MLB Lockout Triggers Twitter Rebellion Among Players

Because league can't use their likenesses during lockout, they're having some fun online
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 3, 2021 2:20 PM CST
MLB Players' Twitter Pics May Suddenly Seem Oddly Similar
Official logo of Major League Baseball.   (PRNewsFoto/Procter & Gamble; MLB)

Head to MLB.com and you'll spot a holiday gift guide, a story on the best baseball road trips in all 50 states, and a letter to fans from Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. on how "disappointed" he is that the league was "forced to commence a lockout" of MLB players this week, the result of failed negotiations between the players union and management. What you won't see on the league's site are any stories or pictures of active players, as likenesses of players can't be used in any way without a working collective-bargaining agreement, notes Axios.

Which means there are no photos of the players on their roster pages, a fact that some of them are having fun with online, reports For the Win. While some players are simply putting up generic faceless avatars on their social media profiles to match the ones representing them on the MLB site, others are getting a little more creative, adding such things as eyeglasses, a headband and gold chain, and, in the case of Minnesota Twins pitcher Randy Dobnak, a signature mustache, notes the USA Today sports outlet.

"It's amazing to see players around the league change their avi in solidarity," Mets pitcher Trevor Williams posted. "MLB can take away our image but never our LIKENESS!" Braves pitcher Tyler Matzek didn't switch up his Twitter profile pic, but he did appear to address Manfred directly in his Twitter bio, per CBS Sports. "Former Atlanta Braves #68 Player (for now, thanks Uncle Rob)," he wrote. (More MLB stories.)

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