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CNN Live At Daybreak

Baseball Players Union Executive Board to Meet

Aired August 12, 2002 - 06:17   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well get this, the executive board of the baseball players union could set a date today for a possible strike.
CNN's Carol Lin looks at the issues separating the players and the owners.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL LIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The battle lines in baseball are as clear as the white lines on the field. As in many labor fights, the battle is over money, who gets it and who gets to keep it. The owners want to change their profit sharing plan. Teams currently share 20 percent of locally generated revenue that comes from ticket sales,...

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: One, two, three, four.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fans are gathered here.

LIN: ... local radio and TV deals, even beer, soft drinks and food. Commissioner Bud Selig wants them to share 50 percent with the league. Selig wants to create a team payroll cap and collect a 50 percent surcharge on the amount any team spends over that cap.

The Union says that will create a salary cap and limit how much money an individual player can make. This season, the average salary for Major Leaguers $2.38 million. That's more money than many fans will make in a lifetime and may contribute to the anger that fans have towards players they already see as greedy.

Another contentious issue: contraction. The owners suggested dropping two teams but never specified which ones, but the likely candidates are Montreal, Minnesota, Florida or Tampa Bay. The players have been adamant against contraction since two fewer teams mean dozens fewer players. Again, it's a decision of dollars. Dropping two teams means each team will get a bigger slice of the national TV contract pie, and we're talking about big bucks. The current TV deal is worth $2.5 billion over the next six seasons.

Issue No. 2, drug testing. But on this battleground, there seems to be a little common ground. After fighting steroid testing for years, the players are offering to allow some very limited steroid testing. Owners want more testing, more often, testing for steroids and illegal drugs.

(END VIDEOTAPE) COSTELLO: And that was Carol Lin reporting.

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