I can imagine back in the day when the mafia had power it was beneficial to be on record as an associate, even if you couldn't get made.
But is it worth being an associate today?
You can just do your own this and keep under the radar these days, I bet most would not have to kick anything up to a made guy.
There's more to being an associate than killing and taking numbers for example. In Chicago for instance, associates were always guaranteed city jobs that would require them to spend little time at their job and collect a paycheck that paid a very good wage with great benefits. That was what really put food on the table, since quite a few were making tons of money having those jobs given to them. Every guy connected that lived in the city had a city job and that is a fact! Which still stands true today. A good example of what I am talking about is explained in this video...........
