Caitlin Tan

Nicholas doesn't think the mild winter making it hard to find antlers will trickle down to his prices.

But the high cost of living right now, like gas and groceries?

And that could mean he'd have to raise his prices for the elk antler dog juice.

In Jackson, Wyoming, I'm Caitlin Tan for Marketplace.

It's almost time for the World Cup.

And as we're cheering on our favorite teams and hopefully watching them win, I know at least some of us are wondering, why do athletes get paid so much money?

This week on Million Bazillion, Bridget and I learn how scouting works, how teams decide what to pay their star athletes, and why those are important factors in making games fun to watch.

Leagues or team owners have an interest in making sure that all the teams have somewhat equal talent because it makes it way more fun when you don't know in advance which team will win.

We call that uncertainty of outcome.

And the way that players are paid is one way that league rules can improve competitive balance.

Listen to Million Bazillion on your favorite podcast app.