Does Anyone Even Care If Baseball Returns At This Point?
By Michael Hurley, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- Does anybody even care about baseball anymore? With the way every involved party acted during a national crisis and then continued to act through another national crisis, it would be easy to have completely removed the entire sport from your brain.
Nevertheless, the two sides are still there, purportedly trying to make baseball happen in 2020. They're not doing a very good job.
The latest evidence came from a lengthy statement issued by MLBPA director Tony Clark. Notably, Clark referred to the owners' proposal as a "threat," while characterizing the union's 114-game proposal as an effort "aimed at charting a path forward."
That is generally an indication that the two sides are not even in the same universe, let alone the same planet, when it comes to finding common ground.
Our side? Righteous. Brave. Heroic.
Your side? Threatening. Unreasonable. Draconian.
That seems to be where they're at, and with the owners holding their power of enacting a 50-game season over the players' heads, it might be time for the union to adopt a new strategy.
That's not to say the owners are right and the players are wrong. Hardly.
It is merely to note that historically speaking, the American public tends to side against players when they turn down offers to play games for money. Though some (all?) of that negativity may be derived from jealousy, it matters not. If the owners declare a 50-game schedule, only for the players to go on strike out of principle, then few people in the country will be taking the side of the players. That's just the way it's gone.
And frankly, in this case, much more than a shortened 2020 season is at stake. The long-term health of the entire league kind of hangs in the balance.
Dramatic? Maybe. But also ... maybe not. The issues with MLB are very real, from pace of play, time of game, an overabundance of the product, an aversion to fun, a lack of offseason buzz, declining attendance ... it's a lot. And that's just scratching the surface.
Of course, there are those of us who have baseball ingrained in our DNA. We'll watch the sport until it dies a slow, painful sports death. We, however, are not the people who matter here.
The people who matter here are the casual fans and the potential new fans. Anyone who's been paying attention during this sad excuse for negotiation might already be turned off by both sides showing their cards.
A strike -- in the middle of a global pandemic and at a time when actual struggle is being displayed across all media platforms at all times -- would be enough to turn those people away from the sport of baseball. For some people, that would be for 2020. For others, it would be forever.
(Now might be a good time to mention that the collective bargaining agreement expires in December of 2021. I'm sure Rob Manfred, owners, Tony Clark, and all the players will be singing Kumbaya by then, right? Surrrre.)
In American business, there is no life without growth. Even a gazillion-dollar behemoth like the NFL sees to it that stagnation never halts the business growth. There is always more, more, MORE! And that's the mentality of what is far and away the most successful and thriving sports league in North America.
Meanwhile, baseball appears to be falling victim to the less, less, less model. And it's not good.
For a look at where the players' heads are at, here's the full statement released by Tony Clark on Thursday.
In this time of unprecedented suffering at home and abroad, Players want nothing more than to get back to work and provide baseball fans with the game we all love. But we cannot do this alone.
Earlier this week, Major League Baseball communicated its intention to schedule a dramatically shortened 2020 season unless Players negotiate salary concessions. The concessions being sought are in addition to billions in Player salary reductions that have already been agreed upon.
This threat came in response to an Association proposal aimed at charting a path forward. Among other things, Players proposed more games, two years of expanded playoffs, salary deferrals in the event of a 2020 playoff cancellation, and the exploration of additional jewel events and broadcast enhancements aimed at creatively bringing our Players to the fans while simultaneously increasing the value of our product. Rather than engage, the league replied it will shorten the season unless Players agree to further salary reductions.
Earlier today we held a conference call of the Association's Executive Board and several other MLBPA Player leaders. The overwhelming consensus of the Board is that Players are ready to report, ready to get back on the field, and they are willing to do so under unprecedented conditions that could affect the health and safety of not just themselves, but their families as well. The league's demand for additional concessions was resoundingly rejected.
Important work remains to be done in order to safely resume the season. We stand ready to complete that work and look forward to getting back on the field.
Using "in this time of unprecedented suffering at home and abroad" as an opener seems particularly out of touch. Capitalizing the word "players" at every opportunity likewise is a bit much.
And that's ignoring the larger reality of the fact that a statement like this equates to negotiating through the media. It's not an actual attempt to bridge any gaps with the owners, and it certainly won't do anything to build up public confidence in the players, even if they are getting a much worse deal than the owners in various proposed scenarios.
These statements? Really, nobody in America needs these statements right now. Figure it out, or don't. Report back. See if anybody still cares about your sport after all of this stubborn bickering from both sides. In this time of unprecedented suffering at home and abroad, you may be surprised to find how many people have moved on with their lives.
You can email Michael Hurley or find him on Twitter @michaelFhurley.
