I'm not an insider on baseball. I don't know all the "whys" behind the issues right now, following the end of the Collective Bargaining Agreement after the 2021 season. But as a fan and an outsider, there are some things that bother me about what is going on.
To start with, I'm honestly shocked that players are willing to risk another season of not playing after just having most of 2020 cancelled. I would think they would want to avoid that scenario at all costs, but apparently there is some amount of money that is worth it (potentially). And that is my main point.
Baseball players - and athletes in general - make more money than almost anyone else in America. They lowest paid player in the MLB makes more than most people at almost $600,000. That's a lot of money for six months of work.
Now don't get me wrong, baseball is a lot of work. There is a ton of effort that each and every player puts in everyday and all year round to play this game. But it is also just a game. They are entertainers. They are living their dream, getting to play a game they love every day and get paid a ton of money for it.
All that, to me, makes what is going on hard to stomach. You want more money? Really? I know there is more going on than just that, but it is an element. And with what our beloved commissioner has done with luxury tax penalties, it's just not possible for salaries to continue to go up. Teams cannot afford it. I've been saying for years that salaries cannot rise indefinitely. Economics forbids it. They will eventually plateau at the very least, if not start coming down a little.
I just don't understand why each time the CBA expires it has to be this huge deal. Why can't you just reaffirm the last one, or make some minor tweaks, and then go on your merry way? This side of baseball is ugly and it makes me really sad because what I see is greed. Maybe others see it differently. Maybe it is necessary and good, but the appearance is not.
Photo by Savannah Rohleder on Unsplash