NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 02: Anthony Rizzo #48 of the New York Yankees in action against the Tampa Bay Rays at Yankee Stadium on October 02, 2021 in New York City. The Rays defeated the Yankees 12-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
Anthony Rizzo knows baseball fans don’t deserve this, but the lockout will serve its purpose for future generations of players.
The average fan will never understand the plights of rich men and women arguing for their own benefit, but it is the job of the Players’ Association to stand up for their own — not just the current crop of athletes but those to come. A new CBA ought to take modern players and future generations into account.
That’s the message players have been arguing in unity for, and it’s the primary reason we don’t have baseball.
On Tuesday, Rob Manfred announced the cancelation of Opening Day and the first two series’ of the season. Depending on how future talks go between the owners and players, it could be the first of many games taken off the schedule.
Rizzo gave his thoughts on the situation, first addressing disappointed fans.
Can baseball afford a lockout?
The owners can, and that’s why they’ve allowed things to go this far. Most players can afford a small chunk being taken out of their yearly paycheck, but that’s not really the question at hand.
Baseball itself cannot afford a lockout at this time. This will be the second shortened season out of the last three. Baseball is already arguably the third or fourth-most popular sport on the American totem pole, and it’s rapidly sliding behind up-and-coming games such as soccer. Failing to advertise their best, young players — or even failing to put a product on the field at all — could be catastrophic at this juncture.
The age of the average baseball fan continues to rise, year after year. They’re failing to reach a young audience which already lacks patience with the sport. Imagine how that young baseball fan feels after the events of the last few months.