DOES AMERICA EVEN NEED BASEBALL ANYMORE?

As I moved from room to room in my house to get a little exercise in between Zoom calls, I heard a local sportscaster say that a 2020 baseball season decision is coming down to the wire.  Sigh.  I miss baseball but the arguing over salaries amidst all of the unrest we are all experiencing on the heals of the pandemic, the talk of baseball is just insignificant. Nonetheless, here are some of the latest words on the 2020 season.

According to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, "The 30-60-game season very likely won’t happen. It sounds like MLB didn’t offer this during Sunday’s virtual meeting as much as wryly mention it as a possibility that would give the players their prorated pay while not financially overextending the owners. Everyone knows how silly such a short schedule would look, especially with the decks clearing to hold a three-month regular season plus expanded playoffs in October."

This is on top of the players wanting their full prorated salary despite the shortened schedule and no spectators.  The continued tensions between owners and players continues to play out.  Players are still sore about the March Agreement, which many believe the players didn't fully understand.

Source: DAMON SCHELEUR, HUFFINGTON POST

Tony Clark, Executive Director of the Major League Baseball Players Association shared during the Sunday meeting with Major League Baseball deputy commissioner Dan Halem  that "players were aware that the March Agreement did not resolve the issue of player salaries in a season without fans. And he said the players’ decision to accept nothing less than 100 percent of their prorated salaries was due to the risks of playing the season, not because they were promised it in the March 26 agreement,” reported the Post.

MLB owners stand to lose the most if the season does not come to fruition. On top of that, with all that has happened over the last two years with the changes to the game, the cheating, the rise in ticket prices and now the turbulence between ownership and players, baseball the sport is taking a tremendous hit.  Does America even need baseball anymore? Has it lost its relevance given the changes to our country? These are also some words to consider when we think of the 2020 season that may not happen. I can continue to be hopeful, but the reality appears to be setting in as the days continue to pass us by with no resolution in sight.

--Suzie Pinstripe
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @suzieprof