BASEBALL
A collection of former and current players have formed an advocacy group asking that Major League Baseball roughly double salaries in the minors to $15,000 per season.
Advocates for Minor Leaguers is led by Garrett Broshuis, a former pitcher and the lawyer who has represented players in lawsuits alleging minor league salaries violate minimum wage laws. The group said it “will strive to provide a collective voice for minor leaguers.”
The announcement was made amid a particularly tense week for minor league players, most of whom make $5,000-$10,000 per season. Many have been shut out of their spring training camps due to the coronavirus pandemic, despite their reliance on those complexes for food, training facilities and often housing.
On Thursday, MLB said it would pay a lump-sum stipend to minor leaguers – valued at $400 per week – to cover the balance of spring training, while working on “an industry-wide plan for minor league player compensation” until play resumes.
In the meantime, minor leaguers needing financial help have turned to Twitter accounts and GoFundMe pages.
“Hopefully, in the future, there won’t be a need for a GoFundMe campaign just so a guy can pay for diapers for his kid,” said Broshuis.
A Broshuis-led group of minor leaguers filed a lawsuit against major league teams in February 2014, claiming most earned less than $7,500 annually in violation of several laws. While the case has not yet gone to trial, Congress passed legislation in 2018, at MLB’s urging, that stripped minor league players from protection under federal minimum wage laws.
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COLLEGES
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Dayton star Obi Toppin is the lone unanimous first-team choice to The Associated Press All-America team.
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GOLF
LPGA: The LPGA Tour announced a September date for what traditionally is its first major championship of the year.
The ANA Inspiration, previously scheduled for April 2-5 in Rancho Mirage, California, now will be played Sept. 10-13.
SOCCER
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP: The tournament that was postponed until 2021 will officially be called Euro 2020.
The event is scheduled to be played in 12 cities in different countries across Europe, with the final in London on July 11.
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