As MLB players are locked out from using team facilities while the league and Players Association (MLBPA) negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), it is also unclear when Spring Training will begin.
Team facilities are currently being used by Minor Leaguers, who are not protected by the CBA, but most fans aren’t going to want to go watch Minor League games, or at least not without a significant discount attached.
Because of this, the impact of the MLB lockout has extended to the economies of the cities teams train in, all of which are in Arizona or Florida, just two years after they were first impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The Cactus League has expressed their disappointment with the lack of progress and current state of the sport while also maintaining they are prepared to operate at a moment’s notice.
The Los Angeles Dodgers train in Glendale, Arizona, but without them and others, it has put the local economy in a tougher place, city manager Kevin Phelps told Bill Shaikin of the LA Times:
“I’m very upset,” Glendale, Ariz., city manager Kevin Phelps said.
According to the story, the Dodgers pay just $1 per year in rent, but the average fan that attends spent just less than $440 per day in the city and tourists visiting Arizona for Spring Training, who make up about 60% of the fans in attendance, brought in roughly $650 million to the state.
However, after the coronavirus and now with the lockout, these cities are going into three straight years where their economic activity has decreased significantly:
“For all intents and purposes, we’re going to be three years in a row where our hospitality industry has gotten a very small amount of economic activity because of spring training,” he said. “It’s been crickets from Major League Baseball, in terms of even recognizing the harm that happened to cities like ours that have invested very heavily in supporting spring training. It certainly has made us question: Can we really look at Major League Baseball as being a partner in Spring Training? Based on what I have seen the last three years, I would say no.”
With no CBA in sight, each city and their local businesses can only be left wondering when fans will begin to show up again.
MLBPA Criticizes Manfred for lockout and canceled games
Nine consecutive days of meetings between MLB and the MLBPA failed to produce a new CBA by the March 1 deadline, which prompted commissioner Rob Manfred to cancel Opening Day and the first two series of the regular season.
Manfred reiterated the lost games would not be rescheduled and players wouldn’t be paid for them.
“Rob Manfred and MLB’s owners have cancelled the start of the season. Players and fans around the world who love baseball are disgusted, but sadly not surprised,” the union said in a statement after the announcement.
“From the beginning of these negotiations, Players’ objectives have been consistent — to promote competition, provide compensation for young Players, and to uphold the integrity of our market system. Against the backdrop of growing revenues and record profits, we are seeking nothing more than a fair agreement.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
