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| The major league 2021 season is expected to open in early April. © AFP=News1 |
The 2021 season of the major leagues will start on April 2 (Korean time) as scheduled, and 162 matches will begin.
The major league secretariat announced in an official statement on the 2nd (Korean time) that “we will start preparing for the season as planned.”
The secretariat previously confirmed the start of the spring camp on February 18 in the 2021 season, 162 games per team, and the opening plan on April 2.
However, we reviewed the recent amendment. The key point was to reduce the number of games per team in the 2021 season to 154 games by reducing the number of games by 8, and to postpone the season opening date to April 29, which is about a month later than before. He emphasized, “(Even if the new proposal is implemented) the player’s salary will not be reduced.” In major leagues, the annual salary varies depending on the number of games.
The proposal to delay the opening date is a measure according to the novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19). The secretariat explained that “we consulted the advice of quarantine experts.”
There is also an intention to open at a point where the audience can be reached even a little. At present, the opening of the audience is inevitable, so we are trying to reduce losses as much as possible by delaying the timing even a little. Expectations for the effectiveness of the Corona 19 vaccine were also included.
However, the athletes’ union rejected the offer. According to local media reports, the athletes’ union said the reason for refusing “because the commissioner’s authority could be too large.”
In addition, he emphasized that “the secretariat proposal does not properly protect the rights of players and free agency players if the season is suspended or cancelled.”
Eventually, the revised bill was canceled and the season preparations started as per the original plan.