Baseball Seems to Be Begging for a Damaging Labor Disruption

Baseball finished one of ifs most successful seasons ever. And yet it seems like the owners are spoiling for a lockout that would kill the buzz for national pastime. 

That buzz came from a thrilling seven-game World Series that everyone seemed to be talking about. It came from super stars like Shohei Ohtani and Vlad Guerrero Jr. playing big in big games.

On TV, people tuned in with Game 7 averaging 26 million viewers in the U.S. The series averaged 15.7 million viewers for Fox, which probably raked in more ad money than a year ago when the Dodgers beat the Yankees

Rule changes have made the game more exciting, bringing in younger fans.

Business seems pretty good. Major League Baseball generates more than $12 billion in revenue. Record ticket sales generated about $4.28 billion, sponsorships brought in $2 billion and national TV rights were worth $1.7 billion.

After ESPN bailed on its national package, MLB seemed to be able to find replacements with NBC and Netflix. ESPN even came back for a piece of that baseball action.

So why in the name of Marvin Miller would baseball owners want a labor disruption?

Two words: salary cap. Baseball is the only major sport without a salary cap and the fat cats who own big league teams crave a device that will keep there partners/competitors from spending money on players to win championships the way the Dodgers have successfully and the Mets less successfully.

Players aren’t always focused on big picture labor issues, but they are very aware of how a salary cap would impact their paychecks. Remember over the summer when Bryce Harper kicked commissioner Rob Manfred out of the Phillies clubhouse.

The owners are already positioning themselves for a lockout after the end of the 2026 season. This means that top free agents Kyle Tucker, Alex Bregman, Pete Alonso Kyle Schwarber  Dylan Cease, Framber Valdez, Ranger Suárez, Cody Bellinger and  .Bo Bichette might have to wait if they want long-term contracts.

More important is the lesson from baseball’s last labor disruption back 1994. The playoffs and World Series got canceled (with the Expos and White Sox getting screwed). In 1995, the teams played just 144 games as the owners tried to bring in replacement players.

Attendance fell from 31,000 per game to 25,000, a 20% drop. 

It took some special moments for baseball to restore its luster. 

Cal Ripken Jr. broke Lou Gehrig’s unbreakable consecutive games played streak in 1995. 

And then in 1998 the Mark McGuire vs Sammy Sosa home run race captivated sports fans. Both topped Roger Maris’ record of 61* home runs, with McGuire hitting 79 and Sosa 66.

But that time became known as the "steroid era,” with inflated stats and heroes not worth of the Hall of Fame.

So its fair to ask: what are the owners taking that they’re willing to risk damaging the game that way again?

ANOTHER GREAT WEEKEND

I’m starting to get used to having good weeks during football season. 

As a relatively new college football fan, its a pleasant surprise when both Ole Miss and Notre Dame win on the same Saturday. At this point, both teams are a good bet to make the College Football Playoffs. 

And on Sunday, yes, my Jets managed to win. But as someone who’s lived in Chicago for 20 years now, I’ve gotten used to mostly sharing disappointment over the Bears with my neighbors. But this season, something’s different. No matter how poorly they’re playing, they manage to win.

Nothing would have been tougher to take than the Bears losing to the Giants. For one thing, they’re the Giants. For another, this year they’re pretty terrible.  So when the Giants took at 20-10 lead at Soldier Field it seemed like Cinderella had turned into a pumpkin. And then Jaxson Dart (go Rebels) got hurt and the Bears roared back, winning with two late  drives led by QB Caleb Williams who ran 17 yards for the winning touchdown with 1:47 left.

Exciting, unexpected stuff. Now the Bears’ schedule gets tougher and we’ll see what happens. But no matter what, I can’t complain, I’ve had some damn good weekends and I’ll keep watching.