Sports fandom isn't earned, but rather handed down from generation to generation. No MLB team better exemplifies this phenomenon than the Pittsburgh Pirates, whose fans have been through nearly 3.5 decades and counting of losing seasons, only to stay the course and keep the faith in next year.
For fans of the Pirates (or any losing MLB franchise), the answer to their problems isn't as simple as finding another team to root for. Being a fan is about the journey, rather than the end product, which makes comments from former MLB GM and current pundit Jim Bowden all the more helpful to owners ahead of CBA talks. What's happening in Pittsburgh isn’t just a local failure, but a case study in how owners benefit when fans disengage, and thus of national importance with a lockout around the corner.
Jim Bowden thinks we should all become Dodgers fans
— Pittsburgh Clothing Co. (@PGHClothingCo) December 16, 2025
"you can retire as a Pirates fan or trade yourself to the Dodgers" pic.twitter.com/C9lTJLbaGZ
Rooting for the Dodgers isn't an option for Pirates fans
If small-market fans start rooting for the Dodgers in excess, the sport as a whole is lost. A lockout is looming, whether owners and players want to admit it or not. MLB is not healthy, there's no denying that. If revenue is weighted too heavily to any grouping of contenders, a work stoppage is only a matter of time.
This is no insult to the Dodgers, which are the best-run franchise in baseball and arguably sports as a whole. Dodgers fans – specifically those who have stuck with the team through good times and bad – deserve the dynastic run they're lucky enough to watch these days. It hasn't always been easy, contrary to popular belief.
The Pirates are on the opposite end of the spectrum. This team recycles through stars, managers and front office saviors like the Bucco Bricks Bob Nutting sent to a facility in Reserve Township in the dead of night. Yet, despite all of it – the Bricks, the Surfside advertisement placed over Roberto Clemente's logo in right field, and the countless 'Sell the Team' chants each summer – Pirates fans should not defect. The fate of the sport could very well depend on them.
Yes, fans of small-market teams consistently complain about the lack of parity in baseball. They yearn for a salary cap, seemingly doing Nutting's dirty work for him in the process. There is community in protesting. To leave that behind in favor for the big-market teams they supposedly hate would be hypocritical, and play into owners hands just a year ahead of critical CBA talks that will shape baseball for years to come.
Why MLB owners like Bob Nutting benefit when fans walk away
While Nutting has said all the right things since the Pirates secured their seventh-straight losing record, his words should be taken at face value. Pittsburgh has done just enough to win the PR battle this offseason, making an offer to Kyle Schwarber and reportedly seeking big bats to add to their putrid lineup. His inconsistency in spending reveals a greater purpose, and that's getting on the right side of a looming argument.
One issue Nutting has been consistent on is the need for a stricter salary scale in baseball. Nutting claims he doesn't have the resources of, say, the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets or New York Yankees to compete in free agency, and thus must build a contender in more unique ways. What this statement ignores is that those teams are doing it all – whether it be player development, international scouting or flat-out spending – better than Pittsburgh. Ultimately, that falls on Nutting.
"There's no question that, a market like Pittsburgh, a salary cap would be advantageous,"Nutting told the Associated Press in 2009. "And if that were a direction that the industry were moving, it would be advantageous to Pittsburgh, but it can't be the primary focus of how we're running our business this year and next year and the following year. We need to stay focused in the real world and not use that as an excuse."
If Pirates fans were to essentially leave the franchise in mass numbers, it would play right into Nutting's hands. He'd be able to point to decreasing ticket sales and revenue numbers – of which he likely already can – as a reason for MLB to even the score. MLBPA has been consistent that a cap is a non-starter for them in the next CBA. The last thing baseball needs is a lockout.
The Pirates should be saving baseball, not causing a lockout
How any owner could watch what happened in Pittsburgh from 2013-15 – the revival of a baseball town desperate for winning – and not double down on those efforts is beyond me. PNC Park was packed every night, and with it the ticket sales and merchandise revenue surely poured in. Rather than sticking to that formula, the Pirates entered yet another rebuild following the 2018 season.
Cherington has been at the center of the Pirates efforts to build from within. There have been modest success stories, such as Paul Skenes and Konnor Griffin. However, there's been plenty of failures along the way, such as former No. 1 pick Henry Davis. Much of this internal development occurred without external force. The Pirates payroll shrunk from what was already a modest, middle-of-the-pack yearly commitment when they made the postseason, to an afterthought during their latest rebuild.
The Pirates have what it takes to be a rare success story in one of baseball's smallest, yet energized markets. Instead, Nutting has bowed his head and complained all the way to the bank. That will not do, and if he thinks players will sympathize with his cause, he has another thing coming next winter.
Players want higher salaries, and thus are not in a position to negotiate against their best interests. As much as Nutting assumes the problem is player salaries or big-market expenditures, he ought to look in the mirror for once. Owners may gain leverage in labor talks when fans stop caring, but they lose interest long term. There's more than one season at stake next December.
The answer isn't so complicated. Nutting can either be the hero of labor talks, or the villain. It's his choice.