Baseball owners were attempting to put a cap on overblown salaries in addition to a host of other money guzzling items involved in this game.. The players were locked out of these meetings due to their interference with the process. When presented with the outcome, the players rejected the proposals. Then the Union head was invited in to discuss matters and several concessions were made in the players favor. Still, the players said no. Then the owners wanted to turn it over to a professional mediation company and the players scoffed at this and said no again. It resulted in a no win no win situation and there might not be any baseball at all this year at this rate. Ever since Steinbrenner began throwing money around to buy the best team ever for they Yankees, even the most mediocre players make outrageous demands for superinflated salaries and their agents get it for them. Not such a fun game anymore at all.
That's fine with me. If anything needs a "great reset" it's professional sports. I can appreciate the need for high salaries because most players have relatively short career spans, but they seem way out of line to me.
They are way out of line, Ken. Just imagine, signing a player to 4 year contract for 56 million and he's untried as yet? If he's injured or proves to be a flash in the pan it is very costly indeed. A player should have to prove his worth first as in days past, then talk big money.
They almost killed MLB the last time they pulled this. I don't think baseball has fully recovered yet. It might be a boon for local teams and college teams, as the NBA controversy has been for college basketball.
I think that the minor leagues have really gained in popularity, since they are the way the game was "meant to be." That being said, if I got the skills, I'm going for the money and not some higher-level cause, depending on relative level of sacrifice. Funny(?) story: I've always disliked baseball. There is no action. It's boring. I've been to a Senator's game when I was a kid and that was my only game. Back in the early 80s, a group from work (a French company) decided to go to an Orioles game...they were playing Detroit. We drove from Virginia to Baltimore to do this damned "team building" thing. The game started at 8PM, and was beleaguered with rain delays...one after another after another. 9PM rolled around...then 10PM...then 11PM...then midnight, with rain being punctuated by play time. I was a caged lion. I can't tell you how many unhappy laps I walked around that stadium. FINALLY at 1AM they suspended play...it seems that The American League players cannot stay up any later than that. Five boring hours plus a 90 minute drive each way and we didn't even see the game conclude. To quoth the raven: Nevermore.