Light a candle, everyone. Call your congressman.

While 800,000 federal workers are not being paid during the shutdown, the true national tragedy is being swept under the rug.

For the first time since 2010, MLB payroll dropped in 2018. It fell $18 million.

Only $4.23 billion went to players in 2018, a decrease of roughly $1,400 per player. The Players Association is so concerned about this it is considering filing a grievance.

In the meantime, the union is scrambling to figure out ways for its members to deal with this devastation. Many players have been advised to purchase the BMW 5-Series instead of the 7-Series. Some players have talked of putting off updates to their second beach houses. One player has admitted to being forced to fly commercial instead of private.

Oh the humanity!

Players are going to have to somehow make do with an average salary of just $4.52 million.

It’s an issue Congress and the White House have totally ignored. A national emergency must be declared. The 2019 season is in jeopardy of being played by under-compensated athletes.

What a tragedy!