In the second installment of Explain it Like I’m 5 (ELI5), Eugene Freedman, union lawyer and top voice of baseball labor relations, joins me to discuss a retrospective of, as well as future implications created by, the 2021-22 MLB lockout and collective bargaining agreement (CBA).

“Not a lot of people grow up in union households, but I did,” Freedman says. Freedman proudly points out his maternal grandfather went to work for a sewage disposal plant. “He literally worked knee-deep in shit,” says Freedman with a laugh.

In 1981, Freedman experienced formative personal events in both his union and baseball experience: He joined his first picket line, and went to his first baseball game.

Freedman’s love of baseball combined with his unique experience and formal education in unions and labor relations has enabled him to become one of the most prominent voices on baseball labor issues via social media. During the lockout, Freedman’s prominence was elevated as he became a trusted translator to the baseball Twitter masses on the legal and strategic activities between the MLB and MLBPA.

Though the 2021-22 MLB lockout ended, the relationship among the MLB, owners, and players never ends. Tune into the second installment of ELI5 to learn all things MLB revenue, collective bargaining ... and Prince (!!!!):

Give Eugene a follow on Twitter: @EugeneFreedman.

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