It's no secret that the game of baseball is in danger of being forgotten. Falling attendance, falling ratings. It's all culminating to a perfect storm of being left in the dust. The coronavirus hasn't made things better, leaving baseball without two full months of a full season.
Even sports writers are worried there won't be a season. With MLBPA pushing back against possible pay cuts and wanting a longer season, it seems that there will no baseball this year with each passing day.
What's worse is that the current CBA runs through 2021. If the owners and MLBPA can't agree to a shortened season, what makes you think they'll agree to a new bargaining agreement? There are also many underlying issues involving the arbitration system and the luxury tax that will be magnified when negotiations resume. Also, imagine if MLB has two of three years without a full season, or even a season. This will hurt attendance even more along with the television deals that all teams have. That will be something that baseball will never be able to recover from.
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We got British soccer... err, football! With the Premier League set to restart on June 17, Brits and Europeans alike can get their international football mix while North Americans can wake up to sports (yay!). Here are some story lines to watch for when the season restarts.
With the NHL setting a return format and the NBA getting a date pinned down and their season restarted, the pressure now lies on MLB to get their season going. MLB owners have sent a proposal that the player's union hasn't budged on... yet.
The problem with this is that baseball players aren't going to take another cut. In fact, the MLBPA is pushing for more games along with the pay cuts out. Will the owners accept? Personally, I don't think it will happen. The skepticism also grows by the day. The MLB owners will never budge on giving the players more money and the players will never budge on what they're asking for, even if it comes at the cost of the season. Unfortunately, this will put a damper on the hopes of growing the game of baseball. With the Astros cheating scandal taking over sports headlines and the steroid era still having its lingering effects, this current predicament will not do MLB any justice. It will neglect fans who are forced to deal with rising ticket prices and hurt any chance of bringing new fans in. If baseball is to grow for the near future, it needs a compromise to come in as soon as possible. Unfortunately, both sides plan on trying to get what they want, with the fans being left in the cold. Are you down for a ham jam? Then check out today's Nostalgia Game Review of Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite! Released for the Game Boy Color on April 21, 2001, Hamtaro is an adventure game based on the popular anime. Hamtaro was developed by Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo.
The goal of Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite is simple: Gather all the ham-hams that have wandered off! You collect sunflower seeds and acorns on the way, which you can use as a type of currency. You also learn various words from the hamster language, which... is interesting. You can participate in "ham jams", which use the expressions from these words. You can have so much fun with these ham jams! You can also dress up Hamtaro in various outfits, ranging from a baseball uniform to a kimono. AWW, HOW ADORABLE! Surprisingly, there are no boss fights in this game. That's not a bad thing since you have objectives that you have to complete in order to move on. Think of Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite as a bit of a puzzle. How will you crack this puzzle? Who do you need to talk to? There's also numerous modes that you can partake in. You can create an aforementioned "ham jam", you can trade your outfits with your friends, or you can just go on an adventure. There's plenty for you to do in this game. Hamtaro: Ham-Hams Unite is a cute game that's simple and enticing to play. Do one thing! Get... This game! Boy, do I miss Robin Williams and his exuberant personality. His performances in movies like Aladdin and Mrs. Doubtfire were legendary. But he was much more than a movie star. This picture below shows the unique character that is Robin Williams. This is certainly a pick-me-up during this pandemic. R.I.P. to a legend.
With the coronavirus putting everyone and everything on halt (it goes without saying), every sports league has been itching to get back. They've been patient while concocting ways to get back to action. The NHL may be the first major sports league in North America to get back to action with their 24-team playoff format to finish the 2019-2020 season.
I don't mind the format at all. Yes, there are teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins that don't want to see Carey Price in a shortened series. However, I'm just glad that there are sports back in some capacity. Plus, the NHL has always been known for exciting playoff hockey. The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup as an 8th seed in 2012. I'm just glad there will be hockey soon. Now, about the NHL Draft... I don't know if I did a blog post on the "Artist Formerly Known As". However, I don't care if I did. Prince deserves another (R.I.P.). Here's a list of my favorite songs from Prince.
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics were postponed because of the coronavirus, but this isn't the first time the Olympics didn't happen as scheduled. The 1940 Olympics in Helsinki, Finland, were cancelled because of World War II. So what would happen if the Olympics wouldn't happen at all? Why wouldn't this be a bad thing?
The Olympics can be such a financial burden, especially after they happen. Look at sites like Athens and Rio de Janeiro. They had Olympic swimming pools and tracks abandoned after hosting the Olympics. Granted, there are some cities such as Sydney and Montreal that know how to repurpose these stadiums and venues. Even Japan's building a new stadium to go over its previous Olympic venue. But not every host city has the planning or infrastructure to do so. Like everything else in the world, the price tag of having these Olympics hosted has gone up. The Beijing Olympics cost $40 billion, while the Sochi Olympics cost roughly $51 billion. The Olympics have become a billion-dollar event that has left some cities unable to recover from the bill. It may stink not having the Olympics next year if it comes to that. After all, we seldom have any sports going on aside from UFC and NASCAR. But if the Olympics are cancelled, maybe that's not a bad thing despite wasting a chance to have this guy as your Olympic ambassador (Kamehame-Sad). Jacksonville. Having some of their home games in London, middling attendance (63,085 per home game for Jacksonville, 22nd in the NFL), and a non-competitive team has Jacksonville on the verge of moving.
It isn't really ownership's fault, either. Shahid Khan has been a positive figure in the NFL and has even started up a successful pro wrestling business in Jacksonville. Khan has given back to Florida by donating $1 million to coronavirus relief in the state. But it seems Jacksonville and the NFL aren't a good fit. That's sad considering that Jacksonville is the largest city in Florida. Will there be no more DUUUUUUUVAL's in the future? There's no doubt that the coronavirus has turned the world upside down. Even professional sports leagues have shuttered for the time being because of COVID-19. How has this affected me?
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January 2021
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