Selig, Fehr Disagree on Solugion'x to Baseball's Problems

Selig, Fehr Disagree on Solutions to Baseball's Problems

In separate interviews, gulf is wide

Washington, July 14, 2000 -- Major League Baseball appears to be heating up for another major league labor dispute. On NBC’s "Meet The Press", Tim Russert, interviewed Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig and Major League Baseball Players' Association Executive Director Donald Fehr and it is apparent from that interview that there are many issues that have to be resolved when the next collective agreement is negotiated between MLB and the MLBPA. At this moment the prevalent problem is, that Selig and Fehr do not agree upon possible solutions to the issues, which currently affect MLB.

According to Selig, a major problem with MLB is the ever-increasing disparity between the teams. Selig believes that the disparity between the teams have and will continue to increase to the point where teams from smaller markets will not be able to compete with teams from the larger markets. This can result in fewer teams and a lack of fan support, since people from smaller markets would not believe their team has a realistic chance of being successful throughout the season. According to Selig, this disparity issue can be addressed by increased revenue sharing and salary restraint, which will fundamentally change the business of professional baseball.

Fehr, on the other hand, believes that any discussions of a salary cap or salary restraint is unnecessary to cure any of the problems which MLB currently faces. One reason for Fehr’s hard-line stance against salary caps or salary restraint is that there is no historical precedent for it.

If there is a bright spot right now, it is that Selig seems willing to do anything to alleviate the disparity problem between the large and small market teams, and has accepted the findings of a blue-ribbon commission. [click here] In addition, Fehr seems open to discussions and willing to work out the disparity issue if the focus will not be solely based on the issue of a salary cap or salary restraint. However, in the long run alternative solutions to the salary cap such as moving teams from one market to another or franchise contraction, which is the equivalent to having a team fold may end up being just as unpopular to the MLBPA as a salary cap.

Douglas Brown