How the MLB Lockout is Affecting Fans

Image courtesy of The Washington Post

The MLB Lockout of 1994 nearly spelled disaster for the sport of baseball and its fans. With over 938 games and the entire postseason being canceled, MLB faced a public relations nightmare trying to regain the many fans and viewers they lost due to the unfortunate ordeal. Fast forward to the year 2022 and you will find the MLB is potentially facing a very similar situation, in a time when the sport of baseball needs its fans most.

The 2021 MLB season was filled with moments of excitement: Shohei Ohtani dominating the league on both the mound and at the plate, the Atlanta Braves winning the World Series after losing their star player Ronald Acuña Jr. halfway through the year and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finally becoming the MVP-caliber player everyone expected him to be. However, while the league was seeing some of its most exciting players flourish on the field, the league’s ratings still caused some concern amongst owners and executives alike. The problem that has plagued the MLB, is its failure to attract younger fans and grow its audience. This problem is nothing new, but the MLB had the chance to utilize its new superstars and use the 2022 season as a new beginning to make baseball more accessible to new audiences.

That was all going according to plan until the MLBPA and MLB owners failed to negotiate a new CBA after the old agreement expired at the end of the 2021 season.

Now to non-baseball fans, this may not seem like such a big issue, they’ll agree to a new deal and everything will be fine moving forward, right? This is anything but the truth. While the MLB has seen some increases in ratings every year, the problem is this growth is minimal compared to other major sporting leagues in the US, such as the NBA and NFL. While there are many reasons for this lack of interest which I will get into another day, the main point I am trying to get across is that baseball cannot afford to miss out on any games when they are already a step behind the competition. As a young baseball fan, it pains me to see how the game is being portrayed to the public, especially to people my age. It is hard to be a fan of a team or sport when you are constantly waiting to see if or when the season will actually begin. Situations like these are what turns fans away from the sport, not bringing them in.

As of the time of writing this, the MLB has officially canceled at least 91 games with potentially more cancellations on the horizon. With the situation becoming direr as the days go on, both sides have become more willing to make radical changes in hopes of solving the lockout as soon as possible. For example, it was recently announced that “the shift” would be banned for the upcoming season, in hopes of making the game more exciting. While this idea may seem good on paper, it is instead setting a dangerous precedent for future negotiations. Making such a drastic change that is seemingly devaluing the importance of the hitter/pitcher dynamic, shows that the MLB is really concerned about getting games played rather than really thinking about the impact such a decision can have on the overall enjoyment of fans. Sure, fans love seeing hits and home runs, but an important part of every sport is evolving and adapting to new strategies, which the league is seemingly punishing with this decision.

While it is important for the MLB to work everything out and get a season started, they must also take into consideration the effects of their decisions on overall enjoyment for both new and die-hard fans alike. Making drastic changes simply to get the ball rolling in conversations, only goes to show that the MLB is more focused on keeping the sport of baseball the same, rather than letting it grow into something new and exciting for all to enjoy.

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