There was a time when baseball represented a potential light at the end of a tunnel. The country was knee-deep in adversity the likes of which we haven’t seen in decades. Life was paused amid a brutal pandemic, unemployment skyrocketed.
Yet, baseball appeared to be on the horizon. America’s pastime was going to give people their first desperately needed sense of normalcy.
It feels like that dream occurred decades ago. In the time since, all those positive thoughts and hopes have been destroyed by an ongoing, disastrous money dispute between MLB and the players union.
And whose fault is it? Who’s to blame for the mess we’ve watched unfold over the past month?
The players, obviously.
At least, that’s what league owners are selling you.
Casey Drottar is an Cleveland Indians writer for Sports Illustrated. Subscribe to his podcast, or follow him on Twitter and Facebook