I love the new "minor league" MLB ban on ephedra.

[Taur]

The MLB has now banned Ephedra for all players in the minor leagues. All players currently on a major league team 40-man roster are not banned from taking this substance.


What is next? How about a ban on Anabolic Steroids for just the Bad players?

[Ksyrup]

The reason is simple. There's no union for minor leaguers. Major leaguers have to give permission through the union. If I recall, isn't there some kind of tobacco ban in the minors as well? Or maybe that was something they were just talking about doing. I don't know. I don't play in the minors!

[KWhit]

The union is a joke. Don't the owners and the union realize they are in the SAME business and should do what's best for baseball as a whole. I'm so tired of the animosity between them.

Of course, I'm fairly anti-union anyway...

[Ksyrup]

I'm not sure I see why something that is legal should be banned, frankly. Anything can be abused and cause harm. I don't see alcohol on the list of banned substances in any league.

An overweight, out of shape guy uses too much and kills himself, and that's a reason to ban it? Seems like an overreaction to me.

If Congress or the FDA want to get involved, then fine, that's a whole different matter. And who knows, the union may cave to pressure, and ultimately agree. But I don't think it's as easy an issue as everyone makes it out to be.

[sterlingice]

Of course, I'm fairly anti-union anyway...

I think unions provide a valuable service in real life even if the real unions are not like idealized unions. However, the baseball union is not a true union- they're not fighting for better working conditions or small standard of living conditions. They're just a bunch of overpaid arses whose leadership is more competent than that of a group who can't find their proverbial arse with two hands and a flashlight.

SI

[oykib]

I don't see why the players union always gets this sort of attitude. Theydo fight management for better working conditions and compensation. It's the exact same thing that all unions do.

The fact that the average major leaguer is making $2 million a year doesn't make it any different.

Who are you to tell some worker in another field that what they are getting paid is enough and to stop whining?

They help to generate a certain amount of revenue. They want their fair share of it. Their union is no different than any other that you might support. If it wasn't there, management would run roughshod over them, like what is happening in most non-union industries right now.

[sterlingice]

The fact that the average major leaguer is making $2 million a year doesn't make it any different.

Who are you to tell some worker in another field that what they are getting paid is enough and to stop whining?

They help to generate a certain amount of revenue. They want their fair share of it. Their union is no different than any other that you might support. If it wasn't there, management would run roughshod over them, like what is happening in most non-union industries right now.

A machinists in a union doesn't get a pay raise, he loses out on $1K out of $30K, lets say. That's worth a lot more than losing out on the same 3% lost to major leaguers. If a MLB player loses $100K from their $3M contract, his family doesn't suffer. But his insistence on getting that extra $100K is hurting the competitive balance of the product and thus ruining the product.

SI

[oykib]

Originally posted by sterlingice
A machinists in a union doesn't get a pay raise, he loses out on $1K out of $30K, lets say. That's worth a lot more than losing out on the same 3% lost to major leaguers. If a MLB player loses $100K from their $3M contract, his family doesn't suffer. But his insistence on getting that extra $100K is hurting the competitive balance of the product and thus ruining the product.

SI

Sure that hurts him more. But that doesn't change the general principle. If the major leaguer didn't ave union representation he'd still lose his 3%. Whether or not you or I think that he doesn't need that much money to live is irrelevant. His union is there to protect him.

I'm sure that someone thinks that machinists shouldn't be paid $30k.

As to the second point, I'm still waiting for some evidence. As far as I know MLB sets a new record for attendance and revenue almost every year.

And I think everyone can see that how they share revenue is much more important to balance among teams than player salaries.

[EagleFan]

Unions were created to prevent workers from being abused and not being able to make a living at what they do. Any professional sports union is so far from that reality that it can't even be considered in the same league as the union electrician or construction worker.

Unions generally all have a common bond. When unions at the casinos had problems there were other unions that would show up to boycott and stand there with them. Especially when the unions have some kind of ties to each other. The Players unions have never come forward when other unions involved in their sport such as umpires or other workers have been having trouble.