The early part of 2022 saw an MLB offseason met with criticism of its commissioner and the direction of the 162-game MLB season left in jeopardy. Flash forward a month later and now baseball has returned after a 99-day lockout. However, with the April 7 Opening Day on the calendar, fans shouldn’t forget about the valid flaws presented about the game earlier this year.
So what now? Besides rules being changed, have MLB owners realized that they were on the verge of cancelling a season for a league that has been struggling to win over fans for some time now?
MLB deserves every ounce of criticism for how things were handled during the 99-day lockout
The biggest issue with Major League Baseball is the lack of effective communication and understanding between the commissioner, the owners, and the players. Rob Manfred’s press conferences were short and often taken with a grain of salt from media outlets everywhere. Reports were written that he was hesitant on mentioning the delay of spring training. Numerous meetings were held between MLB and MLBPA with no resolutions in sight, in an underwhelming and unimpressive monotony. This has happened in the past and could happen again in the future unless things improve between how communication is handled with the higher ups in the league. Moving forward, if MLB does not know how to effectively hash out their concerns for the future of the game, more damage could be done.
Let’s face it, a strike or lockout basically means an alienated fanbase. In past 50 years, eight work stoppages have led to delays or some sort of condensed seasonal activities. Unlike the mid- to late 90s, Major League Baseball cannot rely on 2131 or the race to 62 from the likes of Sammy Sosa or Mark McGwire.
The numbers do not lie as fans are not going to the games in the same volume as they used to. According to the New York Times, 68.5 million fans attended major league games during the 2019 regular season and the number has continued to decline.
MLB needs to become more fan-friendly to the masses. Granted, the diehard fan will be back no matter what, but the casual ones will eventually get apathetic and move on to something else. After a drop in attendance followed by a pandemic, the league needs to focus on themselves and how to gain viewers back.