MLB Owners Should Just Pay the Players Instead of Losing Billions and Depriving Fans of 2020 Season
By Jerry Trotta
The ongoing verbal war between MLB players and owners in light of the latter's proposal to restart the 2020 regular season amid the coronavirus pandemic doesn't appear to have an end in sight.
During an appearance on CNN on Thursday night, however, commissioner Rob Manfred gave baseball fans a much needed optimistic viewpoint on the financial squabble by expressing confidence that an agreement will be made between both parties.
Manfred's assured opinion derived from the fact that the economic impact of a cancelled campaign would cost the owners big time -- $4 billion to be exact. In short, the (billionaire) owners should stop being so stingy and properly compensate the players for the evident risk they would be taking.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred tells CNN that owners could lose 4 billion dollars if there’s no season. pic.twitter.com/WvW1pZ7sGt
— Will Manso (@WillManso) May 15, 2020
Call us crazy, but the owners taking $4 billion to the chin just so they can further assert their dominance over the players sounds ridiculous. This is all a brutal optic for the owners in that it's appearing as if they are exploiting COVID-19 by trimming the players' salaries for the 2020 season AND trying to get a bigger piece of the revenue.
Here’s MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s full segment on CNN just now.
— Dan Lust, Esq.? (@SportsLawLust) May 15, 2020
He warns that owners are at risk of losing 4 BILLION and details baseball’s plan for tests. Still, the league and union appear destined for an intense battle over wages and safety issues.pic.twitter.com/wC6WgnTzMA
If there's no season, there would obviously be serious financial ramifications for everyone involved. However, the owners and their clubs would take the brunt of the hit.
From a popularity standpoint, the sport of baseball may never recover if the 2020 season is terminated because of this economic stalemate.