MLB Lockout… Rundown of What’s Happening
What the heck is going on?
A lockout, for baseball, is when the owners shut down baseball as a way of bargaining. Is this fair? It depends on which side you talk to.
OK, to say the lockout is not about money is just plain crazy talk. It’s mostly about money. For years, the owners have been making bank off players and games. Unfortunately, the players have not seen their fair share of the profits, even though they are the ones doing all the work. This is one of many reasons that baseball is not happening right now.
Another reason for the lockout is ensuring fair play and pay when it comes to draft picks. Players are starting to hold owners accountable for their teams “tanking” on purpose. What does this mean? Well, you see, the worse you do in the season the better the draft pick position you have. So, if you do horribly, you get first pick and the cost of the player is much cheaper for your team due to league profit sharing. This cheapens the players worth. To see this in action, just look at the Orioles.
Then there is the issue of player debuts and prospects being held back in order to save money on contracts. Again, this cheapens the players worth and holds back their potential.
All in all, the players want to even the playing field and make things fairer by being able to advance players and get paid for their worth. It seems simple, but for the owners… this means less money in their pockets and for their shareholders.
Who’s right and who’s wrong?
At this point, I would say that the players have the more ethical leg to stand on. On paper, their demands appear reasonable. However, the owners are the keepers on the clubhouse. If they want something, it’s pretty hard to say no as an employee.
So, what about the fans?
As a fan, I am pretty worried that we will not have baseball this season. That makes me rather sad. However, I really don’t understand why negotiations are taking so long and why, now, they need a mediator. Personally, I would have known from the first meeting that a mediator was needed for negotiations. So, why did that take so long?
I think the owners forget that there is another entity with a stake in these negotiations… the fans. If it weren’t for us, their money would be nonexistent. It is our viewership, our passion, and our love of the game that keeps them in business. At some parks, fans pay exorbitant amounts for tickets, food and beverage, trinkets, and other stuff. But… we do so because we support our team. We drive hundreds of miles to watch spring training and sometimes even for regular season games. We are the reason the players have a job.
What’s next?
We still have a little time before spring training is set to start. Let’s see what this next meeting does for negotiations. Eventually, one side will budge. I just hope that it’s fair. Personally, I could use a win. 2022 has started off rather hard for me and mine. So, I would like to know at the end of all of this that we will still have baseball.
That’s it for now. Go forth and play ball.
Article contributed by Jamye Wagner, Top Fan Rivalry Commentator
February 7, 2022