'A positive force'? Here's why MLB lockout isn't bad for baseball's popularity – yet

Major League Baseball’s return to play in 2020 – after the start of the season was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic – offered fans a view inside the acrimonious relationship between the sport’s 30 owners and players’ union. 

Both sides bickered in the court of public opinion for months on how best to play and split up a smaller pool of revenue with fewer games and little or no fans in attendance. Opening day was delayed more than once. The stalemate ended with commissioner Rob Manfred mandating a 60-game season, neither camp pleased, and the stage set for an even bigger battle when the collective bargaining agreement expired this month, resulting in a lockout and the game's first work stoppage in 26 years. . 

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