Baseball as a Business is Killing Fan Experience

[Ted Schwerzler]

A couple of days ago Major League Baseball super-agent Scott Boras held his yearly winter press conference. While he’s generally seen as a heavy handed and polarizing figure within the game, you couldn’t walk away from this one not being impressed. Of most importance, the direction, or lack thereof, for the sport.Rob Manfred has become arguably the worst commissioner across all professional sports. Given how Roger Goodell has handled matters in the National Football League, and what Gary Bettman has shown at times for the National Hockey League, that’s truly an amazing feat. Here we are though, as baseball grows financially, finding more fans scratching their heads in regards to every move from the office.

 

During his press conference Boras suggested that MLB needs a CEO, and that actually may be the best thing for the engagement of the sport. Rob Manfred currently represents the owners, as the commissioner is tasked to do. He’s helped to line their pockets by creating a longer Postseason, shortening the regular season, publicly bashing the MLBPA, and aiding in attempts to cry poor despite record revenues year over year. In short, he’s acting as the perfect CEO.

 

 

What Manfred has shown he has no ability to do however, is understand the game itself. Baseball is a game of constants, and while the sport has evolved to incorporate competitive advantages through shifts, analytics, and platoons, the way it is played largely remains the same. Thinking that the key to fan engagement is shorter outings, pitch clocks, goofy rules, and significantly cutting up the minor leagues, it’s clear that Rob can not effectively accomplish both aspects of the job.

 

In recent years, the popularity for Major League Baseball has never been higher. That has become true for other leagues like the NBA and MLS as well. With the competition breathing down its neck and passing it in some cases, baseball has responded by making it less fan friendly, removing opportunity to experience the sport, and stifling future growth. The league has done this in the form of contractions, public relations discourse, and an overall out-of-touch take on what should be happening.

 

Here we are into December with just months to go before an intended Spring Training kicks off. There were no traditional Winter Meetings due to a nationwide pandemic, but movement on the free agent front has been glacial. The league has not established set rules for the 2021 season and only informed teams of possible intentions. We’ve heard more about delays to Spring Training in hopes the owners can generate ticket revenue rather than excitement about first pitches or newly signed athletes. Every opportunity to make a period of monotony more exciting has been a colossal failure.

 

We’ve seen this building for a while. Although Bud Selig allowed the Steroid Era to happen under his nose (ultimately saving the sport and earning him HOF Induction) it was rarely a question of whether of not he had passion for the sport. The same cannot be said about Manfred and those that control the game. In fact, the Mets new owner Steve Cohen looks like such an albatross that his fan engagement and immediate spending has no doubt drawn the ire of his crusty counterparts.

 

At the end of the day, I don’t know what direction should be taken. Someone with much more skin in the game, Boras for example, has a much clearer suggestion on where to go. Separating business from pleasure may not be a bad idea, but the reality is there’s nothing to love about where we are today. This is a game that should be celebrated through the athletes, enjoying the product on the field, and giving fans as much and as easily accessible of an opportunity to consume it.

 

Some day we may get there. Let’s just hope Rob Manfred and those currently in charge don’t stray too far first.

 

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[jrod23]

I always thought Scott Boras was ruining the game.  Wasn't until a few years back that I actually researched how much owners truly make and what percent of that goes to the players.  I'll side with players 99% of the time now.  Back in '94, I was 13 and blamed the whole thing on "cry baby" millionaire athletes.  My father still has not attended a major league baseball game since then.  Today, I literally can't comprehend the amount of money being scrutinized over between owners and players.

 

What I do feel very strongly about is owners have lost the true sense of the game and the fan experience.  Money completely rules all.  ALL.

 

One ballpark, the cheapest of dogs costs $6 and a draft 12 oz. beer (not craft, but a beer) cost $10.50.  Have prices of dogs and beer at cost truly skyrocketed that much where owners NEED to do this?  I'm mentioning parking, but I won't.  I digress...cough...Minor Leagues...cough.

 

Owners have allowed everything to get to a boiling point.  I pray it won't, but the next CBA is going to get nasty.

 

 

[rv78]

Arguments can be made about who is ruining the game. The Players, the Owners, the Commisioner. I would say they are all to blame. But don't forget the Agents. Greed kills in more ways than one. The players and owners both deserve to get their fair share of revenue but what is really fair? How many players reach Free Agency and sign with the team that gives them the most money? In turn what does that do? In a way, it forces higher prices for those hotdogs, beer and TICKETS. How many Kirby Pucketts are there anymore that have the opportunity to go elsewhere for MORE money but say they love playing for their current team and stay for less? Players are greedy too. Is the $324M that Gerrit Cole signed for a good thing for anyone other than him? The ramifications of contracts like that doesn't help the game and Agents like Boras are to blame just as much as anyone. How many expensive contracts have caused Owners to raise prices? I'm not saying they had to, but to maintain their revenue they raised them to help cover it. It's a domino effect. Why do hotdogs cost $6 and not $4? Why does cost beer $8 and not $5? Why are ticket prices for a lower level seat by 1st or 3rd base $80 and not $30? Why does the baseball package on cable cost extra to add it to your package? Why does the public have to help pay for new stadiums for the owners? Why are casual fans turned off to all professional sports anymore? It's not because the game is slow or the Commisioner can make a decision on goofy rules. It's GREED!

