The Position of Power - Professional Male Athletes
Often I see articles centered around the plight of female athletes whether at the professional, semi-professional, or college level. However, I find less content centered around the professional male athlete and how their position of power, when not used in advocacy, is one of the biggest detriments to female athletes. Professional male athletes, in North America, who are currently playing have never been without a union. However, many female athletes who are currently playing have only recently had the luxury of union support and bargaining in a position of power.
A Tale of Two Leagues
When people discuss sports, they often default to leagues where men are playing. The ingrained viewpoint is that sports are inherently male.
Do we really need to try to follow what these leagues are doing? Do they actually set the end-all-be-all goal for other sports leagues?
I do not believe they do and comparing or aspiring to be like them might lead us into the same problems they are currently dealing with publicly.
MLB Lockout 2021: It’s a Monopsony
When the league locked out the players on December 2nd, 2021, they yet again showed they had the power and they wanted to wield it. Under the National Labor Relations Act, the league (employer) has to bargain in “good faith with employees' union representative.” It does not seem the MLB is bargaining in good faith and could be in violated of the NLRA. Section 8(a)(5) of the Act makes it an unfair labor practice for an employer "to refuse to bargain collectively with the representatives of its employees.”
Day 5 & 6 of the MLB Lockout 2021
Despite the gains the MLB Players had made through unionization, there were still inequities to resolve. In 1972, baseball player Curt Flood unsuccessfully challenged the reserve clause, which bound players to the same team for life or until the club released them, in court going all the way to The United States Supreme Court. Even though he did not receive the verdict he wanted, it brought the issue to the main stage.
Day 4 of the MLB Lockout 2021
There is essentially no new news for Day 4 of the MLB Lockout. It looks like this lockout could stretch into Spring Training and affect the 2022 season.
Day 3 of the MLB Lockout 2021
The players might enjoy the extra rest, but if these labor negotiations drag on without an agreement, then players might be physically affected by the lack of access to team facilities and rehab programs. Remember, that during a lockout players cannot be in contact with the team or league and are not allowed to access the facilities including trainers or physical therapists.
Day 2 of the MLB Lockout 2021
The current @MLB Collective Bargaining Agreement ended on Dec. 1, 2021 at 11.59 pm ET. This is the 9th labor stoppage in modern MLB history. A labor stoppage takes two forms - a strike and a lockout.