So will there be a 2020 season?

[HalfSmokes]

From what I've read, the RSNs are still all paying the teams, and still collecting the carriage fees from the cable/sat/streaming companies.   That is the reason given why cable co's aren't giving any rebates or discounts to customers who are still paying $15-20/month (some of which is even called out as a mandatory regional sports fee).

It probably varies by contract

Ripley also moved to explain how Sinclair’s sports segment would react in the event that US major league seasons are not completed. Under the terms of their RSN agreements, he said that teams are obliged to play a minimum number of games, with contracts said to include a repayment structure if matches cannot be completed.

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/sinclair-rsns-2020-q1-revenue-growth-coronavirus-chris-ripley

[nfotiu]

It probably varies by contract

https://www.sportspromedia.com/news/sinclair-rsns-2020-q1-revenue-growth-coronavirus-chris-ripley

Yeah, that looks to be the case for at least some.   I wonder what percentage that repayment structure covers. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.  One of the parties (cable subscriber, cable company, RSN, or team) is going to get screwed, and I'll put my money on the cable subscriber.

[HalfSmokes]

Yeah, that looks to be the case for at least some.   I wonder what percentage that repayment structure covers. It will be interesting to see how it all plays out.  One of the parties (cable subscriber, cable company, RSN, or team) is going to get screwed, and I'll put my money on the cable subscriber.

I'd put money on the team. Cable companies are finally incentivized to look out for subscribers- mostly because they're already bleeding them. Cable companies know they are paying too much for something that most subscribers actively don't want- more and more deals expire with the cable companies holding the line now. Everything I've heard about the NBA even bothering with a regular season before playoffs is because teams don't want to have to rebate RSNs if they don't provide enough games, I doubt baseball is any different

If regular-season games can be played, however, they will be. The NBA has contracts with regional sports networks (RSNs) for regular-season games. Once most teams hit 70 games, the league retains 100 percent of the revenue from those RSNs—except for a handful of teams such as the Lakers, who have a per-game contract with Spectrum SportsNet, according to a league source.

https://www.theringer.com/platform/nba/2020/5/8/21251793/nba-reopening-chatter?__twitter_impression=true

[imref]

MLBTR has a roundup of what teams are doing after May 31 as far as paying staff/players.  Oakland is no longer paying minor players their stipend starting June 1, and to make it worse, they can't apply for unemployment benefits as their contracts are suspended but not terminated.  So they get nothing.  Texas and San Diego agreed to keep paying the $400 a week.  The A's are also cutting pay to, or furloughing Scouts and front-office staff.  The Angels made similar cuts.

They note:

Across the country, the Nationals have implemented a series of partial furloughs both in baseball ops and business ops, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports (Twitter thread). The Nats are still covering full benefits and haven’t made any layoffs, but they’re implementing a sequence of 10 to 30 percent reductions in pay and total hours.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/05/oakland-athletics-furloughs-stop-paying-minor-leaguers.html

[Natsinpwc]

MLBTR has a roundup of what teams are doing after May 31 as far as paying staff/players.  Oakland is no longer paying minor players their stipend starting June 1, and to make it worse, they can't apply for unemployment benefits as their contracts are suspended but not terminated.  So they get nothing.  Texas and San Diego agreed to keep paying the $400 a week.  The A's are also cutting pay to, or furloughing Scouts and front-office staff.  The Angels made similar cuts.

They note:

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2020/05/oakland-athletics-furloughs-stop-paying-minor-leaguers.html

The unemployment info makes no sense to me based on what I have read about states and other workers furloughed during the pandemic.

[HalfSmokes]

Someone on mlbtr- I’m too lazy to check the math, calculated the cost of paying minor league stipends through the end of the season at 800k per team- if that’s correct, the As are truly atrocious. Hopefully guys apply for unemployment in California just to cause the As to spend money fighting it

[bluestreak]

https://twitter.com/max_scherzer/status/1265842546619691010?s=21

[Slateman]

Yea, you're not getting a season in 2020. And probably a labor strike after next season

[Five Banners]

https://twitter.com/max_scherzer/status/1265842546619691010?s=21

The post looks like it ends with a picture of a foul pole

[Natsinpwc]

Yea, you're not getting a season in 2020. And probably a labor strike after next season

There will not be a 2021 season either.  With no or reduced fans the owners will want the players to take a big pay cut.

