How has the MLB been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and when is it likely to return?

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Major sporting events across the world continue to be either postponed or cancelled entirely as the spread of the coronavirus continues – this shows no signs of slowing down either as many countries find themselves extending lockdown measures to prevent the spread. There are some signs of change within the US, however, as many states begin to ease some restrictions in an effort to get the economy kick started once again – and sporting events are at the top of that list.

The MLB season was set to begin on March 26th but as the lockdown effects were still widely in place, the players and owners had come to an agreement the following day on how salary and service time agreements would be handled in light of the postponements. As it stands, the entire season is currently on hold as options are being explored in to ways to get things started again, early hopes were games without any fans in attendance but as players would still be required to come together alongside the larger number of staff required – groundskeepers, broadcast teams, health and safety teams etc, the risk was considered to be too high. The latest efforts being put forward could see the MLB head to Japan.

With fears the season may not get underway at all, Japan seems like a bit of a crazy idea, however with current circumstances a crazy idea may be just what is needed to get things going again – the idea is that the Japanese league games would be played during the evening and that the major league games would be played during the day. If this was to go ahead, however, it would cause some viewing conflicts for fans – the time difference between the US and Japan is upwards of 12 hours meaning US viewers would need to wait until the very early hours of the morning to watch.

It may not be the most viable plan, and the players and teams would all need to agree on it – but it is a plan being floated in an effort to save the season. Some good news for fans in one aspect, however, is that although casino gambling within Japan is illegal, sports betting and fantasy leagues are allowed and as such if that’s a big passion behind MLB for you that option would still be available if things were to move overseas. As Japan had recently entered a state of emergency and extended the delay of their own baseball league, the Nippon league, until May 9th, this is looking more of an unlikely scenario however.

Another option being floated was to split the league – the Cactus and Grapefruit league, as the teams would be split evenly depending on where their training facilities were located. This doesn’t completely revive the season, but would offer an option for players to get out on the field, the team owners to recover some of the costs lost by a cancelled season, and for fans to have a welcome distraction. 

Of course, the MLB isn’t just a league that is watched in the US itself, but worldwide. The sport has grown in popularity in the UK particularly, especially after the BBC secured the streaming rights to the London Series. And what it brings to the UK economy isn’t just viewers – it’s the vertical industries too. From the companies that stream the live events, to the betting sites that offer markets, right through to the late night pubs and bars who show the games – the economic benefit is vital. Perhaps none more so than the second on that list – betting on the events. More and more UK bookies are offering an increased number of markets on the events, in an attempt to compete with their US counterparts – and with that comes increased revenues. In a country where this activity is prominent, adding new events and a change of scenery for regular punters is a must – the MLB ticks those boxes.

But in order to get back to this stage, we first need the event itself back. One step currently being taken is for testing amongst the players – 27 of the 30 teams have signed up to take part in a huge study that will conduct antibody tests – these tests allow researchers to see if an individual has had the virus and if they had the antibodies that come as our immune system fights the disease. A big roster of clear testing could be the spell needed for a return to a regular schedule, however this may still be some time away.

With whatever happens; however, the situation is still very much developing and any changes put forward could be tentative – the spread of the coronavirus within the US is still very dangerous as the country is now the worst hit globally – although government advice suggests they will aid in the re-opening of states and many would like to see things get back on track, erring on the side of caution may be the best route in order to ensure the safety of not only the players and all the staff within the roster, but also the fans who would like to attend – trying to push for things to start too early may be the defining factor in which causes the season to be cancelled entirely.