Monday, February 21, 2022

We are witnessing class warfare between billionaires and millionaires

Today, across Florida and Arizona - places of fire ants, sinkholes and nut jobs - where towns drain their coffers to build ballparks for wealthy team owners, nothing is happening. 

This should be the time when we decry the wisdom of trading for a LF who hits .200, or the lack of a shortstop, catcher and centerfielder. This should be a week of hope, when some phenom strikes out our best slugger, or a rookie homers off the ace. 

This is supposed to signify the end of winter and the start of something new. 

Instead, we are watching MLB's War on Fans. 

I blame the owners, mostly - billionaires, wealthy beyond our imaginations, who will never in their lives take a fastball to the elbow. In a truly free market - the kind they claim to favor - they would face unregulated bidding on players. To limit their own spending, they have installed a subversive system of luxury taxes.

If they love taxes so much, why don't these kings of capitalism eliminate the tax breaks they receive from host cities across the country?

It's time for Congress to revoke baseball's antitrust exemption, which has been on the books since the 1922 U.S. Supreme Court ruled - laughingly, by today's standards - that baseball games were local events, rather than a form of interstate commerce. That exemption - which the NFL, NBA and NHL all lack - allows baseball to escape lawsuits from players, cities and fans. 

This needs to become a political issue in America. 

And fans need to be heard.

5 comments:

JM said...

To hell with Hal.

DickAllen said...


Fuck these people. They think they own the game.

Fastball to the ribs.

Amen.

Publius said...

Agree about revocation of the anti trust agreement. And all for a lobbying Bezos, Musk, Gates, whoever, choose your gazillionaire (one of them must like baseball) to bankroll the United States Baseball League.

AboveAverage said...

Why a fastball to the RIBS when the MELON is an available alternative? Come one now - Let's Get It Done!*


* LETS GET IT DONE!

The Hammer of God said...

I agree, mostly the billionaire owners screwing the millionaire players and the pedestrian fans. I'm for whatever it takes to kick the owners in the ass and get the game back.

Did y'all see the article about Goose Gossage today? Goose said he wants to punch Rob Manfred in the face and throw Cashman in the trash can! Everything we've been saying on this here blog for a long time!

The Hammer of God