MLB’s Push To Return To The Field Seems To Be Driven By Money

It is hard to see this as anything but Major League Baseball’s play to stop the hemorrhaging of revenue for a league that has already seen six weeks pass without a pitch being thrown, a bat being swung or a fan spending a dollar.

The game is missed, surely. It would be a welcomed distraction from the new normal of shelter-in-place, stay-at-home orders, face coverings and the never-ending barrage of coronavirus news. Its return would be celebrated, no doubt.

But at what cost? In this pandemic, everything seems uncertain. With that reality, baseball’s latest proposal to bring the game back has one logical explanation to those looking at it objectively – a money grab to recover what it can of the more than $10 billion in revenue the league likely expected in 2020. 

ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Wednesday night that the league will propose this week to the MLB Players Association for games to start in early July. Details of the proposal aren’t yet clear about what precautions and contingencies might be implemented.

Those won’t be easily built given all the uncertainty counties, states and the United States and Canada currently face.

According to Passan, multiple players have reached out to the union asking what might happen if they chose not to play this season, opting to put their health and families ahead of the game. There are also questions from players on what happens if a player tests positive. 

Right now, we haven’t seen those answers.

COVID-19 cases are nowhere near under control. With states like Florida, Arizona and Texas set to “open” soon, it gives people within the game pause on whether returning to the field, even without fans, is safe. Also, if the season extends into the fall, when the coronavirus could surge again, the risks become greater.

In the NBA, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban says he will not open his team’s practice facility this month. He understands returning puts players at risk, and if an athlete or someone around an NBA or MLB team test positive, it would be a major setback and a public relations nightmare for the leagues.

Testing is still a problem in the U.S., so securing enough to regularly test players right now would be taking those tests away from the public, which desperately needs them to return to some sort of normalcy, such as going to work and being paid.

None of this is to say the league isn’t prioritizing safety as it ponders its comeback. However, it’s a rush to return before the pandemic is seeing consistent case declines, and motives should be questioned if the return comes before that.

Adding to the belief that returning in July is about the money, ESPN reported owners have pushed the league to ask players to take a pay cut if they return because revenue will take a major hit without fans attending games. The MLBPA is unlikely to agree to that, especially since its already agreed to prorated salaries in a shortened season.

Baseball fans want the game back. Basketball fans want the NBA back, just like football fans hope the NFL season won’t be delayed. But the risks have to be considered before money or entertainment. Without adequate answers to so many questions and concerns as things stand now, the games should not start.

If they do, money will be the motive.