Where Major League Baseball Is Right: Travel Issues And Stadiums
Its easy to side with minor league players and owners in their dispute with MLB, but some of MLB’s issues with their minor league affiliates make sense. The New York Mets AAA affiliate is 2,500 miles away in Las Vegas. Travel problems for other clubs include traveling eight hours or more by bus. It costs more to fly minor leaguers but doing so would definitely cut down on travel time.
Upgrading stadiums for minor league teams also doesn’t have a single simple solution. That’s because some ballparks are publicly owned. How much money is available for smaller towns who had or still have minor league teams to upgrade their facilities? There are older parks but there are nicer ones, such as Truist Field here in Charlotte, as well. Teams that need funding for improvements may find it harder after MLB cut ties with 43 of them.
Minor League Players, Owners, And Congress Take Issue With MLB
While the Comissioner’s office may say that plenty of minor leaguers never make the majors, MLB does not look good when it comes to paying players. Its made to look even worse when baseball is closing in on $11 billion in revenue. Many players need second jobs in the offseason to make ends meet. Rob Manfred’s quote on minor leaguers pay did not help either. Players filed a class action lawsuit against MLB to try to improve their salaries, and for back pay, which the league settled.
MLB’s issues with owners and players in the minors caused Congress to take notice. Baseball’s antitrust exemption may be at stake. Baseball says the exemption is for “franchise location stability at the major league level,” and that it “maximized the availability of minor league baseball for fans and quality employment opportunities for aspiring major leaguers.” Considering the league has also faced lawsuits from owner of four minor league teams the public relations battle may be lost for good. There is no time like the present for MLB to try to solve its problems at every level of the minors. The league has the money to do so but does it have the will?
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