Nathalie Phan-Clifford

I think we can all agree on one thing: Baseball is a sport like no other.

There are 17 NFL games per season. 82 NBA games per season. In baseball, MLB players must endure a season that lasts 162 games. That's many nights away where they're not having dinner with their families, missing out on their kids' dance recitals and soccer matches, and traveling all over the country away from their beds at home.

When Justin Verlander (who played 21 seasons) retired, he teared up talking about how he had to sacrifice many important moments with his wife and kids. Being a husband and a father had to take a backseat to his career as a baseball player.

Yes, players are paid well for it——they are millionaires——but some of those moments are priceless, and their sacrifices benefit us——the fans——and it puts money in the pockets of 30 billionaire club owners.

Who pays for all of this? We do. At Daikin Park, my home stadium, we pay almost $17 for beer. $10 hot dogs most nights. $50 nosebleed tickets. For a family of four, that's a nearly $300 outing. Meanwhile, fans at home have to endure infuriating blackouts during the entire season and during the post-season, they have to subscribe to a number of different streaming services and cable packages just to watch their favorite sport. (Don't even get me started on the endless sports betting ads + erectile disfunction commercials that have been plaguing the MLB lately.) 

There's an argument to get rid of salary deferments and I can get on board with that. But if these billionaire club owners complain about the unfairness of the smaller market teams not being able to compete, I would beg them to look at the Mets. They have been in the top 3 payrolls in all of Major League Baseball for the last SIX seasons, have not been to the World Series since 2015, and haven't won a title since 1986. This season, they were 74-88 and finished dead last in their division. Money doesn't always make you competitive.

I would also beg them to look at the current teams appearing in the 2026 World Series: the Brewers (#19 in payroll) and the Rays (#28). Both mid- to small-market teams that have overcome even the recent Dodgers dynasty (#2).

Last, but most importantly, a salary cap does not at all affect fan experience. It does not mean club owners will lower prices at concession stands or improve the fan experience. It does not mean they will get rid of unnecessary blackouts for viewers at home. It does nothing to attract new fans to the sport or guarantee that owners will do more to welcome them to the stadium.

These baseball owners are looking for a handout! They want to implement a salary cap at the expense of baseball players who have already given up so much of their lives to entertain us so that we can spend time with our families. If they were really interested in getting more fans to games to pay for a more competitive team, they need to invest in it like any other business. They need to make it easier to be a baseball fan by lifting blackout rules. They need to make it much more affordable to attend games. They need to fill those seats! And if all else fails, sell their teams or move them to markets that actually want Major League Baseball!

Don't let the owners ruin the sport! Say no to the salary cap!