OPINION: Did the Feud Between MLB & Its Players Drive Away Baseball Fans?

The long battle between Major League Baseball and its players finally ended last week as it was announced there indeed will be a 2020 season. The negotiations had lots of ups and downs over the span of about two months. The conflicts that the league ran into with its players made fans very frustrated, with some unwilling to even watch baseball when it returns next month.

A main obstacle in the negotiations between the league and the players was money. The MLBPA thought it was fair to have the players earn their full guaranteed salaries even in a shortened season. Players have even spoken out on social media saying that they will not play unless they get their full salary. The greediness of the players is what is driving away fans.

For years, fans have fallen in love with players who don’t play for the money and play because they love the game. But these negotiations showed that it is the exact opposite is true. And fans have voiced their frustrations with the players on social media and on talk shows on how the greediness of the players has drawn them away from the game they love. Driving fans away is not what MLB can afford right now. It also didn’t help that commissioner Rob Manfred had made multiple guarantees to reach an agreement but did not follow through with those promises. Now, fans are calling for the commissioner’s head due to his lack of effort to start a season and his failure the please players.

This may just be an over reaction to something that was really difficult to resolve. After all, players should get their money for playing in a risky, worldwide pandemic. But at the end of the day, this feud could have been resolved a lot sooner if it wasn’t for lack of effort and greed. Hopefully, fans will get over it when baseball returns next month but it is quite possible that Major League Baseball has lost some of its fans due to the failure to quickly start the season.

Article by Harris Eisenberg