The Oswegonian

The Independent Student Newspaper of Oswego State

DATE

Nov. 5, 2024

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Option to unionize beneficial to minor league baseball

Minor league baseball players finally get the positive development they have been waiting for, the ability to unionize.

For years, players on minor league teams have been given the short straw, being left to fend for themselves. With low wages, some are forced to have to get second jobs in the offseason in order to get by, not to mention very little access to necessary equipment to help them improve and stay healthy.

But they do it because they love the game, they should not need any extra help in order to still have the motivation to play, right? That is the mindset many owners have when it comes to their young talent, unless it is one of their top draft picks, then they may care a little more.

Getting help from the MLB Players Association (MLBPA) is a huge step for minor leaguers as they will receive more benefits and a way for them to be paid more fairly instead of living paycheck to paycheck or having to get a second job. 

This is great to hear because I have been to many minor league baseball games and I think the talent that is shown there deserves more respect and recognition from fans and ownership. I think a lot of fans already agree that minor league players deserve to be recognized by the owners of each franchise, in order to see what those players go through every year.

Many players live off of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches because they are cheap and easy to make. The MLBPA may be able to help minor leaguers get better resources when it comes to food on top of the possibility of higher wages.

The biggest problem that minor leaguers faced was housing. Many players had to live in hotels or had to try and rent a cheap apartment. It is difficult for minor leaguers to pay for housing because of how little they make in a season. Also, because they could get moved up or down in the minor league system at any moment and have to move to an entirely new city. 

Luckily, earlier this year, he MLB agreed to help provide housing for minor league players. It is yet to be seen what that means for the players, as well as how far the MLB will be willing to go to help the players who are struggling.

I think that the MLBPA working with minor league players will be great for the sport of baseball. It could help to bring out more talent from each of the players, as they will have more resources to work with, instead of scrambling to find scraps. This will bring out a more exciting product on the field as well, which I am sure owners love to hear. This will reignite the motivation within each player to continue their journey, instead of stopping because they can no longer afford to keep playing year in and year out. 

I am very excited to see what the future holds for minor league players as the MLBPA starts to represent them going forward.

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