Lockout starts with flurry of photo changes
Major League Baseball officially locked out its players Thursday after failing to agree with the players’ union on a new collective-bargaining agreement. It’s the sport’s first work stoppage since 1994-95.
MLB seemingly extended that lockout to anyone who wants to consume content online. It scrubbed the headshots of players on all 30 websites the league operates. Some stories and content also disappeared.
An explanation from MLB.com was posted shortly after midnight in which it acknowledged the “content on this site looks a little different than usual.” Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed Thursday that the website changes were for legal reasons involving player likenesses.
“Until a new agreement is reached, there will be limitations on the type of content we display,” MLB’s statement read. “As a result, you will see a lot more content that focuses on the game’s rich history.”
The changes went beyond websites. The Angels announced their promotional schedule last month, including a bobblehead commemorating Shohei Ohtani’s American League MVP season on April 8. The schedule now lists only a “historic season bobblehead” on that date. In Philadelphia, a banner celebrating Bryce Harper winning the National League MVP was taken down at Citizens Bank Ballpark.
Players including White Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito and Cubs outfielder Ian Happ responded to the scrubbings by changing their Twitter profile pictures to generic player silhouettes. The decision was not an organized move by the players’ union, ESPN reported, but rather started off as a joke in a small text group chat, according to Mets pitcher Trevor Williams, one of the first to change his picture.
“It was just being silly,” Williams told ESPN. “It’s a meme. When you think about it, by us posting a picture of what MLB does, we’re doubling down on what they’re doing. It’s not supposed to be serious.”