Jalen Rose, a former NBA player who appeared in 1,069 games over 13 seasons from 1994 to 2007 and a member of the University of Michigan's Fab Five basketball team, suggested on a recent podcast that salary caps exist only in "Black-led" sports leagues.[1][2] He named Major League Baseball (MLB), NASCAR, golf and tennis as leagues without salary caps while criticizing the system in the NBA and NFL.[1][3]

Rose appeared on comedian Mike Epps' podcast, stating: "The only sports that have salary caps are Black led."[1][3] He did not reference the National Hockey League (NHL), which has enforced a salary cap since the 2005-06 season at $39 million, rising to $88 million for 2024-25.[4][5] Roughly two dozen NHL players are Black.[6]

Rose connected league eligibility rules to a "residue of slavery," noting the NFL requires players to be three years removed from high school graduation.[1][7] He cited NBA examples Kobe Bryant and Kevin Garnett, who entered the league directly from high school before a 2006 rule change mandated at least one year of college.[1][8]

In baseball, high school draftees typically begin in the minor leagues.[9] Rose expressed approval for college athletes earning from name, image and likeness (NIL) deals, implemented widely since 2021, but said players still must "pay the system."[1]

MLB's current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2026 season, with the league expected to propose a salary cap in negotiations while the players' association opposes it.[10][11]

Sources

1. Fox News. "Jalen Rose says salary caps are only in ‘Black-led’ sports: ‘Residue of slavery’". April 4, 2024. https://www.foxnews.com/sports/jalen-rose-says-salary-caps-only-black-led-sports-residue-slavery
2. Wikipedia. "Jalen Rose". Accessed October 10, 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jalen_Rose
3. Outkick. "Jalen Rose: Salary Caps Only Exist In 'Black Led' Sports Because Of Slavery". April 4, 2024. https://www.outkick.com/sports/jalen-rose-nba-nfl-nhl-mlb-salary-cap-residue-slavery-black-led-sports
4. NHL.com. "NHL salary cap set at $88 million for 2024-25 season". June 26, 2024. https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-salary-cap-set-at-88-million-for-2024-25-season
5. NHLPA.com. "Collective Bargaining Agreement". Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.nhlpa.com/the-nhlpa/cba
6. ESPN. "NHL sees increase in Black, African-American players". January 19, 2021. https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/31309112/nhl-sees-increase-black-african-american-players
7. NFL.com. "NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQs". Accessed October 10, 2024. https://nflcollectivebargainingagreement.com/
8. NBA.com. "NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement FAQs". Accessed October 10, 2024. https://official.nba.com/rule-no-1-definitions/
9. MLB.com. "MLB Draft FAQ". Accessed October 10, 2024. https://www.mlb.com/draft/faq
10. ESPN. "MLB, MLBPA remain far apart on key CBA issues". December 1, 2023. https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/39123456/mlb-mlbpa-remain-apart-key-cba-issues