Once again the Players Union sells out baseball and most of its own member-players by preventing the Texas Rangers from trading baseball’s best player, Alex Rodriguez, to anyone – except the Yankees.
The Players Union will quietly hail this as a success because -- just like getting Tom Glavine to sign with the rebuilding Mets -- they got a player to go where he'd get paid the most. It's still all about the money for the Players Union.
Meanwhile, the Players Union continues to fight against what would be the best thing for baseball, a salary cap, which is favored by almost every team, except the Yankees.
While most Unions exist to prevent the upper echelon of managment from taking advantage of the lowest workers on the employment totem pole, the MLB Players Association sides with the richest teams and its own richest players against the less-rich teams and players.
The NHL's impending salary cap will make Major League baseball the only "major" sport to lack a cap. It is not a coincidence that baseball attendance is plummeting.
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Comments (6)
But attendance is in an ups... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Sean Hackbarth | February 15, 2004 9:33 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
But attendance is in an upswell since the 1994 strike season. In fact, the decrease in attendance has been in the last few years. The economic downturn may play a greater role than union actions.
1. Posted by Sean Hackbarth | February 15, 2004 9:33 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 15, 2004 21:33
2. Posted by Roy Fenichel | February 15, 2004 10:49 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
The Union's actions may not cause an immediate fan reaction. Such a great game as Baseball is not taken down easily. Nevertheless, the downswell probably has as much to do with lack of competition than economic downswing, as other eras of low competition have shown.
In any case, telling most fans their teams do not have a chance at a championship and that the Players Association will not help them is a recipe for disaster.
No matter how good the economy is, fans will lose interest when a handful of teams are fighting to win the World Series every year. The 1980s, the heyday of baseball, seem so far away.
2. Posted by Roy Fenichel | February 15, 2004 10:49 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on February 15, 2004 22:49
3. Posted by Mark Dumas | May 5, 2004 3:44 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Certainly, the Player's Union and MLB both need to come to their senses in terms of payroll economics, but baseball has bigger problems. Kids today would rather play soccer than Little League... or more accurately play FIFA 2004 on their Playstation than watch the Mets stink it up at Shea. Not everyone sticks with the game like you do, Roy... but then not everyone has those blissful memories of watching Cobb and Ruth play like you do either.
Now what happens when the Player's Union does not allow Manny to "loan" the Red Sox money to pay for Pedro? That's when I start complaining.
3. Posted by Mark Dumas | May 5, 2004 3:44 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 5, 2004 15:44
4. Posted by Tim | May 5, 2004 10:13 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Now why can't everyone get off their high horses and just let "the" athletes play and compete. It's not fair to blame the yankees, when only to this past off season, was the only team to put back the generated money right back to the players. It's not fair to limit the most reasonable aspect of what teams actually have to do to stay competitive.
4. Posted by Tim | May 5, 2004 10:13 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 5, 2004 22:13
5. Posted by Tim | May 5, 2004 10:15 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Now why can't everyone get off their high horses and just let "the" athletes play and compete. It's not fair to blame the yankees, when only to this past off season, was the only team to put back the generated money right back to the players. It's not fair to limit the most reasonable aspect of what teams actually have to do to stay competitive.
5. Posted by Tim | May 5, 2004 10:15 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 5, 2004 22:15
6. Posted by Tim | May 5, 2004 10:16 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Now why can't everyone get off their high horses and just let "the" athletes play and compete. It's not fair to blame the yankees, when only to this past off season, was the only team to put back the generated money right back to the players. It's not fair to limit the most reasonable aspect of what teams actually have to do to stay competitive.
6. Posted by Tim | May 5, 2004 10:16 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on May 5, 2004 22:16