Anyone care if baseball players strike? (1 Viewer)

[MichaelG]

Well, I don't care if they strike. Along with nearly all my friends who think that summer is the worst time of year for sports because it is mainly baseball. What is going to happen if they do strike? Will baseball really lose it's fan base? IMO most of these guys are spoiled and with some exceptions they take what they have for granted and don't realize that the fans pay their exhorbitant incomes. There are good guys out there playing but I just don't care anymore.

Bring on football season!

 

[MickeS]

While I enjoy sports immensely, I could care less if any athlete, team or league in any sport decided to go on strike. I'll spend my money and time on something else, it's not like it's in any way essential. I'll just watch more movies.
But I bet the stadium staff, merchandise salesmen, ticket sales people and all the other "little people" that make their living in sports-related areas are going to get hurt by a strike. :frowning:
/Mike

 

[Jason Seaver]

November, December, January, and February are horrible enough without any baseball scores to read in the paper. Let's not add any more time like that to the year.

Along with nearly all my friends who think that summer is the worst time of year for sports because it is mainly baseball...Bring on football season!

Or, as my friends and I call it, the boring part of the year that struggles valiantly to bridge the gap between the World Series and Spring Training.

 

[Malcolm R]

Nope, not one bit. I can't figure out why baseball still has any fans, anyway. I mean, they're on strike almost as much as they're playing. I'd hardly keep going back to the ballparks and paying to support a sport that has so little regard for its fans.

As I understand it, the current contract runs through the end of this year. Any strike before January 1, 2003, would be cut-and-dried breach of contract in my opinion and is definitely a poor way for any union to gain support for itself or its position (which is only greed, greed, greed anyway as I see it).

Let's put the stadiums in mothballs for a few years and see how the players get along without their multi-million $$$$ salaries. Either that or start hiring non-union players. If I were to regularly watch baseball, I'd much rather watch it played by those who love the game rather than those who love their paychecks, even if the quality of the game is reduced. (Not that the quality is currently that high anyway, as the games I do catch once in a while seem to be filled with lots of stupid, fundamental errors for a game played by such highly-paid "professionals.")

 

[Michael*K]

Bring on the strike! I want to see major league players working odd jobs in order to scrape by!

 

[MikeAlletto]

You do realize that it's more complicated than that, right?

Unless I am totally wrong, all they want is more money even though the owners are having a hell of a time just staying profitable...right?

To me that seems rather greedy since the average salary is 2.5 million.

 

[Mark Paquette]

Nope.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Well, the player also want the owners to open up their books to them to prove how much money the owners are losing, and the owners will not do that (I can't blame them for not caving in on that demand). Of course, the owner are going to try and paint a sad financial picture to make their case, but the players don't care too much about the "hardships" of the owners (because they think the owners are lying to them).

I think they will strike, and for many many people, it'll be the straw that broke the camel's back.

 

[Jason Seaver]

Unless I am totally wrong, all they want is more money even though the owners are having a hell of a time just staying profitable...right?

You are, in fact, just about totally wrong.

The players have not made any new demands of the owners during this round of collective bargaining. In fact, they have given ground on several issues, such as revenue sharing and drug testing.

As to the owners having a hell of a time just staying profitable... Well, that's if you believe Bud's numbers - which no-one does. And even those show that player salaries have been rising slower than revenues, so it's not what they're paying the players that's the problem. Forbes has most teams showing a profit, and that's before considering related-party revenues.

I mean, if the baseball business was so bad, wouldn't all these savvy businessmen be getting out? But no, the only franchise sales that have gone on lately have been the Expos-Marlins-Red Sox merry-go-round, despite the existence of people like Donald Watkins begging to own and invest in a team.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I gave up on the sport after the last strike in '94, so I do not care what happens. The entire league could go bankrupt and shutdown and I wouldn't miss it. There would be a benefit to me, though -- no more baseball highlights hogging time on SportsCenter once football season starts.

