Most MLB owners don’t even have a clue about the fans’ collective level of happiness when spring training gets underway.
They enter a state of excitement that is hard to describe: they know they will soon enjoy games of the players they have followed and admired for years.
After the Super Bowl, with February well underway, fans can almost feel spring training in the air.
Bettors prepare, fantasy baseball players start making their rankings and tiers, families make their plans to go to spring training games and enjoy a nice afternoon… it’s all picture-perfect.
This year, however, it’s different.
Fans feel hopeless, and they know the league and the Players Association probably won’t come up with a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) this week.
We May Not Have Baseball For The Foreseeable Future
They are also pessimistic about the chances of a new CBA being approved by next week, as well.
The sides are just too far apart: there are tens of thousands of dollars separating their minimum salary proposals, and dozens of millions between their respective pre-arbitration bonus proposals.
Heck, they can’t even agree on the number of draft picks affected by the lottery!
This fan pretty much summarized how we are all feeling.
“Me looking for MLB and MLBPA meeting news today… One reporter legitimately just tweeted “it’s not good”. I remain dead inside,” Twitter user @KevinGohD said.
Me looking for MLB and MLBPA meeting news today…
One reporter legitimately just tweeted "it's not good"
I remain dead inside
— KevinGohD (@KevinGohD) February 24, 2022
Perhaps the “dead inside” phrase is part of the usual social media exaggeration, but fans are extremely disappointed that they can’t get to watch baseball because a few guys in a suit are basically not negotiating in good faith.
Their latest move to completely reject the possibility of rescheduling potentially lost games was a slap in the players’ faces.
Only time will tell if negotiations will have a happy ending soon, but it’s not looking good.
NEXT: No Progress Has Been Made By MLB All Week