Caban: Unknowns abound as pro leagues plot their return

On March 11, the sports world as we know it came to a screeching halt following the positive COVID-19 test of a Utah Jazz player.

One by one professional leagues around the United States closed up shop or in the case of Major League Baseball delayed the start of their season altogether.

Now, nearly three months later signs of life have emerged among the major North American sports leagues.

Let’s look at where things stand as of the afternoon of June 2.

First, the NBA is expected to return at the end of July with a 22-team combination regular season and play-in games to settle the playoff fields for both the Eastern and Western Conferences.

Reports have stated that the league will then move to its standard playoff format. All games are expected to be played at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex.

The same reports have stated the 22-team plan is expected to pass when the league’s Board of Governors meets virtually Thursday, June 4.

Thus far in all public dis course surrounding the resumption of the NBA season, there has been an absence of animosity between players and owners.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, wrote an article on June 1 that detailed the working relationship between NBA Commissioner and Chris Paul, Oklahoma City Thunder guard and president of the NBA players’ union.

I’ve always suspected the pair worked well together. The article details how the duo along with union executive director Michele Roberts working together to get complete an extension to the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement back in 2016.

Another league close to postseason play was the National Hockey League. The NHL and its players association agreed to a 24-team playoff format.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced as much on May 26 as part of an overview of its “Return to Play Plan”.

The NHL plan anticipates teams return to their home facilities during early June before heading to one of two hub cites for Seeding Round Robins, a Qualifying Round and Conference-based Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The league’s teams voted 29-2 in favor of the plan per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski.

The NHL also announced the hub cities will be chosen from the following list:

• Chicago, IL

• Columbus, OH

• Dallas, TX

• Edmonton, AB

• Las Vegas, NV

• Los Angeles, CA

• Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

• Pittsburgh, PA

• Toronto, ON

• Vancouver, BC

As the NHL has the most Canadian teams amongst the major sports leagues, it has to be mindful of the ongoing 14-day quarantine still in place in Canada.

Meanwhile, the picture is not near as rosy for Major League Baseball.

Last week, owners and the league sent players a proposal to play half of the season (82 games) with players facing significant salary cuts; some up to 70 percent of their contractual pay.

By May 31, the players responded with their own plan for a 114-game season with games running from June 30 to October 31.

MLB players and agents have been vocal in their disappointment with the owners’ attempts to further lower their salaries.

When Opening Day was suspended back in March, players accepted a deal that would prorate their salaries for the season once it resumed.

MLB owners have claimed they will lose $4 billion if a shorter season is played.

The problem baseball faces is a history of mistrust.

Remember, this was the sport that lost a chunk of the 1994 season and all of that year’s postseason to a strike.

It is also the only North American pro sport that has no salary cap and requires players to accrue six years of service time before they can become free agents.

It’s fair to say that all sides in each of these leagues have to look to out for their interests. Contracts that determined player salaries were decided before the pandemic. However, as much as an owner may begrudge the Mike Trouts of the world for making north of $30 million per year consider that the most recent sale of an MLB franchise, the Kansas City Royals, was for $1 billion. At this rate, we may not see the boys of summer for some time.