 

[RobertR]

Does anyone honestly feel much sympathy for guys making millions of dollars a year? Is there ANYONE here who would honestly say no to working under the conditions being offered by the owners?

 

[Steven K]

Yes, I do care if they strike... especially since the Red Sox seem to have a good shot at making the playoffs (but dont they always this time of the year )
Instead of all of the players going on strike, how about if just the Yankees go on strike?

 

[Bill Slack]

They're some fairly small amount away on luxury tax, but the owners are insisting on like 98 million. Like has been said, the players aren't asking for anything, and are willing to give some ground. The owners got themselves into this mess.

The only reason the players are planning on a strike is because this is the only time they have power. If they tried to negotiate it over the off-season, and it failed, the owners would just lock them out. Also, the players have no power during the off-season.

That said, I don't exactally have a lot of sympathy for either side. There should be a luxury tax and a minimum payroll requirment. At this point in professional sports, it's painfuly clear that it is necessary.

 

[Julian Reville]

I care, only because I like watching post-season play. It's like kissing your sister to have a season not go all the way through.

Don't have much sympathy for the players or owners. Both have benefited from this monopoly.

 

[Brian Perry]

I have absolutely no sympathy for the owners or players (okay, I have some sympathy for good players who are worth their salaries but I loathe horrendous players--Todd Hundley comes to mind--who have guaranteed contracts and are basically stealing from the fans).

The problem with the owners is that they refuse to open their books. Tribune Co., owner of the Cubs, are perhaps the worst offenders at the accounting shell game. There is little doubt that the value of Cubs TV and radio broadcasts is worth more than any other franchise except the Yankees. But because the Tribune owns both the radio station and the cable superstation, they are able to artificially lower the baseball club revenue and move it elsewhere.

Having said that, baseball must have a more level playing field to survive. There has to be a salary floor and ceiling. The NFL is thriving because the Green Bay Packers can spend just as much as the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. Do you think there would be any competitive balance if the disparity in payroll was like baseball's? The problem is that baseball is more of a regional sport, where more of the revenue comes locally, so it is kind of unfair for George Steinbrenner to have to subsidize another owner who may be running his franchise into the ground. But George should also realize (as I'm sure he does) that the well-being of the Yankees is tied to the well-being of the other teams. Without true competition, the league is nothing.

 

[MikeAlletto]

Well, the player also want the owners to open up their books to them to prove how much money the owners are losing, and the owners will not do that (I can't blame them for not caving in on that demand).

The owners shouldn't have to and the players should not be making requests like that. They are employees of the owner. The owner is in effect their CEO. Unless the team is publicly traded on the stock market they don't have to reveal anything.

I have yet to hear why the players are threatening to strike since my guess was wrong...so what is the reason?

 

[RobertR]

so what is the reason

Regardless of what spin is put on it, the reason ALWAYS boils down to money.

Would ANYONE working a "regular" job turn down the money offered by the owners? Anyone?

 

[Dan Hine]

What I don't understand is why they have to strike during the season. Why not wait until after the season is over. They would do this if they really cared about the fans which most of them claim. I told this to someone and they said it was because the players feel that's their only bargaining position (striking during the season). As if NOT starting a new season would be no big deal. I for one hope major league baseball just completely shuts down for 10yrs and the players realize how good they had it.

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I used to care about baseball. The last strike really shoot the sport in the foot, I don't think this will help.
Then again I don't watch much sports and really could care less about baseball now
Brian

 

[Kenneth]

As others have already said, it is difficult to sypathize with Millionaires fighting with Billionaires. Both sides have valid concerns but the players seem more resistant to change than the owners. Baseball's financial model is different from most other professional sports franchises and they really need to make changes. Also, with most other franchises adopting a more global scheme, baseball needs to do the same. The CNNSI website has a nice summary of the various discussion points and what the owner/player stances are. It is worth a read.
Here's the link (for those interested):
Link Removed
Kenneth