3 billion vs. NFL $1.04 billion
11) Ave player salary MLB $2.8 mil vs. NFL $1.25 mil
12) Median salary MLB $1.1 mil** vs. NFL $631,675
13) Exec. Director Salary MLB $1 mil vs. NFL $3 mil
14) Plan actuary fee MLB $700,219 vs. NFL $492,951
15) Both plans are defined benefit plans despite the misinformation given out by the NFLPA. Both Plans mark form 5500 page 2 item 8(a) Characteristics Code, as 1B and 1G the same.
16) Number monthly benefits checks MLB 2,319 vs. NFL 3,500
17) Both Plans meet the minimum funding requirements of ERISA.

· *If NFL paid out $80.9 mil as MLB does the average annual benefit would be $23,114 instead of the sub-poverty level benefit of $14,451.
· **Florida Marlins median salary $1.1 mil, Yankees median salary $5.8 million.
· ***Upshaw said in a May 16, 2006 telephone conference call that the “net assets available for benefits had grown from the $841,761,127 in the financial statement to over $1 billion now.
· **** MLB's investment income appears to be more than NFL's.
· NFL pays their Exec Director 3 times as much and gets back less than half as much as MLB.
Note: Upshaw only works for NFLPA union as Exec Director half the time because he works 20 hrs per week ave for the PAT, at least that is what the PAT, IRS form 990-PF reports for 2002, 2003, and 2004 say.