As Spring Training shortly arrives, a shortened season is expected as a deal cannot be met between the owners and the Major League Baseball Players Association, which represents the players in order to get collective bargaining between all players. The MLBPA proposes rules that are unreasonable to the owners, who have much control over the teams and the league.
Starting December 2, 2021, the MLB entered a full-on lockout, which was the first one since 1994. The 1994 World Series was canceled because of this, but the league had enjoyed almost 30 years of labor peace before this lockout started. This lockout started because the prior agreement ended, and the two could not agree on fair rules for the league. Since then, there has been no progress to get baseball back.
The opposing parties want a variety of different things. One of the main MLBPA’s demands is to get a minimum league salary to have pay be fairer for all. The owners disagree. On the other hand, the owners want an expanded postseason, likely because this means more viewers, which ultimately means more money. The MLBPA does not see a problem with how it is now, and they disagree.

Within reason, Rob Manfred, the league’s commissioner, has received lots of hate recently. As the commissioner, Manfred makes the ultimate decisions, and after his cancellation of the first two series of the regular season due to the lockout, fans expressed their anger. Neither the players nor the league want to lose money, which is a large part of the disagreements. When Coach Collins, the Head Baseball Coach at Wheeler High School, was asked about how he felt about the lockout, he explained, “I think the owners make too much money and that the players make too much money. Ticket and merchandise prices are too high and should be lowered. Minor League players should make more. The league is too top heavy and both sides are spoiled.” Like Mr. Collins, many fans believe all the league cares about is money, and that is why this lockout is occurring.
Drew Marshall(11) believes the lockout is stupid and sucks for all baseball fans. This is a common perspective about the lockout as all fans are ready for baseball and do not want something this stupid to get in the way.

With the season coming up, many fans are getting anxious about when it will begin and a deal will be made. Although nobody can predict when the lockout will end, many believe it will be a while, as no progress is being made right now to get baseball back. Curtis Huffman(12) says he predicts the MLB lockout will end in roughly three weeks, around the end of March. As of now, Opening Day is set for April 7th, which is creeping up on the league fast. If problems are not resolved shortly, more games and series will be canceled, which is the reality of this lockout. Another senior at Wheeler High School, Mauri Duran, believes it will be at least
2 more weeks before the lockout concludes. He believes the owners are stubborn to get what they want, and two weeks is the bare minimum until a deal is reached. Although nobody knows the exact timeline of when this lockout will end, there is one thing that everybody knows, and that is that we all want baseball back soon.