Toronto Blue Jays: 3 keys to players union accepting owners proposal
By Paul Taylor
3) A 50/50 revenue sharing plan
Of our three keys, this will be the toughest one to persuade the players to agree to. According to CBS Sports, the owners are going to propose a 50/50 split for revenue in 2020.
This is significant for a couple of reasons. The first being that, while revenue sharing is commonplace in the other three major North American professional sports leagues, this is not the case with Major League Baseball.
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The second reason why such a split would be so significant, is because Manfred has confirmed 40 percent of revenue is tied to gate receipts. As per CBC, gate receipts include concessions, parking, ballpark advertising, luxury suites and programs.
There is no doubt that gate receipts are going to take a massive hit in 2020, due to fans not being able to attend games for most — if not all — of the season. (And even then, attendances could be limited due to social distancing, etc.) As far as the players are concerned, they are already taking enough of a hit after the aforementioned agreement to prorated salaries for this year.
Consider the recent comments of MLBPA chief Tony Clark. As reported by Katherine Acquavella of CBS Sports, Clark said:
"“Players recently reached an agreement with Major League Baseball that outlines economic terms for resumption of play, which included significant salary adjustments and a number of other compromises. That negotiation is over.”"
In reality, the financial negotiation can’t be over, not if there is to be a season. The owners could theoretically decide not to play at all in 2020, meaning the players would get nothing.
The players want and need to be out there for the fans who can’t be in attendance to watch them live. Whether or not there will be prepared to accept more financial sacrifices however, is another matter altogether.
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What is your opinion of the league proposal that will reportedly be submitted by the owners? Do you believe the Players Union should approve it? If not, what counter-proposals would you make? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.