MLB players couldn’t wait to change their avatars back after the lockout ended

Say goodbye to generic blank avatars, baseball is back!

By now you may have figured out that MLB and the Players Association were able to reach a new collective bargaining agreement on Thursday.

In fact, there was a very simple way to tell the madness had ended after 99 days of an owner-imposed lockout: MLB players began restoring their avatars on social media.

If this seems like a strange harbinger for the return of the sport, let us explain:

When the owners officially locked out the MLBPA, the league and its teams could no longer use photos or likeness of players in the union. Instead, all MLB roster pages featured empty silhouettes where players faces would normally be. That quickly became a rallying cry on social media as players, fans and supporters of the MLBPA removed their avatars in solidarity.

Once the lockout was lifted on Thursday, the players couldn’t wait to change their avatars back:

Here’s hoping we don’t have to see these faces go away again anytime soon.

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