MLB lockout: Max Scherzer’s Porsche arrival a hot topic for wrong reasons

Several major media outlets are mad that Max Scherzer drove a Porsche to the MLB CBA negotiations

After months of cat-and-mouse, MLB and the Players’ Union finally ramped up their negotiations this week, in hopes of ending the lockout and getting Spring Training started.

If the two sides are unable to reach an agreement by the end of February, MLB says the regular season will be delayed, and missed games will not be made up. Spring Training games have already been pushed back to March;

This would be the second shortened season in three years, as the coronavirus pandemic cut the 2020 season from 162 games to 60. With that memory still lingering, tensions are high and morale is low.

On Wednesday, the negotiations coverage took a ridiculous turn, but not because of the meetings themselves.

Instead, it was about a car.

That’s right, instead of focusing on the fact that MLB is in grave danger of another truncated season, the “news” was major media outlets losing their minds over the fact that Max Scherzer, one of the key figures on the players’ side of this standoff, drives a Porsche. The Associated Press and Fox News were among those whose coverage honed in on the wrong thing.

Max Scherzer’s Porsche should be the least of people’s concerns

If you think it’s elitist and ostentatious for a professional athlete to own a souped-up sports car, wait until you hear about his new boss, Steve Cohen – whose art collection alone is valued at a cool billion – or any of the other billionaire team owners on the other side of the bargaining table. Never mind the fact that Scherzer earned his money with an elite skill, while people like Phillies principal owner John Middleton was fortunate enough to be the descendant of a Pennsylvania tobacco magnate.

Understandably, rational people clapped back at a high volume.

What’s clear from the AP’s continued coverage of the MLB lockout and Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations is that they are in the league’s pocket. Boston Red Sox principal owner John Henry also owns the Boston Globe, and their coverage isn’t nearly as sycophantic. And, as another member of the media pointed out, it’s hypocritical:

But here’s what really makes the outrage over Scherzer’s Porsche so ludicrous. He’s one of the highest-paid players in the game’s history, but he’s at these meetings bargaining for the little guys, and there are far more of them than players in his tax bracket. More than 50 percent of MLB players earned the minimum salary in 2021, and while that’s more money than most of us mere mortals make in a year (or five), it pales in comparison to the enormous revenue their employers bring in because of them.

Scherzer is set for life, and a few dozen lifetimes after that; he could be sitting at home, or working out to prepare for a season that may never come, but instead, he’s fighting for increased Major-League minimums and an end to service time manipulation.

The new Mets ace’s commitment to doing the right thing is not surprising, as he and his wife are known for their philanthropy. Between 2015-21, they were the Washington Nationals Philanthropies’ biggest individual donors. They are also well-known for their work with rescue animals. Last year, he was the Nationals’ nominee for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award, awarded each year to the MLB player who “best exemplifies the game of baseball, sportsmanship, community involvement and the individual’s contribution to his team.”

Scherzer is fighting for baseball. It’s abundantly clear which side the AP is fighting for, and it’s a terrible look in more ways than one.