Why MLB Lockout Is Inconvenient, But Won't Lead To The Worst

Commissioner Rob Manfred

At midnight local time on December 1, MLB began a lockout by team management after the 2016 labor agreement expired. Some people are concerned about the start of the next season, which is set for March 31, but I would like to consider whether it is actually true.

This agreement is very important as it is the basis for all activities of both management and athletes. Regarding this update, there are a wide range of issues, from issues directly related to management and annual salary, such as penalties on the total annual salary and the way the annual salary arbitration system should be, to the expansion of the playoff quota and the revision of the game progress rules.

A lockout is basically a strike by management. Ballparks and training facilities are closed by clubs and players are not allowed to enter. No contract negotiations will take place during this time.

The lockout itself has been since 1990, and it has been since the 1994-95 strike, which was a blemish in the history of the ball, to stop activities due to conflicts between labor and management. This "billionaire feud" covered the rest of the season and the post-war years, including the 1989 World Series, when the site (San Francisco Bay Area) was hit by a massive earthquake. The worst situation was that the entire season was canceled (the opening of 1995 was also delayed).

This suspension of activity is the first in about a quarter of a century, but the history of MLB since the 1970s is not only a battle as a game on the field, but also a history of conflicts and struggles between labor and management off the field. , had five strikes and three lockouts.

Especially during the era of Marvin Miller, who served as managing director of the players' union from 1966 to 1982, under his strong leadership, the players' union, which until then was treated favorably by management, , transformed into the most powerful labor union in the United States. And in the history of that struggle, there have been not only short skirmishing hiatus, but also events like the 1981 strike that interrupted the season for about two months.

In 2020, during the spring training period, President Trump (at that time) declared a state of emergency due to the spread of the new coronavirus, and the opening was postponed until late July. However, the reason why the opening was delayed so far was not because the games could not be played due to the pandemic, but because the labor and management were at odds over salary payments while the games were forced to be held without spectators.