Greed in professional baseball

When I was a kid, I loved baseball. I played in the Little League, Pony League, and Babe Ruth League. I played on a ball team when I was in the Army and on an independent team afterward. I was a strong Cardinal fan, but knew all the Major League teams and a lot of the players. But all that changed, partly because I changed, but mostly because Major League Baseball changed.

Players and even teams began to move around more. Commercials kept being added to televised games, making them longer and less enjoyable. Every few years there were lockouts by the owners or strikes by the players, and after one of the longer strikes, I quit watching. Then, after a few years, I missed baseball so much I started watching again. But the games had gotten so long and full of advertising that I just didn't enjoy them.

The recent dispute between players and owners is the latest example of millionaires fussing with billionaires about money. I believe greed caused the strikes, lockouts, disputes, and over-commercialization of baseball. Greed has almost ruined professional baseball.

Now, more American kids play video games or soccer. Baseball is not the national pastime it once was. There are still many fans, but a few more will move on when the advertising increases again to pay for the latest round of greed. It's a shame. A sport I once loved no longer exists.

Gary L. Gaines, Cape Girardeau