It was announced today that MLB and the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) have not been able to come to terms on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). Rob Manfred, the MLB Commissioner has announced that they will be canceling at least the first two series of the upcoming MLB season.
This is ABSOLUTLEY RIDICULOUS!!!
MLB and MLBPA have been in discussions for this for the last couple of years now, and in focused discussion for the last few months. MLB fans have completely lost faith in MLB, and Rob Manfred, and how can you blame them. Just like any other professional league, the fans mark their year by Opening Day and look forward to it every year. Fans look forward to going to games with family and having a hot dog and beer at the park. They look forward to making a pilgrimage to Wrigley or Fenway. They look forward to watching their favorite pitcher or watching a huge homerun. MLB and MLBPA need to understand that every time something like this happens they are completely alienating their fans.
The average MLB player salary is $4.17 million per season. Every time they lock out, it makes the players look like spoiled children that are taking their ball and going home. For some reason MLB has absolutely no clue how people actually feel about them and the decisions that they make. They need to begin to listen to the fans and to the public. The attendance at games was decreasing, before COVID, and will only continue to go down when things like this happen. They need to find ways to reconnect with their fanbase and keep the love of the game alive.
When work stoppages have happened in the past, they have made a major impact on the health of baseball. When there was a lockout in the early 90’s, there was a major drop in attendance and interest in the game. They were saved by Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa and the homerun race that they had a few years later.
MLB and MLBPA better hope they get this figured out quickly. The health and future of their sport is on the line.