 

[mikelink45]

This is a really good thought article and Boras who has never been one of my favorites is right.  Manfred for the last year has been the enemy.  Does he know what a fan is?  Does he understand the loss in all those minor league towns that he just cut?  He is ruthless (and actually that has been the history of MLB ownership) and when the Pandemic is over I wonder how many casual fans will be gone. 

 

I am not against speeding up the game - I think that is essential, but there is a total lack of dialogue with players and fans. 

[Darius]

I agree with Boras.

 

It’s not all that different than politics, IMO. They have their club, where these crusty, corrupted individuals sit in their positions for a lifetime. In order to be truly effective they need to venture outside of that.

 

Some semblance of integrity and threat of consequence for malfeasance would also help (as opposed to covering for fraud, steroid use, cheating, etc.). Being able to fully trust that the integrity of the game is upheld, and their team is getting a fair shake, would go a long way with fans.

[ashbury]

I think Scott Boras is one of the more astute minds concerning the business of baseball. In fact, I think he would make some team a great general manager, except that not even the Yankees or Dodgers could afford him!

[Ted Schwerzler]

 

I think Scott Boras is one of the more astute minds concerning the business of baseball. In fact, I think he would make some team a great general manager, except that not even the Yankees or Dodgers could afford him!

Boras often gets dogged because he's a household name for being really good at his job. His job is extrapolating money from higher sources to lower sources, that's the nature of his business.

 

Being in that middle ground, seeing monetary values on both sides, and understanding the product leaves so much to be desired is where his CEO comments come from I think.

 

Couldn't have been more spot on.

[prouster]

Maybe I’m too much of a pessimist, but I don’t see how the league will avoid a labor stoppage when the CBA expires. If and when it happens, it will be the fault of greedy ownership groups that have worked tooth and nail since the last CBA to suppress player salaries and protect the “intellectual property” of Major League Baseball. They have fallen behind the times when it comes to promoting their star players and making the game easily accessible for young and casual fans. The blackout rules are absurd, and they make darn sure that people have to pay to stream. The underlying pattern is that owners believe the game—it’s revenues, it’s infrastructures, it’s history, and it’s image—belongs to them, and they have not held back trying to siphon up every last ounce. They are working knowingly or not to make the game completely irrelevant. As we’ve seen this year, everything is fragile and can end.

 

For the “baseball is a business” crowd, here is the link to the Wikipedia page for Ichimonjiya Wasuke, a Japanese confectioner that has operated continuously for over 1,000 years: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke. The business has sustained itself largely by prioritizing its long term existence ahead of its short term growth. MLB should take note, but I wouldn’t expect much foresight from venture capitalists and hedge fund managers.

[sdangus]

I think there is plenty of greed to go around. The owners for the most part are business men who made their living by buying at the lowest price possible and selling for the highest price possible. It's just what they do. They aren't going to operate any different just because the business is baseball. Capitalism is sort of all about greed.

 

For the most part, employees are always trying to improve so that they can get the highest salary possible. It's no different whether you are aiming to be the CEO or the best pitcher in baseball, we all dream about reaching that pinnacle.

 

Representing someone to help them get a job is no different whether it's the employment agency trying to get a job for an accountant, a corporate recruiter trying to land their guy that CEO job, or Boras getting Cole $324M.

 

The thing that has changed is the intense jealousy that everybody has towards everybody that has more than they do. It used to be that we celebrated and respected success, and dreamed about how we could make it happen for ourselves.

 

Now we just condem the success and call them evil. Think about it.

 

Having said all that, it's a shame that the escalating amounts of money going to owners, players, agents, advertisers and cable networks has basically made a baseball game unaffordable to the average fan. That is what is destroying the game's popularity.

[prouster]

Maybe I’m too much of a pessimist, but I don’t see how the league will avoid a labor stoppage when the CBA expires. If and when it happens, it will be the fault of greedy ownership groups that have worked tooth and nail since the last CBA to suppress player salaries and protect the “intellectual property” of Major League Baseball. They have fallen behind the times when it comes to promoting their star players and making the game easily accessible for young and casual fans. The blackout rules are absurd, and they make darn sure that people have to pay to stream. The underlying pattern is that owners believe the game—it’s revenues, it’s infrastructures, it’s history, and it’s image—belongs to them, and they have not held back trying to siphon up every last ounce. They are working knowingly or not to make the game completely irrelevant. As we’ve seen this year, everything is fragile and can end.

 

For the “baseball is a business” crowd, here is the link to the Wikipedia page for Ichimonjiya Wasuke, a Japanese confectioner that has operated continuously for over 1,000 years: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ichimonjiya_Wasuke. The business has sustained itself largely by prioritizing its long term existence ahead of its short term growth. MLB should take note, but I wouldn’t expect much foresight from venture capitalists and hedge fund managers.

