Since the Atlanta Braves won the World Series last fall, we’ve had a two-part offseason: a period in which free agents were signing contracts at a blistering pace and another where everything fell apart. is stopped with a snap of the fingers.
An MLB-triggered lockout ended all the offseason excitement overnight.
Since then, we have witnessed a standoff between the owners and the players which, obviously, is going nowhere. The start of the season will be pushed back and who knows when training camps will get under way.
In short, it’s no surprise that many fans (especially the new ones that MLB had attracted in recent years) were quickly disillusioned and turned to other sports.
However, in a letter published in the Los Angeles TimesJoe Kelly, reliever for the Dodgers, was there with a very simple request to baseball fans: that of not giving up their love for the sport.
Joe Kelly to fans: Don’t give up on baseball.https://t.co/qj6f2nDGdB
—Bill Shaikin (@BillShaikin) March 3, 2022
In his text, Kelly says he is well aware that fans are exhausted from the bickering between owners and players. He knows that everyone would much rather see the current discussions revolve around predictions for the upcoming season and around the players who are getting attention at training camps.
But despite the fact that criticism of the sport itself has been surging since the start of the work stoppage, Kelly notes that baseball is a beautiful sport that stands in contrast to the society of immediacy in which we are now living.
Kelly reiterates that the current labor dispute will be key to the future of the sport. He likes the progress made over the past few years and he believes that the next employment contract will serve to lay a good foundation to take him even further.
As long as the players stick together, of course.
This is why he hopes that the flame of baseball will not be extinguished among fans of the sport. He doesn’t want them to forget their admiration for their favorite players or the good times spent at the stadium when they go to see a game.
What we feel through Kelly’s text is that the players are really sad not to be able to play right now. They are disappointed to see the fans being held hostage in this way, but according to them, it is about the future of the sport, as Bo Bichette repeated yesterday.
Bo Bichette on @FAN590 – It’s been pretty disappointing… We owe an apology to people who want to watch our game, but as a union we have to do what’s right in this moment.
—Arash Madani (@ArashMadani) March 3, 2022
However, both players and owners are playing a very dangerous game right now. Of course, there will always be a hard core of fans who will come back, no matter the circumstances (a group which I consider myself part of and which you are probably part of if you have followed all the sporting news in the last few months), but there there’s one huge pool of people who are not as invested in the sport and who will not necessarily come back.
And honestly, it’s hard to blame them. Both parties rely heavily on fan loyalty and it could backfire on them quickly.
Hopefully we’ll get a resolution soon. I remain somewhat skeptical (I don’t expect the season to start before at least June, personally), but for the good of the sport, a quick agreement that satisfies both parties is the best of both worlds.
Otherwise, it could quickly turn sour.
