sentences:  In an era where other owners such as Charlie Finley were unwilling to spend money to keep players, and other clubs were still run by families not ready for the 'balance sheet' era of sports ownership, Steinbrenner ushered in the big salary era of sports by signing Reggie Jackson to a five-year contract worth just under $3 million.The idea of bringing in Jackson for 1977 would be to try to put the Yankees over the top.Still, the 1976 version of the Yankees marked a return of prominence to the organization.