Preserving the national pastime : recommendations for major league baseball's next collective bargaining agreement : an honors thesis (HONRS 499)

Abstract

After the longest work stoppage in the history of Major League Baseball only four years ago, baseball is in a delicate situation as it closes in on the end of its current collective bargaining agreement. Baseball has some issues to work through to ensure that it remains the national pastime because any type of labor strife in the next couple of years could possibly ruin the game forever.As a fan and hopefully a future employee of this great game, I am very concerned about the health of baseball. Many people have already written if off as they suggest the sport is headed for disaster. Although I disagree with these sentiments, I do think baseball needs to analyze its current state and make some changes.With that said, this paper attempts to analyze the state of baseball, identify its problem areas, and offer some recommendations for the next collective bargaining agreement. It will answer the following questions:Is baseball in as bad of a situation as many make it out to be?What is wrong with baseball?What can be done to fix these problems?