Amid all the chaos that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused, a ray of sunshine my seep through. Every sport has been impacted. But MLB is discussing a unique idea that can get the 2020 season started faster.
As first noted in a report by Ken Rosenthal, MLB is considering playing games within the confines of empty stadiums amid the outbreak. Even with that said, the possibility of playing games at all, even among empty stadiums, will be a tall task. There are several significant obstacles that would need to be addressed first.
The Obstacles
The most notable obstacle in place for any type of game to happen would be to create a testing system. A system that could help ensure no coaches, managers, players, television workers or any other type of employees are not sick upon arrival at various sites. All that in itself is a tall task as it would have to be done without diverting healthcare workers from local communities.
There would also have to be an agreement in place to make up for lost revenue. Lost revenue from ticket sales, concessions, and other on-site purchases. Due to an earlier agreement, players are already set to receive prorated salaries based on games played.
Going Forward
Playing in empty parks isn’t out of the question entirely. It would help to ease the financial burden to a sport that generated $10.7 billion in revenue according to Forbes, a record-setting mark. The sport would collect revenue from various media ventures such as local and national television partners. That still, however, wouldn’t totally ease the burden felt by no fan revenue (tickets, parking, concessions).
Going this route might not be as appreciative from the players’ standpoint. There are various realistic scenarios where players’ salaries as a whole would diminish. Owners might also have to worry as they might have to share their local television revenue. That would be in an effort to balance out the disparity between large and small markets.
What’s Ahead
Right now health and safety are at the forefront of the concerns for MLB. Various options are being considered but ultimately things would have to improve before any action could really be taken.
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