By Jake Rader
With the recent news that Rob Manfred is not confident that we will have baseball this year, many fans like me are dismayed. On top of that, there is a large faction of NBA players who disapprove returning to play due to various concerns. But yet, the league with players making far less than the MLB and NBA, is going to have no problem returning to the ice in the NHL.
The fact that there has been no uproar from NHL players is intriguing to say the least. The playoff bracket is less than the ideal, as unless you have a first round bye you will be subjected to a five game series. A five game series is not optimal, as teams who would have had no business being in the Stanley Cup playoffs, now have a better chance to make it out of the first round.
This notion holds true as in Hockey anything can happen. The highest paid players in the NHL make around what some NBA bench players have as salaries. Not to mention that in my opinion the NHL return to play plan is the worst among these 3 major sports leagues. But yet they are eager to come back and play, unlike factions of players in the NBA, and MLB.
In the MLB it is widely reported that the owners are being unreasonable, and trying to undercompensate players. For example, if you make 37 million a year, you will now probably make around 7 to 8 million. Look is that bullshit? Sure, But I have a tough time feeling any sympathy for anyone who is set to make millions of dollars in any occupation. Not to mention that it is widely reported that the MLB will be losing 600,000 dollars for every game that is played without fans. That is a shit ton of money, as players in the NHL are going to be coming back to play for chump change. The MLB is already a dying brand as it is, as the NBA has already passed baseball as the number two sport in america. Their social media presence is lackluster to say the least, and without a season of content the disconnect between baseball and the younger generation will grow further and further apart. The players need to realize that for the sake of the game, take a pay cut like every other business in America is doing.
The NBA is a much more complicated situation. A season will happen, but there are players who are causing an uproar about returning. Guys like Kyrie Irving are calling for his fellow players to boycott the season due the issue of systemic racism. The Black Lives Matter movement is something that definitely deserves attention, and since the death of George Floyd it has been at the forefront of american society. So that is why I believe that NBA players should return to play, and use their platform to incite change. If Kyrie Irving and other players want to take a stand against racism, why not come back and play? The NBA is a perfect platform to get your message across, and now more than others we need help unite this nation. Sports brings people together whether you are black, white or yellow. Sitting out due to racism is understandable don’t get me wrong, but it will only further the divide in our nation.
The NBA and MLB players need to take a page out of the NHL’s playbook. Whether it’s issues of greed, or systemic racism, players should come back because now more than ever, we need sports in this country.
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