Lockout: The state of Major League Baseball, and why the lockout has to end sooner rather than later

Welcome! If you've never read any of my posts before, you should know that I'm passionate about a lot of things, but two things in particular: music and baseball. With that being said, enjoy a lengthy rant about the state of the latter.

Since the dawn of free agency in the MLB, the tensions between owners and players have been steadily rising. Free agency began after the All-Star break of the 1976 season, when players were allowed to become free agents after six years of major league experience; nowadays, players earn an average salary of $4.17 million per year. And even that doesn't show the whole story, as the highest paid players in the league can make $40+ million per year. No other league has deals of this magnitude; thus, no other league deals with labor tensions that run as high as the MLB. With nine work stoppages since 1972, the MLB clearly experiences a great deal of strife and financial damage as a result of such tensions.

Let's first define a strike vs. a lockout. The key difference lies in who executes the stoppage: a strike is executed by the players' refusal to play, while a lockout is initiated by the owners. Either event is typically preceded by gradually growing discontent regarding various issues that both sides have extremely different opinions on; these issues are decided upon in CBAs, or Collective Bargaining Agreements, which are negotiated by both sides and run for a predetermined period of time. The most recent CBA, viewed as a victory for the owners, but signed just three hours before a potential lockout in 2017 anyway, expired without a new agreement in December, resulting in MLB's first work stoppage in 26 years. Until a new CBA is agreed upon, players cannot communicate with teams, free agency is frozen, and new major-league contract cannot be signed.

As always, this labor stoppage is fully focused on financial gain for both sides. The MLBPA, or Player's Association, is concerned with tanking, as teams continue the cycle of intentionally producing bad teams for multiple years in order to garner high draft picks. They also want less time before free agency, as well as higher luxury-tax thresholds and minimum salaries. In short, the MLBPA believes the owners are manipulating a system that works too heavily to their advantage, resulting in undervaluing of the players. The owners, meanwhile, want virtually no changes to the current agreement, to absolutely no one's surprise.

I have two primary concerns regarding the lockout, and neither have to do with the resulting CBA. Sure, less power to the owners definitely cannot be a bad thing, but both sides should be blamed at least partially for this debacle (although, of course, I will always place the majority of the blame on His Royal Highness Commissioner Rob Manfred). Regardless, the two concerns I have are the current popularity of the sport, as well as danger posed to the 2022 season.

Following the COVID-impacted 2020 season, MLB attendance continued a 5-year decline in game attendance; while a large share of that drop can be attributed to pandemic restrictions, the concern lies in the fact that there was no attributable increase in at-home viewership. Compare that to the high average age of MLB viewers (57, 7+ years higher than other major leagues), and you have a formula for a declining sport. Baseball is not unpopular, but if it continues its current course, things will only get worse. The main issue I have now is the potential of the current league; or rather, the wasted potential. The 2021 season was one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory. The return of fans to ballparks was accompanied by the resurgence of Shohei Ohtani, and the rise of young faces of franchises such as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. Cap that off with the Atlanta Braves improbable triumph over the seemingly-indomitable Houston Astros, and you have a recipe for one of the best seasons in a long time... except for the lockout that immediately followed it.

The issue here is the obvious ignorance to the situation of both the player's union and the owners. I understand the need for adjustments to the current system, but the tone-deaf actions of both sides, caused by the incessant need for more economic growth for either side, have turned a small step forward into forty giant steps back. Unless a CBA is agreed upon well before Spring Training, the 2022 season, and the possibility of growth for the league, remain in serious peril. The continued success of the sport is in the interests of both sides, so petty, hypocritical name-calling needs to stop so that serious negotiations can get underway.

I believe that, should the 2022 season have less than 162 games, baseball will fall even further out of the hearts and minds of Americans. Even as a lifelong, diehard baseball fan, my frustration with the league is slowly reaching its boiling point; unless an agreement is reached quickly and without major consequences, we should all have serious concerns for the future of the national pastime. PLEASE, let us watch Shohei Ohtani and Juan Soto for 162 games. That's all I want this year.

If you made it this far, congratulations! You may be as hopelessly frustrated about the current situation as I am. The good news is, I don't think either side is willing to miss out on the revenue that would be lost, should games be cancelled. Until then, all we can do is hope and pray that both sides man up and agree on something for once.

Thanks for reading! Sorry for the continued inconsistency of my posts, but you definitely shouldn't expect anything better. Hope you all have a great week!

Emory