MLB Owners Need To Open Their Damn Books!!!

I touched on this yesterday and will continue to do so until there is a baseball season planned and executed. You can read my full thoughts from yesterday here:

But from what I have gathered from #sources over the last few days and will elaborate on from the previous blog is this: owners never have and never will open their books to be audited by the MLBPA. They refuse to show how much revenue their franchises bring in. 

To an extent, I get it, especially under normal circumstances. If their numbers show they make a gazillion dollars more than the players, all that's going to do is cause player salaries to skyrocket. That's the last thing the people cutting the checks want, and from a pure business perspective, I understand it when looking at it from their perspective. 

But we're not operating under "normal circumstances" right now. We're in the midst of a global pandemic that has caused millions upon millions of people to lose their jobs, 80K+ deaths and a complete loss of moral. People want sports back, and MLB has the chance to be the first major sport to grant wishes. 

Baseball has seen declines in TV viewership, attendance, blah blah blah for how long now? Every year some stupid new rule is implemented to make it a more palatable game, yet nothing really sticks that helps grow the game. You know what would be a great way to reverse that trend? Being the ONLY SPORT PLAYING THIS SUMMER!!!

And don't even get me started on how poorly they market their superstars or their archaic social sharing rules.

But we're at some impasse right now because of fucking MONEY. How goddamn tone deaf. Okay owners, so you might lose money. It's your prerogative to not do so as business owners. But if that's the case, then prove it. Open your books to the players and prove to them that you're going to lose money hand over fist. If that happens, they'll work with you and get a deal hammered out sooner than later that is fair for both sides.

That won't happen though, and that's why nobody in the MLBPA thinks owners will actually be operating in the red without gate/concessions/parking/etc. It's SO goddamn annoying and tone deaf. They're at some impasse right now because of fucking MONEY. I feel like President Trump tweeting "RELEASE THE MEMO!", except I'm just screaming "OPEN THE BOOKS!" instead.

That said, I do think the players eventually cave. They have no leverage. It's either play and get paid or don't and don't. Time is ticking though, we have about a week's worth of wiggle room before we have to really start worrying.