Not much headway between MLB and the MLB Players Association as both sides remain deadlocked. With arms crossed MLB Players Association executive Tony Clark (file photo New York Times)

MLB Negotiations: Billionaires vs Millionaires, and for the rest, “Let them Eat Cake”

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

The negotiations between owners and players associations/MLPA in New York City, ended on Friday. Thursday MLB proposed that a Federal Mediator will be appointed, today the players rejected it. Everybody went home, have a nice weekend everybody, see you Monday!

Thousands of people depend on baseball during the season, from regular ushers at the parks, to independent contractors that sell merchandise inside the park, parking attendants, to people that work in the maintenance of the park from ground crew to electricians and just regular laborers, people that clean and many others.

Most people do not realize that most players do not play in their hometown, temporary housing has to be found, housekeepers, babysitters, schools for the kids, and the infrastructure for your temporary home during the season. A lot of logistics.

Team’s staff, personnel that is only hired during the season, not ‘year round’ is affected. Television and radio technicians that are employed also game by game, season by season, broadcasters who do not have necessarily have an ‘iron clad’ contract or get paid regardless if there are games or not are affected.

Not every technician and/or broadcaster is represented by a Union; some teams do not hire union people but free-lancers. Local revenues in television and radio broadcasts in baseball are seriously affected. In some markets some radio stations do not produce the games, but they sell time to the teams, who then hire their own people to broadcast the games or in some other cases, it is not “clear” who the broadcasters really work for.

When Billionaires fight against Millionaires and there is an impasse, there is a perception by the public at large that they do not care about the regular “humans” that have to work eight or more hours for a living.

Not to mention the huge economic impact on each city and most stadiums. Example: the thriving business community around San Francisco Giants Oracle Park, some of those business need the baseball season, they are just blocks and around the park and depend on each season for the foot traffic and customers.

Spring Training (economy) barring a miracle of a very quick agreement, Spring Training in Arizona and Florida will not start on time. It is scheduled for mid-February. I have been traveling to the Phoenix, Arizona area for decades, the 15 teams that train there each year bring tourism from all over the country, thousands of fans go to see their teams, and many take vacations.

I have met many fans throughout the years that are the famous “snowbirds” they travel down from Illinois, Minnesota and those cold States during this time of the year for the sunny and perfect weather of the Arizona desert (just try to buy a ticket for a Cubs game) in February and March.

Same happens in Florida where the other 15 teams trains each year, these cities economies are also affected. Spring Training has become so popular that you must reserve a hotel in December if you want to have a room, and some hotel chains they take your reservation six months in advance.

To what limit are the owners and players willing to go? Do they know they are risking the total destruction of the industry and the amount of damage that will inflict to communities across the country?

This Collective Bargaining Agreement is at a key moment for the health of this sport. This is not 1994 when the last strike took place. In fact social media came about in 1997, recently Facebook has broadcast live games, and You Tube is also coming soon.

It took four years after the 1994 strike for baseball fans to come back. In 1998 the McGwire vs. Sosa home-run race, brought back the interest for many fans, even the most cynical of fans “returned”.

This time baseball might be living right at the precipice and like the old 1965 hit song by Barry McGuire (not related to Mark McGwire) “The Eve of Destruction”. Let’s hope that is not the case.

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