Will There Be a 2020 Season?

[greg775]

This changes daily and now it seems like the differences are too big to have a season. It seems to me the numbers suggest these players will be OK if they contract coronavirus. Play ball.

[hogan873]

We were told it would get ugly, and it has.  I still think both sides have too much to lose by not working out a deal and playing baseball.  I understand that there will be significant losses for 2020 if the entire season is played without fans, but the losses will most likely be much more significant long-term if they end up cancelling over money.  Both sides will be blamed, and they will lose fans.

[soxfan49]

1 hour ago, hogan873 said:

We were told it would get ugly, and it has.  I still think both sides have too much to lose by not working out a deal and playing baseball.  I understand that there will be significant losses for 2020 if the entire season is played without fans, but the losses will most likely be much more significant long-term if they end up cancelling over money.  Both sides will be blamed, and they will lose fans.

I agree with all of this except the last 5 words. No one who considers themselves a diehard fan is going to not watch next season. If anything we'll all be dying for a season and will look forward to it then more than ever

Edited May 20, 2020 by soxfan49

[hogan873]

1 hour ago, soxfan49 said:

I agree with all of this except the last 5 words. No one who considers themselves a diehard fan is going to not watch next season. If anything we'll all be dying for a season and will look forward to it then more than ever

Die hard fans, no, they won't go away.  But they'll lose plenty of casual fans.  I lost interest in baseball after the stoppage in '93.  Granted, I was a Pirates fan at the time so I had other reasons to lose interest in baseball.  It took moving to IL and having my wife be a Sox fan to get me back into baseball.

Hockey lost a lot of fans after the 2004-2005 season was cancelled over a labor dispute.  They had to change their game, rules and all, to get fans back.  I know, baseball isn't hockey, but if a season is cancelled over money, casual fans will lose interest.

Edited May 20, 2020 by hogan873

[reiks12]

If baseball doesnt come back this year they better figure out the CBA. If there is a strike next year im 100% done as a fan and i wont be the only one

[Y2Jimmy0]

I think they'll have a deal sometime between Memorial Day and June 1st. There's too much money at stake not to. 

[greg775]

57 minutes ago, reiks12 said:

If baseball doesnt come back this year they better figure out the CBA. If there is a strike next year im 100% done as a fan and i wont be the only one

Yes, this would be very bad timing with the chance of stoppages any time there is a spike in corona in the future. If there's a window to play ball, they should play.

Edited May 20, 2020 by greg775

[Squirmin' for Yermin]

3 hours ago, hogan873 said:

Die hard fans, no, they won't go away.  But they'll lose plenty of casual fans.  I lost interest in baseball after the stoppage in '93.  Granted, I was a Pirates fan at the time so I had other reasons to lose interest in baseball.  It took moving to IL and having my wife be a Sox fan to get me back into baseball.

Hockey lost a lot of fans after the 2004-2005 season was cancelled over a labor dispute.  They had to change their game, rules and all, to get fans back.  I know, baseball isn't hockey, but if a season is cancelled over money, casual fans will lose interest.

For sure. PLUS they're already bleeding casual fans as it is with the way the game is played (sloooooooow).. 

[Texsox]

Casual fans won't care that there wasn't a season. Hard core fans may become less hard core. 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

This guy gets it.

[ptatc]

1 minute ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

This guy gets it.

Doesn't mean it isn't true from their view.

[Balta1701]

5 hours ago, ptatc said:

Doesn't mean it isn't true from their view.

From who's view, the owners? 

[Ducksnort]

9 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

From who's view, the owners? 

I don't mean to speak for him, but I think he means the view of whoever thinks the players are looking to be made out the bad guys. And that tweet doesnt make sense to me. Everything I've read paints the owners as the obstacles, not the players. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by ScooterMcGee

[TheFutureIsNear]

To me the owners crying poor over the lost revenue from ticket sales is just lazy. Adapt or die.
 

-Empty seats? Sounds like a ton of advertising space to me.

-Fans stuck at home? Get more creative with your merchandising to target that. “At home ballpark experience bundle” (or something like that and more)

-Sell more games to more networks

-Have a discount sale on mlb.tv and the sales would probably skyrocket 
 

If anything the owners should be pushing to get back as soon as possible. Being the only televised sport at a time when people’s mouths are watering for any kind of sport to watch sounds like a gold mine if you ask me. 

Edited May 22, 2020 by TheFutureIsNear

[ptatc]

8 hours ago, ScooterMcGee said:

I don't mean to speak for him, but I think he means the view of whoever thinks the players are looking to be made out the bad guys. And that tweet doesnt make sense to me. Everything I've read paints the owners as the obstacles, not the players. 

Thanks. Been busy.

[wegner]

7 hours ago, TheFutureIsNear said:

To me the owners crying poor over the lost revenue from ticket sales is just lazy. Adapt or die.
 

-Empty seats? Sounds like a ton of advertising space to me.

-Fans stuck at home? Get more creative with your merchandising to target that. “At home ballpark experience bundle” (or something like that and more)

-Sell more games to more networks

-Have a discount sale on mlb.tv and the sales would probably skyrocket 
 

If anything the owners should be pushing to get back as soon as possible. Being the only televised sport at a time when people’s mouths are watering for any kind of sport to watch sounds like a gold mine if you ask me. 

