Phillies Fans React to Opening Day Cancellation

Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Tuesday that because the Player's Association and the League were unable to reach a new CBA by the MLB-imposed deadline of March 1 at 5 p.m., Opening Day, scheduled for March 31, was cancelled. The first two series of the season were cancelled and will not be rescheduled.

This means the Philadelphia Phillies will not be traveling down to Houston to take on the Astros for a three-game set on March 31. Their series against the Washington Nationals will also not take place.

This was heartbreaking news for Phillies and baseball fans all over the world. Emerging from the gloomy winter months and reaching March 1 is usually a sigh of relief for baseball fans. For many, MLB Opening Day marks the beginning of spring and warmer, happier days. But not this year.

"The pitchers, catchers and other players/personnel reporting to Clearwater provides myself and many other fans a much needed shot of endorphins that helps get us through a long, Northeast winter," said Lauren Linarello, @laurlin24 on Twitter. "For those of us that are lifelong Phillies fans, it is nearly impossible to imagine not seeing the Phanatic help pack up the equipment truck to make its annual trek to BayCare Ballpark."

Sure, the union and the league could reach a deal in the next few weeks and only six games might be cancelled. But the fact that it had to come to this at all is detrimental for current fans of the sport and attracting new ones.

March is typically when the sports world begins shifting focus towards baseball again, but between the lockout, NBA games, and March Madness, only avid fans are currently paying attention to MLB news.

Additionally, the world's current state could cause some to say, "who cares about baseball?" But, baseball has been an American tradition for about 150 years, and it unifies people.

"It’s more than 'just baseball' for some people," said @Brookie425 on Twitter. "My dad and I bonded a lot over the Phillies and the possibility of there not being a season makes me sad."

"Who cares? The Phillies aren't even good," one might remark. Whether or not that's true doesn't matter right now, because Phillies baseball is a tradition. The love of the game and the Phillies has been passed on through generations.

How will parents explain the lockout to children who are too young to understand? In this time, many kids' interest will shift, moving onto the next best thing and forgetting about baseball entirely. Is this how you grow the game?

"Baseball has been my favorite sport for roughly 25 years, I have watched every Phillies game (even in September when people question my sanity for doing so)," Linarello said. "This year, we have the unfortunate task to accept that we will be missing out on some spring training and early season games, or that there may be no season at all."

Not only are fans missing out, but current MLB superstars like Mike Trout, Fernando Tatís Jr., Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, Mookie Betts, Jacob deGrom, and more are missing the prime of their careers. Phillies fans were eager to see reigning NL MVP Bryce Harper in right field, donning red pinstripes in his fourth season with Philadelphia. But now, MLB will manufacture yet another shortened season in the careers of these players, and it was avoidable.

"Personally, l am gutted, as I am likely going to have a trip over to Philly cancelled due to this," said Dave Shaw of @UKPhillies. "But no baseball due to Manfred’s and the owners' greed makes me angry."

The cancellation of Opening Day doesn't just affect those in the United States. It impacts the game's reach internationally as well. Shaw, along with other "British baseball nuts" in the United Kingdom, have been diligently working together over the last few years to grow the love of the game across the pond.

"We had been gathering great momentum and helping to break baseball into the mainstream," said Shaw. "The London Series in 2019 was the icing on the cake when the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox came over to London, both games sold out, over 60,000 on both days, baseball was for once the sole focus of sport in the UK."

That series helped to gain international fans of MLB, but between COVID-19, shortening the 2020 MLB season, cancelling the 2020 London Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs and now with the lockout, it will be difficult to restore that connection again.

"Last year, we were recovering, but a lot of damage was done. Now, this ridiculous and utterly avoidable situation has turned many fans off, I've spoken to many new fans I've met recently who have said they don’t get it and their interest has gone," Shaw continued. "Interaction on the UK baseball social media outlets has completely died off, all the momentum we had built feels like it has completely vanished."

Not only has the relationship between the players and the league now been soured, but the relationship between the fans and MLB has reached a new low. Due to the lockout, many longtime fans will likely turn away from the game they love due to the league's management. Hopefully a deal is met quickly and baseball fans don't miss out on more regular season games.

"As an ardent baseball fan, it's hard to believe the people we entrust to protect our beloved game are the ones holding it hostage over the players," said Linarello. "All we can hope for is for the players get the deal they deserve from MLB and to have our sound of summer back."

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