Baseball is known by many as America’s greatest national past time. The sport became a popular spectacle in the 1850’s, and has been one for the four major leagues since. However, the sport has started to fall behind in terms of ratings and attendance. According to Fortune.com, as of June 15th, 2018, the attendance has dropped to it’s lowest average in 15 years. There are many factors that have led to this decline such as length of games, lower rates of action, and lack of marketable stars. The MLB doesn’t offer non-stop action like the NBA, NFL, or even the NHL. Casual fans may even say the sport is boring, monotonous, and the overall stakes of each game are minimal. The 162 game schedule is physically demanding for the players, but lowers the impact of each game. For example, a team could lose their first sixty games and still have an opportunity to make the playoffs. This is not the case with the other major league sports where even a stretch of ten games could make the ultimate difference in postseason fortunes. There a numerous ways the game could be improved. Major changes such as reducing the number of games, reducing the number of innings, and instituting a pitch clock. These ideas may seem radical to the baseball purest, but you could make the case these ideas could increase viewership. Consumers want to be entertained and intrigued by the game, show, or program they are watching. People are unlikely to watch a three or four hour game all the way through due to lack of action. I’d like to focus on a major building block that could improve the viewership and attendance of baseball. Taking a deeper look into improving the game through marketable stars.

Baseball is full of unwritten rules or a code of ethics so to speak on how players are supposed to carry themselves. For example, when a player hits a home run he is expected to drop his bat and jog around the bases with no emotion. If a player breaks this code he can be punished by the opposing pitcher hitting him with a pitch. This is a total opposite compared to the NFL. A player can score a touchdown and is given the freedom to celebrate with a celebratory dance or routine. The only allowed over the top celebration in the MLB without repercussions is a walk-off. Which is when the home team scores the winning run to end the game in their half of the inning. These unwritten rules affect the players because they are not allowed to express themselves. It is a unfair process as a pitcher can pump their fist and scream after a big strikeout. However, a hitter is punished if they take too long of a peek at a home run. Baseball purest’s may argue that it is simply how the game is supposed to be played. This opinion has some truth, but in this day in age of social media people enjoy new trends. There is no reason that players across the league cannot build a mass following. For example, Association football (soccer) is one of if not the most popular sports in the world. Like baseball, the pace of the game can be slow and tend to drag on. However, the sport is backed by marketable stars that appeal to fans. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Neymar, and so on have millions of social media followers. All of these players are allowed to celebrate after an impactful goal, and embrace their true characters without repercussion. Giving players the freedom to be themselves and celebrate their achievements is a must in my view.

There are so many players in the game today that have star potential who could take baseball to new heights. Players like Mike Trout, Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Jose Altuve, Clayton Kershaw, and so on. The truth is the lack of coverage on these stars is disappointing on many levels. ESPN for example, only shows a quick run through of highlights from each game. There are not many detailed topics or deep discussions into the life and personality of these MLB stars. The majority of their current coverage is talking about the NFL and NBA, which are both currently in the off season. Baseball is given the luxury of having games take place while the NBA, NFL, and NHL are all in their respective off seasons. This time should be a goldmine for the league, and the coverage of their day to day operations should skyrocket. The more exposed people are to the sport chances are they will take a deeper interest in the game. One of the major reasons that the coverage of baseball is so minimal is partly because of the facts I laid out earlier. The stakes of each game are not as vital as the NFL where the season is only sixteen games long. The games are slow paced and often drag on for three to four hours, leading to many consumers to switch the channel or turn off their computer.

These are changes are a bit extreme, and I certainly agree that too much change can be a bad thing. Baseball has to do something to connect with the younger generation in order for the game to thrive. Baseball is a sport rich with unforgettable moments, and I have fond memories of watching the game with my father. The game is starting to fall behind their competition as more people are finding other sports or products to follow. Changes need to be made or else attendance and viewership will continue to dwindle. I am not advocating for all of the proposed changes to be made, but instituting a few could make a difference. This would allow for fans to enjoy the game, but also be thoroughly entertained from start to finish.

Source Credit:
Kessler, Carson. MLB Attendance Drops to Lowest Average in 15 years. Fortune. Web. Retrieved July 16th, 2019. https://fortune.com/2018/06/15/mlb-attendance-rate-declining/

Photo Credit: https://www.inc.com/joe-hyrkin/how-coaching-baseball-made-me-a-better-boss.html