Self-Destruction of the MLB

If there wasn’t enough craziness in this world right now, the MLB Owners and Players Union are in the process of adding to it by increasing the odds that they want to destroy the game. This maybe a dramatic statement, but if you step back and look at the back and forth between both sides, you see how ridiculous both appear.

If there wasn’t enough craziness in this world right now, the MLB Owners and Players Union are in the process of adding to it by increasing the odds that they want to destroy the game. This maybe a dramatic statement, but if you step back and look at the back and forth between both sides, you see how ridiculous both appear.

The game will start up again (heck, odds on who will win the World Series are already live), but will they have a fanbase to play in front of?

Let’s go back to Spring Training, when the worst thing happening in the game was the talk of contracting the minor leagues. Players were getting ready to play and much of the internal unrest was still behind closed doors; there were some testy issues between the owners and the MLBPA, but little of it was out of the public eyes. Then Covid-19 hit, and the league (and world as we know it) shut down.

As talk of restarting came out, so did the pettiness of both sides.

The owners don’t want to pay for all of the games the players will participate in. They feel a prorated salary will help offset the losses they are currently taking. You also have some cheap owners that don’t want to pay minor leaguers and support staff for their organizations; those same owners got guilted into paying them. It’s gone as far as Bill DeWitt II telling the media that owning a baseball team is not that profitable.

The other side are the players. I agree that they should be paid for the games they play, but they are looking very bad complaining about how they will lose out of a few million dollars while non-players across the world are without jobs and struggling to make ends meet.

There are 2 reactions to this back and forth. First, baseball is going to lose fans, like they did with the ’90s strike; there was a 20% decrease in attendance in 1995 after games started back up. People don’t like being stuck in the middle of millionaires fighting with billionaires, so many will just walk away from the game. This is a huge problem, as a good portion of kids don’t care about MLB as it is; if older generations are their to sell the game to them, it’s going to die off.

Secondly, we need an escape from sickness and social issues; there is so much negativity in the world that sports will be a welcome break from it all. Baseball should be at the forefront of this, but because of their bickering, the NBA and NHL will be back before they will, on top of football starting back up. They are going to lose viewers very quickly.

Baseball is also missing out on being a leader in social issues. Baseball was a trendsetter when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier. Instead of being in front of the issue of race again, the bickering had made them absent from the conversation.

Here’s my proposal. 100 game season, with doubleheaders mixed in every other weekend (AL and NL alternate weekends). 28 man rosters with 10 man taxi squad; teams will leave their facilities open for minor leaguers to practice at in case they need to make roster moves due to injuries. Bring back the 10-day DL. Same playoff structure that currently exists.

The tricky part will be money. Set up a tiered pay structure; guys getting the minimum make 95% of their salary, the next tier (say $1M to $7.5M) will get 90% of their salary, tier 3 ($7.5M to $15M) will get 85%, and tier 4 ($15M+) get 80%. That salary the players lose out on will go to various charities; split it between Covid-19 relief, racial charities, team specific charities (like Cardinals Care), and building ball fields in inner cities. Owners will still make money off their TV deals, clothing, etc. Depending on social distancing guidelines once games start, they might even be able to sell a limited about of game tickets.

I believe this structure would help the public perception for the game right now and re-establish the league as being a leader in social issues. It’ll also allow both sides to meet in the middle. Players will lose out on some money, but it’ll go to a good cause; owners will start generating their revenue as well. But it will give the general public a way to escape in a negative time.