Considering that I have found myself watching televised cornhole and a 'professional" rock skipping contest recently, I could not agree with you more.  I have a 12 pack of Sox Ale in the basement ready to chill up for the beginning of this season. 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

9 hours ago, ScooterMcGee said:

I don't mean to speak for him, but I think he means the view of whoever thinks the players are looking to be made out the bad guys. And that tweet doesnt make sense to me. Everything I've read paints the owners as the obstacles, not the players. 

Did you read the article?

[vilehoopster]

 

I just watched Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. Big discussion about NBA returning in late July. Another one about the NFL returning in September. But nothing about baseball. NOTHING. 

If football and basketball find a way to come back but baseball does not because of owners/ players greed, I will be so, so, so bitterly disappointed. I'll be like the guy above who says he might not return to baseball if they don't play this year and strike next year. It won't take a strike next year for me to give up on MLB. If I see NBA basketball in July and football in September and no baseball season, I don't know if I could return to MLB baseball after that. I'll just support our local semipro team the Aviators. 

[ron883]

7 minutes ago, vilehoopster said:

 

I just watched Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. Big discussion about NBA returning in late July. Another one about the NFL returning in September. But nothing about baseball. NOTHING. 

If football and basketball find a way to come back but baseball does not because of owners/ players greed, I will be so, so, so bitterly disappointed. I'll be like the guy above who says he might not return to baseball if they don't play this year and strike next year. It won't take a strike next year for me to give up on MLB. If I see NBA basketball in July and football in September and no baseball season, I don't know if I could return to MLB baseball after that. I'll just support our local semipro team the Aviators. 

Wilbon and Kornheiser didn't talk about it? That must mean there won't be a season

[Balta1701]

4 hours ago, vilehoopster said:

 

I just watched Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. Big discussion about NBA returning in late July. Another one about the NFL returning in September. But nothing about baseball. NOTHING. 

If football and basketball find a way to come back but baseball does not because of owners/ players greed, I will be so, so, so bitterly disappointed. I'll be like the guy above who says he might not return to baseball if they don't play this year and strike next year. It won't take a strike next year for me to give up on MLB. If I see NBA basketball in July and football in September and no baseball season, I don't know if I could return to MLB baseball after that. I'll just support our local semipro team the Aviators. 

I’m willing to bet you on this. Football, a bunch of people doing maximum effort in close proximity, some of them seriously heavy, for 3 hours?...we won’t see a football game until there is a vaccine. 
 

basketball has the same physical contact issue, but they finished most of the season, they could quarantine everyone for 6 weeks and get away with playoffs, not a whole season. Especially counting travel, you can’t quarantine the league from July to February, and the moment 1 person has it, 2 whole teams have it.

[Richie]

7 hours ago, Balta1701 said:

I’m willing to bet you on this. Football, a bunch of people doing maximum effort in close proximity, some of them seriously heavy, for 3 hours?...we won’t see a football game until there is a vaccine. 

The NFL will 100% have a season. This isn't even a question, IMO. I think you miss the point, entirely. It doesn't matter that the players will be all over each other. Nothing is going to stop a spread between baseball players either. You're throwing a ball to each other, tagging other guys, etc. In any team sport, people are going to spread whatever germs or viruses are on them. Not to mention, they won't even be quarantined. So, it's not like you can account for everyone, at all times anyway. All you can do is test and monitor the best you can. The NFL has been very clear that they're planning on the season, as scheduled. They might make adjustments with fans, but it will be played. I'll bet a testicle on it. It's not even in question. 

[greg775]

21 hours ago, vilehoopster said:

 

I just watched Pardon the Interruption on ESPN. Big discussion about NBA returning in late July. Another one about the NFL returning in September. But nothing about baseball. NOTHING. 

If football and basketball find a way to come back but baseball does not because of owners/ players greed, I will be so, so, so bitterly disappointed. I'll be like the guy above who says he might not return to baseball if they don't play this year and strike next year. It won't take a strike next year for me to give up on MLB. If I see NBA basketball in July and football in September and no baseball season, I don't know if I could return to MLB baseball after that. I'll just support our local semipro team the Aviators. 

You know, the normal NBA playoffs would be totally over in a couple weeks with the draft at the end of June and NBA summer league to follow in early July. The NBA and NHL would be two leagues that would make extreme sense to call off their seasons right now and get in the regular offseason mode for next year. I haven't read the models, but it's obvious a continuation of the season would be some kind of abbreviated playoff format for both sports. 

It doesn't make sense to run abbreviated type of playoffs. NBA and NHL can break now, have the draft and return to the court as always in late September. Have the summer league with the draft picks. Abbreviated playoffs suck.

Baseball should return and have fun this one season. Do some funky scheduling and some weird single elimination tournament in the postseason til u get to the Final Four teams. Then play 2 of 3. We should just gear these sports toward next year. NFL meanwhile can play this year as scheduled with no fans.

[Dick Allen]

Reading Passan on Espn.com, there seems to be a big question whether MLB will be able to play in front of fans in 2021.

[ptatc]

18 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

Reading Passan on Espn.com, there seems to be a big question whether MLB will be able to play in front of fans in 2021.

Really? That's surprising.  I would think basketball and hockey would be more questionable with being indoor. 

[Middle Buffalo]

21 minutes ago, Dick Allen said:

Reading Passan on Espn.com, there seems to be a big question whether MLB will be able to play in front of fans in 2021.

I’m still going to start a 2020 attendance thread so we can add pandemic to the list of reasons Sox fans don’t go to games.