Baseball fans: If baseball players strike...

[Doggiedog]

are you going to watch it again when they come back?

I love baseball but I was so disgusted back in 95(?) when they went on strike I didn't watch baseball for a year. I haven't gone to see games much either since then other than being invited to them by friends. I don't think I'll watch baseball much afterwards if they do strike. I am so sick of these rich babies complaining about not getting paid when the average American has to trudge along earning many times less than the lowest paid player in the majors. If any sport needs a pay increase, I think it should be football players. Those guys have the shortest longevity in sports and don't get paid nearly as well as BB or basketball players.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: Doggiedog
are you going to watch it again when they come back?

I love baseball but I was so disgusted back in 95(?) when they went on strike I didn't watch baseball for a year. I haven't gone to see games much either since then other than being invited to them by friends. I don't think I'll watch baseball much afterwards if they do strike. I am so sick of these rich babies complaining about not getting paid when the average American has to trudge along earning many times less than the lowest paid player in the majors. If any sport needs a pay increase, I think it should be football players. Those guys have the shortest longevity in sports and don't get paid nearly as well as BB or basketball players.

The only baseball I have watched since that strike was when Cal Ripken broke Lou Gehrig's record in 1995. The strike season and cancelled World Series was 1994.

 

[rh71]

Same here... I completely lost interest after the strike year. I haven't been to a game since... not because I'm holding a grudge, but just because I simply didn't care much for baseball anymore. I'm slowly getting back to the Mets, but it would surely be sickening if it were to happen again.

 

[ElFenix]

montreal has never come back. baseball didn't see the same sort of attendence numbers until mark mcguire and sammy sosa were tracking down the single season home run record.

 

[MacBaine]

If they strike, very few people are going to come back (fans), and the players will basically end their careers. THe only thing that saved the game was the home run race, and I doubt that will happen again.

 

[HamSupLo]

it'll be suicide

 

[MrDingleDangle]

i, like a lot of baseball fans i believe, will say that i will never go back, but know that eventually i will becuase I love the game...but it will def. take me a long time after this.

but i dont think they will strike this year...

 

[PlatinumGold]

baseball didn't see the same sort of attendence numbers until mark mcguire and sammy sosa were tracking down the single season home run record.

actually that isn't entirely true. baseball has not yet recovered from the last strike. Classic eg is Philadelphia. the phillies had just gone to the world series. they were good at last and the fans were finally going to baseball games. then the strike. phillies haven't even come close to recovering.

look at the numbers all around. they are all down. football, basketball both do better. in summer months tiger woods and golf have hurt baseball.

but the biggest increase has been in attendance at minor league games. if mlb players strike again, i would expect to see an increase in minor league attendance and decrease in mlb attendance.

 

[ThePresence]

Originally posted by: PlatinumGold

baseball didn't see the same sort of attendence numbers until mark mcguire and sammy sosa were tracking down the single season home run record.

actually that isn't entirely true. baseball has not yet recovered from the last strike. Classic eg is Philadelphia. the phillies had just gone to the world series. they were good at last and the fans were finally going to baseball games. then the strike. phillies haven't even come close to recovering.

look at the numbers all around. they are all down. football, basketball both do better. in summer months tiger woods and golf have hurt baseball.

but the biggest increase has been in attendance at minor league games. if mlb players strike again, i would expect to see an increase in minor league attendance and decrease in mlb attendance.

Or you'll see the start of the XLB.

 

[Ipno]

Seriously I think that if baseball players strike again it will, as it did before, turn off a LOT of fans, and the next few years will be a pain... but it wouldn't exactly kill baseball entirely.

It might create a major restructuring of it though, and frankly, baseball could use a major facelift. Baseball has lost a lot of its "innocence" ... I think a good strike could send it back to what it once was.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a huge fan of the Reds... but honestly I often enjoy watching the double A team here in my hometown more than the major league team simply because the players are more real (IOW; They don't skip a game because they stubbed their toe in a hotel room ala gabe white)

 

[MrDingleDangle]

i think it depends on how long the strike is too...if they strike for only a week or so, they can make those games up before the playoffs...and i dont think they will lose too many fans...if on the other hand they strike and there is no playoffs this year, then MLB will be over as we know it