An unprecedented 2020 MLB season concluded with the Los Angeles Dodgers being crowned World Series champions for the first time in more than three decades.
The year was nothing short of unusual, however, as teams had to make do with an abbreviated 60-game schedule that began in July. When play finally resumed, it was without fans being permitted to attend.
The lack of gate revenue negatively impacted every team, including the Dodgers, who are said to have lost well over $100 million during the 2020 season. As such, the club began implementing layoffs across the organization.
The sport as a whole suffered in general. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred revealed that the league lost nearly $3 billion in pure cash this year and now face massive amounts of debt, via Street & Smith’s SBJ Daily:
“The (operating) losses are going to be between $2.7 and $3 billion. I’m talking about cash losses. When you lose $3 billion in cash in one year, that’s pretty rough.” He added, “The clubs did a tremendous job with liquidity, securing funding for the losses. There were no bailouts or any of that in terms of central baseball having to step in. … The bad news is the price of that hard work is that we’re going to go into ’21 with unprecedented levels of debt.”
While MLB suffered unprecedented losses this past season, they were able to limit the damage with the help of an expanded postseason that increased the playing field to 16 teams.
The more teams that participated helped in terms of additional TV revenue. MLB also found another source of income when a limited capacity of fans returned to games, beginning with the National League Championship Series and extending to the World Series
Manfred pleased with expanded postseason, but sees room for changes
The expanded postseason introduced a Wild Card Series, allowing teams such as the San Diego Padres and Miami Marlins to end long postseason droughts.
However, the new format generally received mixed reviews across the league. Manfred nonetheless was a fan and will look to see that it sticks around going forward.
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