MLB owners push for revenue-sharing

Multiple sources, including The Athletic, have been reporting on a pay dispute looming between MLB owners and the MLB Players Association. The dispute stems from the fact that the two sides reached a pay agreement in March, but the owners now indicate that they want to change the details of that agreement. 

The owners and the union agreed in March on multiple terms regarding payers' play, among them was the fact that players would be paid on a pro-rated basis if any part of the 2020 season is played. 

Now, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that the owners are going to vote today on a revenue-sharing proposal that would allocate 48% of revenue to the players union. 

Understandably, the players probably won't be too fond of this idea since they already had an agreement in place. Owners are arguing that if games are played without fans in attendance, they will losing too much money to pay players their pro-rated salaries. 

It's been pointed out though that teams make money other ways than just ticket sales. TV deals make up a big portion of the revenue that owners bring in, plus many teams own new real estate developments around their ballparks, bringing in additional revenue.

Owners do not make all of their books public, making it near impossible for the union to know just how much money teams are bringing in and how much should be paid to the players. 

Add to all of this that NBC Sports reports that a "war" is coming in this pay dispute, and the 2020 season seems to be in a bad place. Even if the league can come to a decision about when and where to play the season, a pay dispute could derail all of those plans very quickly.