Posted on 04/18/2020 7:35:15 PM PDT by GuavaCheesePuff
Everybody wants a baseball season. Nobody knows quite how that will look amid the coronavirus pandemic. Those are the only certainties for a sport that has an unbroken chain of seasons with at least 100 games stretching back to the 19th century.
But as more and more hopeful hints have emerged this week — from Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the nation’s leading expert on infectious diseases, and from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, who both publicly touted the feasibility of playing in empty ballparks — a distressing backdrop still looms: If teams cannot sell tickets, how much will the players be paid?
“The issue over pay without fans is going to get ugly,” said a top baseball official of one team, who insisted on anonymity to speak candidly about league matters. “It’s very real. Owners will claim they’d lose money by playing without fans if players get their full per-game salaries, and it may be true. They’re going to want a big reduction in pay from players.”
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
The Slimes is always worried about other peoples’ business.
That’s why theirs is going bankrupt.
I think they made an agreement with the players union that they would get prorated pay based on how many games they play this season.
I can see it’s a new separate issue however, this creates other issues if the owners will not have ticket revenue streams coming in to have the cash to pay the players.
Folks would watch decent little league at this point.
They better be careful.
Yeah $170 million advance on salaries with the MLBPA giving up all further salaries if the season is cancelled.
Everybody wants a baseball season.Not necessarily major league. That can die off. Okay by me. And okay if it takes out the farm teams too.
Estimated based on past attendance, clubs are losing $1 million in average gate receipts per game. So $15 million a day lost. Some more, some less...
Assuming 25000 attendance at $40 a seat is $1 million per game. Those numbers are below the actual average attendance and ticket price for the last few years, but you get the point.
Start at 0 and stay there for a few months to start.
Whatever the losses in tickets, parking and concessions, it is dwarfed by the revenue of national and regional tv money.
My belief is that owners are the venture capitalists here. The players sign contracts and, while it is right to pay them a prorated part of their salaries due to a shortened season, the rest of the loss should be absorbed by the owners.
THEY are the ones who risk their investment based on the team’s success or failure and the ones who enjoy the profits when the teams do well.
Consider also that, if the teams all sequester in Arizona, or even both Arizona and Florida, teams will be saving the expense of flying 40-some-odd people around every 3-4 days. IMO, this is the owners crying “poor” when, in reality, most of them will still be making a profit - just less than they originally projected.
The one ones really hurting though are those who would be working at the stadiums.
Yeah, and John Sherman just paid 1 billion for the Royals. He can’t even get the season started. What a disaster.
The TV revenue is fixed. Those contracts were signed with the TV networks already. In fact, I believe MLB is urgently trying to get the season underway because the networks may be clamoring to get a bunch of their money back in the absence of any games.
There’s a TON of guys in AAA that would gladly play for the Major League minimum.
And for a full season devoid of fans.
Play Ball!
I’ll be tuned in for the first pitch.
There are teams like the Giants and Yankees that fill 90% of total available seats per season.
That’s $200 million per year in ticket sales, before they even sell you your first $8 beer. Or $6 hot dog. Or $30 ball cap for the kid.
The TV revenues are more, but players would have to take a pay cut to make it work.
Owners are not going to lose money on purpose.
Play Ball!
I keep looking at the only publicly traded baseball team - the Atlanta Braves - as a possible investment opportunity over the coming months. We are all desperate for professional sports viewing. MLB has been talking about having a few condensed leagues , the cactus league and the grapefruit league where the MLB teams would play in Arizona and Florida in shortened season. Even if there are few in public attendance, it would seem their ad revenues from TV from a sports hungry public this season would provide some healthy gains
In over 120 years of baseball, I don’t think we’ve ever missed an ENTIRE season...not a single game played.
It’s unthinkable.
A veritable crime against humanity.
With 30 teams, you could play in only Cactus and Grapefruit parks.
It could be done with 15 ball parks.
All night games.
121 deg is no way to play baseball. Cameras may not even work at that temp lol.
100 deg at night will be tough enough.
America will watch and listen on the radio.
And baseball will make the country whole again.
We’re hoping a proven treatment makes all this unnecessary considering only old & infirm need worry. Probable. —— 100 game season w/ fans
If fans refuse to gather, players will need to decide if they’re willing to play for 30-40% of their salaries (based on 50% of games played)
1/2 the games doesn’t equate to 1/2 salaries.
I suspect lost gate receipts, parking, concessions, & merchandise is a big hit.
I don’t see the need to play all year under these circumstances, however. May-July max. Mostly night games. Double headers in the 3 indoor stadiums.
Doable. Lets get going one way or the other.
If major League baseball players do not want to play, fine. Call up the minor leaguers.
Let the fans decide their fate! What happened to the land of the free and home of the brave? In World War II Eisenhower knew that sending the airborne units into France would be a high fatality mission, but was necessary to help urn the tide against the Germans, let the elderly and those afraid to die stay quarantined!
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