Major League Baseball suffered a revenue loss of approximately $3 billion in 2020 because fans weren’t allowed at games due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Let’s stipulate right now that this revenue loss doesn’t necessarily equate to “losses” as the term is generally understood. MLB teams won’t allow their books opened to players (or anyone else), so what was “lost” this year is known only to team owners and, presumably, Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Manfred participated in a video chat with other professional sports league commissioners earlier this week and said that MLB really needs fans back in 2021:
“As we look forward, we will be more aggressive about having fans in ballparks,” Manfred said during a panel discussion held by The Paley Center for Media as part of its 25th annual International Council Summit.