Sources of Data

Note: I will keep this post archived in the "Key Blog Posts" section of the column to the right for quick reference by users. The latest revisions to the post will be marked via italicized, red text. I will add content as posts require.

General Economic Data

Inflation rate data is taken direction from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI data. Unless otherwise noted in a specific post, annual changes are used to bring past economic data into current day dollars.

MLS Data

MLS player salary data for 2007, 2008, and 2009 is taken from the MLS Player's Union website. Player salary data for 2006 is taken from the Washington Post. I have been unable to find 2005 player salary data, and thus have used Grant Wahl's compilation of team payroll's located here. Strangely enough, Sports Illustrated did post the 2004 player salary data here.

If anyone does know where to get 2005 player salary data, I would love to know where it is. This would help plug a key hole in pre-DP era player data.

I have compiled the 2006-2009 player salary data in to a Google Doc spreadsheet for public use.

All player and team payroll data is expressed in 2009 dollars unless otherwise noted.

To avoid issues in statistical analyses, I have coded all San Jose team data prior to 2006 as Houston Dynamo data. This will preserve the reality that Houston was not an expansion franchise, but rather an existing team that moved from the San Jose area. MLS insistence that the San Jose statistics not transfer to the Dynamo notwithstanding, the reality is that the team roster and ownership remained the same after the move.