In the last five years, labor in sports has become more and more of a mainstream concern. If the average fan is to understand the behind-the-scenes mechanisms behind their favorite players, teams and leagues, a basic understanding of the respective league's labor agreement has become an increasingly handy tool.
With professional athletes' reach being greater than ever—the biggest stars in sports have much larger social media followings than the organizations they play for—most of the major collective bargaining agreements in America's four major sports are being re-examined through the lens of more player-driven discussions. While labor talks loom in the NBA and WNBA, MLB, too, might be looking at a forthcoming crisis, one that begins at the bottom of the compensation structure.
However, thanks to baseball's extensive minor league population, lots of players have the incentive to fix things in their purview. A few enterprising players—who are formally contractors to their teams and leagues—have an idea that could flip baseball's compensation structure on its head.