Ugh, “it’s”.

[ashbury]

Ugh, “it’s”.

Isn't the period supposed to go inside the quotation mark?

 

[Major League Ready]

As I review the actions of both sides over the past year, I find it very difficult to conclude all the fault or even the majority of fault resides with ownership. Let's review what happened.

 

The MLB clubs kept on virtually 100% of their employees knowing they were going to get creamed financially. How many companies did the same?

 

Owners paid all Milb players in full even though they did not play a single game. Even the ones that were going to get cut.

 

The Pohlad’s donated $25M in spite of the inevitable losses.

 

The Players said screw the pandemic, we don’t care revenue is going to be off 50%, we want 100% for every game played or we are not playing. The really did not negotiate at all which is why we ended up with 60 games.

 

The owners made proposals that would have given us at least 80 games. The players insisted on a number of games that was not even feasible. They countered every offer with a number of games that was not feasible resulting in a 60 game season. I believe the last offer was 82 games but the players would have gotten somewhere around 80%. Which side was thinking about the fans?

 

Then, the MLBPA portrayed the owners as acting in bad faith because they were not living up to their agreement to pay prorated salaries. While leaking documents is not the ideal approach to getting the truth out, it turned out the two sides had agreed in no uncertain terms that the preliminary agreement assumed fans were present. There was an agreement to renegotiate if fans were not present. The MLBPA not only negotiated in bad faith, they purposely mislead the public and probably even the players. I guess it’s ok the defraud the public as long as you are doing it to make rich people look bad.

 

This article is just another example of extreme bias. Let's blame ownership because they are not like us. What’s worse is the prejudice that is displayed here quite consistently. By prejudice, I mean hatred and the opinion one side should not be treated fairly because they belong to a given group. It’s probably not quite as heinous as hating or basing bias on color, sexual preference or any other distinction but it’s repugnant just the same.

[prouster]

Isn't the period supposed to go inside the quotation mark?

 

This is the British style. It’s, um, a stylistic choice. Yeah, that’s it...

[Guest]

 

As I review the actions of both sides over the past year, I find it very difficult to conclude all the fault or even the majority of fault resides with ownership. Let's review what happened.

 

The MLB clubs kept on virtually 100% of their employees knowing they were going to get creamed financially. How many companies did the same?

 

Pretty sure there's a boatload of scouts that will be surprised to learn that MLB teams kept on virtually 100% of their employees.

[Major League Ready]

 

Pretty sure there's a boatload of scouts that will be surprised to learn that MLB teams kept on virtually 100% of their employees.

 

For starters, the termination of at least a portion of these scouts was a product of scouts being let going because they are being replaced with video analysts. Secondly, theses terminations represent 2-3% of employees. Last I checked, 97% could be reasonably stated as nearly 100%. Of course, the financial strain has finally resulted in more layoffs. I thought it was obvious that the point was the MLB teams have been far less inclined to lay-off employees than the vast majority of companies. 

 

More importantly, you blew right past the entire point of my post. So, I guess if you can't make a reasonable argument, find a nitpick and ignore the point. 

[Dave The Dastardly]

 

Isn't the period supposed to go inside the quotation mark?
 

Interesting that this sidebar stuck in my mind. I guess that makes me a nit-picker. If I remember Sister Lydia correctly (about 60 years back) if the writer is using quotation marks to emphasize a particular word at the end of the sentence, the period belongs outside the quotation marks. If the quotation marks are being used delineate a quote by someone, the period belongs inside the last quotation mark.

 

Disregarding a wandering mind, what I took away from this discussion is that the main cause of modern baseball's problems is that human failing often referred to as "greed".

 

You can quote me on that.

 

[Major League Ready]

 

I think there is plenty of greed to go around. The owners for the most part are business men who made their living by buying at the lowest price possible and selling for the highest price possible. It's just what they do. They aren't going to operate any different just because the business is baseball. Capitalism is sort of all about greed.

 

For the most part, employees are always trying to improve so that they can get the highest salary possible. It's no different whether you are aiming to be the CEO or the best pitcher in baseball, we all dream about reaching that pinnacle.

 

Representing someone to help them get a job is no different whether it's the employment agency trying to get a job for an accountant, a corporate recruiter trying to land their guy that CEO job, or Boras getting Cole $324M.

 

The thing that has changed is the intense jealousy that everybody has towards everybody that has more than they do. It used to be that we celebrated and respected success, and dreamed about how we could make it happen for ourselves.

 

Now we just condem the success and call them evil. Think about it.

 

Having said all that, it's a shame that the escalating amounts of money going to owners, players, agents, advertisers and cable networks has basically made a baseball game unaffordable to the average fan. That is what is destroying the game's popularity.

 

You are far too rationale and fair minded to post here. Hopefully, that does not stop you from posting more often.