In the face of the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19) Pandemics, Major League Baseball has played 60 games shorter. There are voices complaining of financial damage everywhere. This time, Stuart Stonberg is the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays.
In an interview with the Tampa Bay Times, which was reported on the 9th (Korea time), Stonberg said that the 2020 season had “an unexpected loss during the baseball season.”
He did not mention the exact size, but claimed that “it was bigger than the loss he would have suffered if he had not played at all.” Commissioner Rob Manfred earlier claimed a league-wide loss of $3 billion. The Los Angeles Dodgers, which faced Tampa Bay and the World Series, reportedly suffered a loss of about $100 million.
All teams have been hit hard by the 60-game shortened season, but Tampa Bay has been hit head-on. The team, which had benefited from the profit sharing system, had to rely only on broadcasting rights without receiving a penny as the profit sharing system between teams collapsed in the 2020 season.
“It’s going to take about three to five years to get a clear understanding of ‘New Normal,’ Sternberg said, adding that the aftermath of the Corona 19 Pandemics will continue for years.
Even in this situation, he stressed that the race is “a family-like company” and “an organization that puts employees first.” Unlike other clubs that have been fired on a large scale, the team is operating without dismissal due to early temporary leave and salary cuts for high-paying employees.
In order for this problem to be resolved even a little bit, it is urgent to allow spectators to enter the 2021 season. Referring to the situation such as the distribution of vaccines, he was optimistic, saying, “In the summer, as many fans as possible will be able to enter our stadium, even if it is not the opening game.”
“Our team’s home game didn’t originally have over 10,000 spectators,” he said. Perhaps it is possible to operate a normal stadium (while maintaining distance).
Despite the difficult situation, the team that advanced to the World Series was highly praised. Not many of our team’s starters can get a chance to start from other teams. We are not a team of Hall of Fame or All-Star players,” he said, praising them for fighting well despite their inferiority in power. As for the controversial replacement of pitchers in Game 6 of the World Series, he said, “It’s really hard to lead the game in a 1-0 lead. “If we were leading 3-0 or confident that we could score extra points, 안전놀이터 we would have run differently,” he said. “We support coach Kevin Kathy’s decision.”
As for the Tampa Bay-Montreal dualization plan being pursued by the Race Club, “It’s the only option in my mind. There is no Plan B,” he said.
