When the NBA immediately suspended its 2019-20 regular season upon learning Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19), it set the standard for other professional sports to follow suit.
Major League Baseball, the MLS and NHL all quickly followed, and some three months later, the majority of them have plans in place to resume play. MLB is the exception, with commissioner Rob Manfred backtracking on a ‘100%’ guarantee there would be a 2020 regular season.
An economic plan — specifically prorated salaries — is at the center of the league and union remaining at odds. However, they also have not agreed to health and safety protocols; but Manfred did indicate they were largely on the same page in that regard.
As tensions continue to rise, MLB reportedly informed the Players Association of positive coronavirus tests amongst players and coaches, per Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports:
Major League Baseball informed the players union Monday that several major-league players and coaches have tested positive for COVID-19, believing it might be unsafe to start the season early even if they soon reach an agreement in their labor dispute.
A handful of days after Spring Training was cancelled and the start of the 2020 season was delayed for two weeks, reports surfaced of two Minor League players in the New York Yankees organization testing positive for coronavirus.
That was followed by the Cincinnati Reds announcing an Arizona-based employee also contracted the virus. Thousands of MLB employees participated in antibody study, which returned just 0.7% who tested positive for antibodies.
As MLB and the MLBPA exchanged counteroffers over recent weeks, the league has stuck to keeping Sept. 27 as the final day for the regular season. Their stance has been it would better ensure the postseason could be completed prior to a second wave of the coronavirus possibly taking hold.
That viewpoint has rendered the players’ willingness to have a more substantial season — one of their proposals was predicated on 114 games — even if only receiving prorated pay for the neighborhood of 80 games.
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