Back for another Take 5, sports writers at The Pitt News discuss hot topics from MLB Opening Day to the NCAA tournament’s gender inequity controversy.

Major League Baseball’s farm system isn’t always all it’s cracked up to be. Long hours, minimal compensation — instability only amplified further during the COVID-19 pandemic. But for many former Panthers, it’s all worth it for that shot at the big leagues.

Before you can live like a professional baseball player, you have to get through some tough years in the minor leagues. That means long bus rides, living with host families and at times sleeping with bed bugs.