[rileyn]

There will be a baseball season.  Let the process play out.

[OldChelsea]

There will not be a 2021 season either.  With no or reduced fans the owners will want the players to take a big pay cut.

I think a 2021 season is looking less likely too. Basically it was all up with the 2020 season when the players' association branded the proposed revenue sharing a 'salary cap' (which quickly became a buzzword for some time thereafter), and the battles are now being fought along the battle lines of the post-2021 CBA. The strike/lock-out has begun.

[HalfSmokes]

I think a 2021 season is looking less likely too. Basically it was all up with the 2020 season when the players' association branded the proposed revenue sharing a 'salary cap' (which quickly became a buzzword for some time thereafter), and the battles are now being fought along the battle lines of the post-2021 CBA. The strike/lock-out has begun.

I think there will be a 2021 season- how many years are the owners able (or willing) to float a team's bills with no incoming revenue?

[Natsinpwc]

There will be a baseball season.  Let the process play out.

We are.  But that includes our whining. 

[imref]

We are.  But that includes our whining. 

we just need to focus on obtaining a small victory each day toward starting the season.

[Slateman]

I think there will be a 2021 season- how many years are the owners able (or willing) to float a team's bills with no incoming revenue?

They're not, hence why they're currently demanding the players take another pay cut

[UMDNats]

what if major league baseball is done forever and we're the final champs? champs for eternity

[imref]

what if major league baseball is done forever and we're the final champs? champs for eternity

hmmm....tough one to ponder.  That would mean we'll never know if Carter Kieboom can play at the major league level.

[HalfSmokes]

why does it seem like baseball is going to be the only sport to freak this up? I guess this is what happens when there is zero trust or good will in a negotiation

[nfotiu]

why does it seem like baseball is going to be the only sport to freak this up? I guess this is what happens when there is zero trust or good will in a negotiation

MLB has had the longest streak of labor peace of any the leagues, so I think they get it done.   The other leagues already have a basic framework in place to peg their caps to revenue and the NBA and NHL were done or almost done paying the players for the year.   MLB's situation is more complicated at the moment. 

[UMDNats]

why does it seem like baseball is going to be the only sport to freak this up? I guess this is what happens when there is zero trust or good will in a negotiation

to be fair NBA and NHL players already completed 80% of their seasons and got paid normally for that 80%, and half the players were one month from the offseason anyways and just playing out the final games

[HalfSmokes]

MLB has had the longest streak of labor peace of any the leagues, so I think they get it done.   The other leagues already have a basic framework in place to peg their caps to revenue and the NBA and NHL were done or almost done paying the players for the year.   MLB's situation is more complicated at the moment. 

Have they had the longest streak of labor peace? When is the last super bowl or nba championship missed due to lockout/strike. I’m not aware of any of the European soccer leagues not awarding a championship due to labor issues

[Slateman]

what if major league baseball is done forever and we're the final champs? champs for eternity

Nice

[HalfSmokes]

to be fair NBA and NHL players already completed 80% of their seasons and got paid normally for that 80%, and half the players were one month from the offseason anyways and just playing out the final games

They are both obviously in negotiations, but neither tried to destroy the other publicly, not a peep has been heard from the NFL or NFLPA. The mlb is the only league that goes out of its way to demonize players then wonders why their stars have low q rating.

[UMDNats]

They are both obviously in negotiations, but neither tried to destroy the other publicly, not a peep has been heard from the NFL or NFLPA. The mlb is the only league that goes out of its way to demonize players then wonders why their stars have low q rating.

MLB owners definitely the greediest. these MFers already can spend as little as like $40 mill on a roster and face 0 consequences. every other league has a cap/floor and MLB owners cry poor more than anyone