MLB deeply in debt
Nobody was expecting for 2020 to turn out the way it did. The COVID-19 pandemic has hurt businesses in a variety of different industries, with professional sports being no exception. Sports leagues were forced to suspend play and later resume games with no fans in attendance, driving down revenue across the board.
With the shortened 2020 Major League Baseball season ending on Tuesday evening, commissioner Rob Manfred highlighted just how much the league and its teams have been hurt by the pandemic in a recent interview with Sportico.
“We are going to be at historic high levels of debt,” Manfred told Sportico. “And it’s going to be difficult for the industry to weather another year where we don’t have fans in the ballpark and have other limitations on how much we can’t play and how we can play.”
According to the commissioner, the total amassed debt between the 30 clubs sits at 8.3 billion. With no fans able to attend ball games, it was almost impossible for teams to bring in any revenue aside from television or radio rights.
“The economic losses [this season] have been devastating for the industry,” Manfred continued. “You’re seeing the ramifications of that in terms of decisions clubs are making with respect to [laying off] baseball operations and business employees. I mean, you’ve never seen those type of decisions, at least since I’ve been around.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers bested the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in game six of the World Series to claim the most prestigious prize in the game for the first time since 1988. The Dodgers had the best regular season record as well, finishing the campaign 43-17 before going on to take out the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves on the way to their World Series victory.
MLB is hoping to be able to start their regular season on time next year in March or April, but it remains to be seen what the situation will look like regarding the pandemic and if fans will be allowed into stadiums again. The league shortened its season from 162 games to just 60 this year and it will be interesting to see whether they decide to take a similar approach going forward. Spring training would have to take place in February to ensure players are ready and in-shape for the start of the campaign.
The only Canadian team in the entire MLB was forced to play their games in the United States with the federal government refusing to allow them to play at home. The Toronto Blue Jays re-located to Buffalo for the 2020 campaign as they were not able to travel home given the current restrictions in place. While both the players and the club would prefer to return to playing games in Toronto come 2021, the border between Canada and the United States remains closed.
MLB also expanded its playoff format this season to include a total of eight clubs in both the American League and National League. While no official announcement has been made yet, it is a format that could be sticking around for the time being.
