Here’s how fans say the MLB lockout will affect their interest in the Red Sox
"I will be furious if real games are missed."
The MLB lockout has no end in sight.
Players and owners have yet to come to an agreement, spring training games have been canceled through March 4, and now the regular season, slated to begin on March 31, may be in jeopardy.
Boston.com recently asked readers if the lockout would cause their interest to in the Red Sox to wane.
Most readers (47%) said that the first lockout in over 25 years would cause them to lose interest in the game, many explaining that this would be different depending on how the lockout affected the seasons schedule.
“I’ve been a Red Sox fan since 1965,” Joe S. from Dorchester said. “Come on, the owners are billionaires for creeps sake!”
Some (22%) only see an impact if real games will be missed, and others don’t see the lockout impacting their enjoyment (19%).
“I love my Red Sox no matter what,” Susan from St. Augustine, Fla. said. “Red Sox Nation forever!”
A smaller percentage (12%) voted ‘Other’ citing the game’s slow pace and the Sox rosters cost cutting as reasons why they had soured on the team long before the lockout.
Ahead, we share a sampling from readers on what they had to say about the current state of the MLB lockout.
Responses lightly edited for length and clarity.
Most readers said they will lose interest.
Most readers said that a short or postponed spring training would be enough for them to start to lose interest in the Sox. Many said owners and players weren’t taking the fans into consideration into their efforts to resolve the dispute, as spring training, which takes place in Fort Myers, Fla., looks doomed to start later and later.
“They seem to be out of touch with the fan base,” one Boston.com reader wrote. “Every year it gets harder for us Everyday Working Joes to afford to go to a game.”
“No concern for the fans. They wonder why people don’t follow the sport. Then after they settle the cost is passed to the fans,” Richard M. from Florida wrote.
“We have a bunch of tone deaf millionaires and billionaires arguing over money during a time when a lot of the fan base is suffering with health and financial problems,” Tim B. from Boston said.
“Hard to care when millionaires battle with billionaires,” David M. from Weymouth said. “When I grew up it was the people’s sport.”
Some readers will lose interest when the regular season is impacted.
“It’s hard to plan and buy tickets if you don’t know if they are going to play. Seems like no one is concerned about the fans they play for,” said Jodi in Washington.
“Getting together with friends and family to watch Sox games is the centerpiece of our gatherings,” Royster from Buzzards Bay said.
Stanley K., from Monroe Township, N.J., said that he was worried about the quality of play that a late or shortened spring training would result in.
“I feel that there will be total chaos with clubs scrambling to put their squads together,” he said. “Plus I am concerned an abbreviated spring training will cause a lot of early season injuries. I feel the season will be off to a rocky start.”
Many fans will stick with the Sox no matter how long it takes.
“It’s baseball, it’s in my blood and I’ll never abandon it,” Stephen F. said. “I’m slightly miffed that it’s taking as long as it has, but the game remains.”
“I would consider myself a die-hard Red Sox fan, so a delay would not impact the extent that I follow the team during the season,” Nick W. from Boston said. “However, I will be furious if real games are missed because the owners and MLBPA cannot come to a resolution.”
“I’ve been a Red Sox fan since I knew what baseball was,” Leonard B. from Aiken SC said. “I’m 77 now so I’ve seen it all; good and bad. Since 2004, it’s mostly been great. I look forward to every game. I expect we will get this done and we’ll enjoy the chase again!”
“I was born in Boston,” Douglas F. from Ft. Lauderdale said. “Being a Red Sox fan is in my birth certificate.”
Nick F. from Boston said he will continue to root for the Sox, but just wants to see baseball this summer.
“Let the boys play,” he said.
Boston.com occasionally interacts with readers by conducting informal polls and surveys. These results should be read as an unscientific gauge of readers’ opinion.
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