CBA 2026

[heyzeus]

As long as sports gambling remains legal, it's only going to get more insidiously integrated into all sports. The owners just want their money. It doesn't matter if the ad revenue is from Coca Cola or MGM's online sports book. The synergies are so strong. The overlap of live sports viewer and live sports gambler is considerable. Sure, innumerable lives are in the process of ruination because of it, but that's why our robust system of law requires the gambling addiction hotline number to appear for a second in 5 pt font at the end of the ad.


And not even just sports. Wait til the next Oscars/Grammy's/etc have the Bet365 moneylines scrolling on the bottom, with a discount code for $5 in free bets if you log in today.

Wait til it's the nightly news. We already see insiders betting handsomely on "predictive trading" makrets on world events that they themselves help shape!

[ghostrunner]

It's hard to buy anything from the owners without seeing their books.

I'm inclined to think Tampa Bay for instance could have hard time meeting that payroll every year. They had average attendance of ~17,000 in 2023, their sixth successful year in a row. If that's the best they can do, I'm inclined to think there just shouldn't be a team there. And yet they stay, which makes no sense to me. If they can stay and make it work, how are they suffering and how seriously can you take small market complaints?

[mikechamp]

Weren't the Rays sold within the last 9 months for over $1B?

Somebody thinks they can make it work there.

[st.lewis11]

I remembered reading somewhere, the Rays stadium itself apparently in a horrible location for people trying to drive to a game.

Here's a bit I just googled, pasted below.....

Separation by Water:
The stadium is located on the St. Petersburg peninsula, separated from the heavily populated Tampa and northern suburbs by the large expanse of Tampa Bay, making the commute incredibly difficult.Lack of Mass Transit: There is no efficient, rapid public transportation system connecting Tampa to St. Petersburg, forcing fans to rely on driving across heavily trafficked bridges (like the Gandy or Howard Frankland bridges).Rush Hour Traffic: Weekday evening games coincide with rush hour, resulting in arduous 45 to 60+ minute drives for the majority of the metro area's population.

Lack of Mass Transit:
There is no efficient, rapid public transportation system connecting Tampa to St. Petersburg, forcing fans to rely on driving across heavily trafficked bridges (like the Gandy or Howard Frankland bridges).

Rush Hour Traffic:
Weekday evening games coincide with rush hour, resulting in arduous 45 to 60+ minute drives for the majority of the metro area's population.

Broader Context:
Fans and analysts constantly point to this geographic disconnect as a primary reason the Rays consistently rank near the bottom of MLB in attendance, despite fielding highly competitive teams.The situation recently became more complicated. After plans for a new Gas Plant District stadium near the Trop fell through and were canceled, and the original Tropicana Field suffered severe roof damage from Hurricane Milton, the team was displaced for an extended period. Repairs were eventually completed, and the team returned to the Trop, but ownership is actively continuing regional searches for a more accessible, long-term home.

[Popeye_Card]

That insinuates that most of the fans would have to drive from Tampa. St. Pete itself is still a city of over 250k. The drive from Tampa is not that much different than getting from the outer StL burbs to downtown.

Domes suck to watch baseball in, and outdoor stadiums in the Florida humidity would suck all summer. I don’t know if it will ever be a big draw to attend games in Florida.

[dmarx114]

The players will cave. Just a matter of when.

Looking forward to finally having a salary cap.

[CardsofSTL]

The players will cave. Just a matter of when.

Looking forward to finally having a salary cap.

I don't care about the cap.

How come no one mentions a ticket price cap?

[Popeye_Card]

Not to mention the hot dog cap.

[Fan_In_NY]

Neither the owners nor the players will give up $1 to benefit the fans. They both have their own interests and its to maximize money and usually in the short-term.
The owners want the cost certainty of the salary cap to make them even more attractive to our private equity overlords which will eventually own everything. Also locking in the revenue share between the owners and players will then allow the owners to figure out how to maximize revenue outside of that shared bucket.

For the record, I'm in favor of salary floor + lux tax. Force teams to pay $$ and allow teams that want to keep spending to spend. Nationalize the TV deals. I just don't see how the owners agree to all of those items.

[jagtrader]

A salary floor might cost DeWitt a beach house.