Will you come back to the game with the same enthusiasm? Will you feel betrayed and stay away. Will you transfer you allegience to a local minor league team?
I will feel betrayed. I take no sides in the disagreement, as I feel they are both insane. But I feel that stiking will shoot themselves in the foot. I may continue to watch the games on TV, but I think I will stay away from the stadium. I’d go to minor league games if there was a team close by.
I’ll be disappointed if the season goes down the toilet, but I’ll be right back next year. It’s a great game, and I’ll follow it through my own softball teams, local little league teams, minor league teams, and all the way up to the major leagues.
I’m not emotionally invested in it. Personally, I’m with the players in this dispute. The owners have backed them into a corner. I don’t attend many games, but I’ll shell out my 20 bucks 3-4 times a year. It’s worth it to me.
But, let them sort it out. If they strike, well, it sucks that I won’t be following the pennant races this year, but they are far down on my list of priorities. I’m rambling. If it happens, well, it kind of sucks, see you next year. I won’t lose any sleep over it. Hopefully they’ll work it out and they’ll provide me with some entertainment come september and october. Tomorrow I will enjoy the all-star game.
To address your questions more directly… I won’t feel betrayed. They have to do what they have to do. I also don’t feel they are both insane. They’re both trying to address problems with the game. The owners are jackasses. The players are lesser jackasses. I’ll not let their disputes affect me too much. And I think there will not be strike… The owners will cave as they usually do. They have a lot more to lose than the players right now.
While they’re on strike, I’ll be watching baseball. Lots of amateur and minor league ball to watch, and of course, there’s my own league. The major leagues are a small part of baseball.
I’ll be in the back yard with my kids, getting ready for the fall league.
Remember, they did strike in 1994, and I remember folks saying that it would be the end of baseball, fans wouldn’t come back, etc. But everything seems to have come back just fine (well until now).
I would boycott, and it would kill me, because I love baseball. Barry Bonds, upon being asked if he thought fans could relate to the troubles of a player making $2.4 million a year, replied, “It’s not my fault you don’t play baseball.” Well, I guess it’s not, but that sort of attitude really grates on me. Pity poor Daryle Ward – a middle-tier player – who has to feed his children on $400,000/year.
Yeah, the owners are filthy crusty cheating turds. I hope they cave, because I side with the players on this. However, neither of them seem to care about what the fans think. So why should I care about baseball? I’ll still have my son’s games to watch. And the grand or so I spend at ballparks throughout the summer can be spent elsewhere.
I’ve got one of the best minor league parks in the country a few miles away. I haven’t been or watched a major league game in a long time. I will feel no remorse nor will I be saddened to see those ego-inflated assholes lose their jobs.
The only people I will feel sorry for are the little people employed by the majors. The grounds crews, the concession workers, etc. They’re the ones who’ll get hurt.
I’ll be desperately praying that I’m in first place in my roto-league when play stops. I’m this close!
I’ll be keeping a vigil hoping that all those poor cash strapped players and owners can settle their differences.
I am a pretty big fan of the game. I will be slightly pissed if they strike. Obviously I do not understand the economics of baseball. I can’t believe people pay what they pay for tickets. I see only a couple of games in the park a year. I am not crazy about the prices they charge but there are cheap tickets to be had. On certain nights, I think the Astros have seats available for under $5.00. When I do attend, I love it. I just find it hard to talk myself into fighting traffic, parking, etc. It is so much easier to see them on cable and listen to them on the radio…which I love.
The main reason I will be pissed is for whatever reason, I think the players should recognize that we are at a unique juncture in our nation’s history. This game is soooo traditional and imho, tied to the mood of the nation. With all of the other madness that goes on these days, it would be nice to escape all of the serious issues for an afternoon of baseball. I like the tradition behind baseball but I know that bank accounts are not filled with nostalgia. I hate thinking about the business end of baseball.
As for sides, I have no idea which side is right. I think both sides are pretty ruthless. I have heard the player’s union is the strongest union in the nation. Someone said that if there was no strike, that the owners would lock-out next fall.
I think it would be good if they could figure out how to help some of the clubs like the Pirates, and the Expos. It does not seem fair that the Yankees can spend what they spend. But, I speak of issues I do not fully understand. To sum up…if they strike, I will remain a fan and when they play again, I will be there.
Why SHOULDN’T Barry Bonds be an arrogant, nonchalant jerk? He’s RIGHT- fans are idiots, and they’ll be back, eager to shower him with more money.
Well, attendance was way, way down when they came back in 1995 (after the first two weeks of the season were cancelled). The game enjoyed a popularity spike in 1998 when McGwire and Sosa had their home run chases, but I think attendance for many of the teams (especially the smaller-market ones) has been going downhill. I think the sport was saved from oblivion by some individual performances, but all they really did was prop it up temporarily.
People will come. People will most certainly come. But there will be fewer of them. What’ll happen is resentful fans will be more reluctanct to go to games. Big companies will see more empty seats and will either demand lower ad rates for TV/radio or not sponsor at all.
I’ll still watch it, but I hardly ever go to games anymore.
On the other hand, if next season MLB decides not to contract the Expos and instead moves them to Washington, I’ll be a major hypocrite and go see them. So the fact that there’s no baseball in this town right now colors my opinion a little.
Can’t help it, though. I think both parties are spoiled brats and deserve an ass-kicking, but I really enjoy the game. Darnit.