The MLBPA had recently just announced a plan to reinstate the MLB season for 2020 that would help everyone make their money. Extended playoffs and a regular season with less radical paychecks mean that while the players will make more, the teams will as well with a larger postseason. The response to this on social media has been a response deeming this is our only hope for MLB baseball, not because the MLBPA is not willing to make adjustments or that the MLB fans aren’t interested, but per Buster Olney, the MLB owners have no problem with a season shutdown.
I’ve always been the type of sports fan who deals in numbers and tries to be objective, my writing often reflects this objective and advanced analytics approach. This, however, cannot be quantified, it cannot be put into a stat on FanGraphs or Baseball Prospectus, it cannot be compared to other metrics. This is the pure love of baseball talking here: These owners no longer care about baseball. Not talking about owners who pay their minor leaguers or put a winning team forward at all times, owners who want to make a large profit over having an MLB season.
This game is defined by not by owners but those who put on the cleats and don the gloves. Those who wear the hats, roll their socks up or wear their pants long, and chew and spit seeds in the dugout. This is a game defined by their inhuman abilities, Aaron Judge’s strength, Jordan Hicks speedy fastball, and Cody Bellinger’s speed. To have this game taken away not by the players but by owners who while they do write the checks, are in my opinion obligated to give their fans and players hope for the game and promote this beautiful game. They have not all done that.
These teams and players aren’t just employees in your company or business, they’re men who put their careers on the line to win and make you more money through the postseason. They try to win the World Series, they try to put up big numbers, they try to work in horrible Minor League conditions all to make sure there’s a product on the field and a trophy in the owner’s shelf. Us fans shouldn’t let those men be robbed of their season, robbed of their contracts, robbed of their hard-earned money, or robbed of their reputation.
This isn’t the owner’s game, this is our game, and I will do everything in my power as a writer to promote these players and the MLBPA’s quest to have a fair deal to bring the MLB back and make sure owners don’t get away from stealing the game from those who love it most.