Minor Leaguers normally don't qualify for unemployment benefits as they are considered independent contractors by the MLB, but unemployment benefits have expanded since the coronavirus shutdown and out of work MiLB players are hoping it now can apply to them.
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00:00Perhaps no aspect of sports has been ravaged more
00:03by the coronavirus pandemic than minor league baseball.
00:06For more, I'm joined by our Emma Bacheleri.
00:08Now, Emma, we've seen some teams stop paying minor leaguers,
00:11we've seen some major leaguers step up
00:13to try and help them,
00:15but now there is a quest to get unemployment?
00:18Yeah, so traditionally, minor league baseball players
00:22have not been a group of people
00:24who can file for unemployment benefits
00:26based on the way that those regulations are structured,
00:29but right now, with some of the legislation
00:32that we've seen passed to expand those benefits
00:35to more workers, to gig workers, to independent contractors,
00:39which are exactly what MLB has long argued
00:42that these players are,
00:44there is an avenue for minor leaguers
00:47to be able to file for unemployment
00:48and to be able to get those $600 a week,
00:52which is a pretty huge sum for a minor leaguer,
00:54considering that it's higher than
00:56even the salaries you see at AAA.
00:59How do we expect minor league baseball
01:02to bounce back from all this, if at all?
01:05It's gonna be really tough.
01:08Frankly, there are probably gonna be a lot of franchises
01:11that don't make it.
01:12Something like short season ball,
01:14that probably is not going to exist as we knew it.
01:18It's a tough time and it's gonna be really hard
01:19for a lot of these clubs coming out of it.
01:22Obviously, we see the effects with the unemployment story
01:26that you have as well.
01:27Emma, appreciate your time as always.
01:30Thanks.