Will There Be a 2020 Season?

[hogan873]

3 hours ago, greg775 said:

They should have some fun with the season since it's going to be so weird.

How about take all the teams and have an NCAA type tournament bracket and just keep playing tournaments. At the end of the year the team that won the most bracketed tournaments is WS champ. Or the top two teams can play a 7 game series.

It will definitely be a different type season, and it would be no better time to try some things for future seasons.  I think the type of season we see will come down to geographical.  The latest idea, with all teams playing in one of three hubs, would allow teams to play different opponents than they normally would.  Regardless of what plan is ultimately acted upon, the post season will be very different..

[SCCWS]

17 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

I thought there no was no such thing as an antidote for a virus?  There are treatments and vaccines, but you can't actually cure a virus, right?

Vaccines given ahead of time are used to ward off or lessen the effect of a virus. Currently there are some antidotes( i.e. blood plasma ) being tested on patients w the virus to attempt to assist them in recovery. 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/no-fans-no-deal-between-players-and-owners/

[Y2Jimmy0]

These guys are all idiots if they though they'd be back to playing in front of fans. It's not happening. I've heard similar things that Harold has. I disagree with him that there won't be baseball though because I think the players will ultimately cave. If public health officials deem one of those plans effective and safe to play, I think they're playing. Could you imagine if the other sports resume, baseball has a place to play and owners cancel the season anyway because they can't afford it? The sport would be essentially over. It would be just like the strike year where many people wouldn't return. The players were fronted $170 million. If there's no season, that's all they will get this year. For that reason, and that reason alone, I would bet on there being some semblance of baseball this year. Money talks. 

[SCCWS]

11 minutes ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

These guys are all idiots if they though they'd be back to playing in front of fans. It's not happening. I've heard similar things that Harold has. I disagree with him that there won't be baseball though because I think the players will ultimately cave. If public health officials deem one of those plans effective and safe to play, I think they're playing. Could you imagine if the other sports resume, baseball has a place to play and owners cancel the season anyway because they can't afford it? The sport would be essentially over. It would be just like the strike year where many people wouldn't return. The players were fronted $170 million. If there's no season, that's all they will get this year. For that reason, and that reason alone, I would bet on there being some semblance of baseball this year. Money talks. 

A wildcard in the mix is some early testing data is indicating that Latinos are more susceptible to the virus. Probably by summer there will be enough data to make a better determination but that could be a factor affecting MLB as much as any sport. 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

3 hours ago, Y2Jimmy0 said:

These guys are all idiots if they though they'd be back to playing in front of fans. It's not happening. I've heard similar things that Harold has. I disagree with him that there won't be baseball though because I think the players will ultimately cave. If public health officials deem one of those plans effective and safe to play, I think they're playing. Could you imagine if the other sports resume, baseball has a place to play and owners cancel the season anyway because they can't afford it? The sport would be essentially over. It would be just like the strike year where many people wouldn't return. The players were fronted $170 million. If there's no season, that's all they will get this year. For that reason, and that reason alone, I would bet on there being some semblance of baseball this year. Money talks. 

I'm not saying it's 100% they're not gonna play I was just pointing out there are major obstacles that no one was talking about.  Sure there's a chance they could reach a compromise but I'm not optimistic of that happening because these two are really bad at compromising.   The owners have been shortsighted during this entire mess I don't think them choosing to punt on the season should be much of a surprise.  

[SCCWS]

I do think another factor for MLB as well as the other major sports will be the economy. A lot of companies support professional sports with season ticket and box purchases as well as advertising.  Many companies in 2021 may be struggling and will look to reduce/eliminate spending in areas that affect their balance sheet. Add in the average fan that due to lost wages will not attend as many games as he/she  used to. 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by SCCWS

[Harold's Leg Lift]

10 hours ago, greg775 said:

I do think if it's deemed a safe plan and the players don't play because of money, it's all over for baseball. This is actually bigger than baseball. This is morale in the USA. If the ballplayers/owners rebel over money instead of helping improve the mood in the country, shame. My stance is that the rich owners pay the players the entire terms of their contracts. They can afford it. If they can't, sell the team. The only way they won't go back to making millions to billions is if life in America ends as we knew it because of this virus and its longlasting effect on the economy and health of citizens.

 

If there is no baseball this year it will be because the owners couldn't come to a revenue sharing agreement.

[Flash]

Does anyone know if MLB or the individual teams have insurance for business interruption?

 

[SpringfieldFan]

I don't know what to think about all this. It's so very different. I hear assertions like a vaccine being at least 18mo. away, that the summer heat may not affect this virus, that it will come back worse in the fall, and even another saying there might be 30 mutations of it already.

To be honest I now look at old video of crowds at sports events and concerts and it already looks in a strange way "unnatural", like from a long lost age. There may be an experiment of the likes mentioned but think it will quickly prove unviable. I honestly don't know when baseball comes back.

[greg775]

12 minutes ago, SpringfieldFan said:

I don't know what to think about all this. It's so very different. I hear assertions like a vaccine being at least 18mo. away, that the summer heat may not affect this virus, that it will come back worse in the fall, and even another saying there might be 30 mutations of it already.

