Major League Baseball’s New Collective Bargaining Agreement
Written by: Mikey Kirkbride
Major League Baseball’s New Collective Bargaining Agreement
In 2016 the MLB saw record numbers in TV ratings and revenue. Last year it was reported that revenue was up about $500 million from the previous season, and it is expected that when the figures come out, revenue will see a record high, surpassing $10 billion. Every 4-5 years depending on the contract there is a new collective bargaining agreement negotiated between Major League Baseball and the MLB players association. Its main purpose is to set in stone required number of off days, minimum league salary, and season length, among other things. The new 5-year deal was completed approximately three hours before the deadline, and once the deal expires on December 1st 2021 the MLB will have seen uninterrupted labor without lockouts or strikes for 27 straight years, far longer than the NBA or NFL as they both had recent lockouts. 
As seen in the graph above the MLB has seen a steady increase in revenue since 1995, and is expected to reach an all time high in 2016. This revenue is due to an increase in demand in not only the playing of baseball, but also the branding of the game itself. It seems every fan now wants to get their favorite player's jersey, especially now with young phenom players such as Bryce Harper and Mike Trout who are especially popular. Baseball has also seen an increase in younger players as a result to the lower opportunity cost of baseball in terms of safety. As the number of concussions in football continues to increase, parents are looking for different sports for their children to play, one of these would be baseball, and the younger demographic has definitely lead to an increase in baseball’s popularity. 
As seen in the chart above although the number of concussions in football is decreasing, it is still much higher than other sports including baseball. Baseball is actually second lowest on the list. This is causing parents to see that baseball has a lower opportunity cost in terms of safety than other sports, which is leading to its increase in popularity.
Works Cited:
"Breaking Down the MLB's New Collective Bargaining Agreement." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 05 Dec. 2016.
"Football Not Only Sport Facing Concussion Issues - WOUB Digital." WOUB Digital. N.p., 29 Sept. 2015. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
"Major League Baseball Sees Record Revenue." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2016.
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