To be honest I now look at old video of crowds at sports events and concerts and it already looks in a strange way "unnatural", like from a long lost age. There may be an experiment of the likes mentioned but think it will quickly prove unviable. I honestly don't know when baseball comes back.

Reasonable post. I flip flop as I read different stuff. As I read your post and read about "clustering" occurring immediately at the few churches that have opened and some of the plants where people have to work close together, I shift to the "no way we'll ever have sports with crowds again." Maybe a couple hundred rich guys and gals (boosters) and their families will sit in the upper deck spread out during college events. Maybe some rich corporations will sit in the upper deck spread out at baseball and NFL games; a few hundred. But the way people are seated so close to each other? How can we ever have that again?

I do see the athletes risking this and playing with no crowds in pro sports. College is tricky because if the campuses are closed to students (and again, how can we ever have kids go to classes again?) you can't have sports if campus is closed to all other students. It would take elimination of the NCAA and just having paid to play college aged "pros" wear the college jerseys and compete.

That said: I can't see money being the holdup here; owners are going to have to pay full salaries.

[Flash]

1 hour ago, greg775 said:

 

That said: I can't see money being the holdup here; owners are going to have to pay full salaries.

Not sure owners will pay full salaries if the season is truncated or otherwise dramatically altered.

[bmags]

 

[Harold's Leg Lift]

He probably should have led with this.  

Clearly, then, if both sides' incentives align, once there's a plan in place this should be rubber-stamped.

Not even close.

Uh, so this is a problem how?

Money.

[bmags]

3 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

He probably should have led with this.  

Clearly, then, if both sides' incentives align, once there's a plan in place this should be rubber-stamped.

Not even close.

Uh, so this is a problem how?

Money.

Listen I don't disagree with you that money will be a big issue due to the variations of revenue.

But I also think this is just going to be one of those things where it's going to seem like a big roadblock along the way but is almost certainly going to work out. For now, no side is going to volunteer to get screwed, so owners will announce how comfortable they are canceling the season, and big markets will say they won't share revenue, and players will say they won't cut salaries, but in the end none are going to really stand in the way of the season resuming once a plan that works logistically is in place.

[ChiSox59]

I kind of like the World Cup style expanded playoff scenario Passan described.  Obviously wouldn't be baseball as we know it, but at this point - I'd be all for it.  Just give me some Sox baseball to watch! 

[ptatc]

56 minutes ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

He probably should have led with this.  

Clearly, then, if both sides' incentives align, once there's a plan in place this should be rubber-stamped.

Not even close.

Uh, so this is a problem how?

Money.

There is nothing surprising about money being the issue. It's a business to make money. However, this is also the reason that there will be baseball. No one makes money if they don't play.

[ptatc]

46 minutes ago, ChiSox59 said:

I kind of like the World Cup style expanded playoff scenario Passan described.  Obviously wouldn't be baseball as we know it, but at this point - I'd be all for it.  Just give me some Sox baseball to watch! 

I agree. If the season doesn't get going until late July or so, it's a fun option.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

5 minutes ago, ptatc said:

There is nothing surprising about money being the issue. It's a business to make money. However, this is also the reason that there will be baseball. No one makes money if they don't play.

They won't make money without fans in the stadium.  

[hogan873]

The viewership of the NFL draft over the weekend should be a good indicator of how many people would watch baseball if it returns.  People are starved for sports on TV right now, and baseball has an opportunity to sell the sport to the country and even pick up more fans.

I miss watching MLB network and.or ESPN on Saturday and Sunday mornings.  I found myself watching a fishing show on Saturday, and after I dried my tears and slapped myself, I asked what the hell I was doing.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

2 hours ago, bmags said:

Listen I don't disagree with you that money will be a big issue due to the variations of revenue.

But I also think this is just going to be one of those things where it's going to seem like a big roadblock along the way but is almost certainly going to work out. For now, no side is going to volunteer to get screwed, so owners will announce how comfortable they are canceling the season, and big markets will say they won't share revenue, and players will say they won't cut salaries, but in the end none are going to really stand in the way of the season resuming once a plan that works logistically is in place.

If this were a scenario like the past where they were just fighting over how to divvy up the pie I would agree they would find a way to make it work but this scenario is different because there is no pie to divvy up.  

[southsider2k5]

I'm not going to lie, I never watch the NFL draft, except for bits and pieces around when the Bears early picks are.  I watched a ton just to have something different to watch.

[ptatc]

2 hours ago, Harold's Leg Lift said:

They won't make money without fans in the stadium.  

Sure they will. Just not as much. The internet fees alone will probably make a profit. Baseball had over 9 billion in revenue.  If they dont operate 30 large empty stadia they will probably make more money.

Edited April 27, 2020 by ptatc

[hogan873]

24 minutes ago, ptatc said:

Sure they will. Just not as much. The internet fees alone will probably make a profit. Baseball had over 9 billion in revenue.  If they dont operate 30 large empty stadia they will probably make more money.

I didn't think about that.  If they go with the "hub plan" or something similar, there will be less cost than playing in empty home parks.

[Harold's Leg Lift]

26 minutes ago, ptatc said:

Sure they will. Just not as much. The internet fees alone will probably make a profit. Baseball had over 9 billion in revenue.  If they dont operate 30 large empty stadia they will probably make more money.

That's not true.  80% of teams will lose money playing games with no fans in the stadium.