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Suggestions to improve MLB

The Man said:
Kids in Central America, South America, the Caribbean and Asia absolutely do care about baseball. They provide huge talent pools for MLB. It's a cheap game to play, much like soccer, so poor kids have access to it, even if it's just a broom handle and a ball of yarn.
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poor kids don't pay for seats etc. MLB is going to be in trouble 10 years from now when the next generation of young adults have no interest in watching baseball.
 
When I was in my teens and 20's(the 60's-70's) every friend I knew either bowled, or golfed, and/or followed Horse racing, They watched or played baseball/softball, watched football.

Now? I have 4 daughter all in their 20's. Not a single 1 of their boyfriends, or husbands, or their girlfriends husbands or boyfriends golf, or bowl, or follow HR or play softball. Very few really care about baseball. But here's the thing, most really don't 'follow' football like kids/young adults did years ago either. They follow it because of their fantasy leagues, or football pools. But few sit there every Sunday and watch every game like people use to. If they got something else to do? They're gone. They maybe catch some of a game on their phone.

BTW--- 15 years ago there was 4 bowling alleys around here, now there's 1. In the past 5 years TWO area golf courses have closed. As far as I know(I admit I don't know for sure), but I know of NO softball leagues around here anymore. Fast pitch softball is completely dead.

Anyway my point is it is a brave new world out there. I think all organized sports are in for a rude awakening over the next 20 years.
 
SenorXm/Sirius said:
When I was in my teens and 20's(the 60's-70's) every friend I knew either bowled, or golfed, and/or followed Horse racing, They watched or played baseball/softball, watched football.

Now? I have 4 daughter all in their 20's. Not a single 1 of their boyfriends, or husbands, or their girlfriends husbands or boyfriends golf, or bowl, or follow HR or play softball. Very few really care about baseball. But here's the thing, most really don't 'follow' football like kids/young adults did years ago either. They follow it because of their fantasy leagues, or football pools. But few sit there every Sunday and watch every game like people use to. If they got something else to do? They're gone. They maybe catch some of a game on their phone.

BTW--- 15 years ago there was 4 bowling alleys around here, now there's 1. In the past 5 years TWO area golf courses have closed. As far as I know(I admit I don't know for sure), but I know of NO softball leagues around here anymore. Fast pitch softball is completely dead.

Anyway my point is it is a brave new world out there. I think all organized sports are in for a rude awakening over the next 20 years.
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Looking at statistics, this is a true statement. But, I've been hearing this for at least 20 years, and yet MLB and NFL viewership are at all-time highs. The owners and players keep getting more and more money, and the franchises keep pushing new record highs in value.
 
The Man said:
Looking at statistics, this is a true statement. But, I've been hearing this for at least 20 years, and yet MLB and NFL viewership are at all-time highs. The owners and players keep getting more and more money, and the franchises keep pushing new record highs in value.
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Well I'm talking about all sports, not just baseball and football.

But if you look at baseball's TV ratings, they've taken a BIG hit from 25 years ago to now. Last years's WS ratings were good, but that was due to the Cubs. Looking at the baseball ratings in the past 10-15 years, it's not good compared to 25 years ago. And there's no bigger baseball fan then I am. Football is doing good, but again some of that is gambling and fantasy.

Today there's a lot more competition for the entertainment dollar, AND time. Very few 20's-30's year old are going to spend 4 hours on a golf course and spend $100 in green fees when there's a ton of other things they can do for entertainment that's cheaper and right at home.

BTW don't use teams/franchises value as a gauge. That includes stadiums, TV packages, if a team owns their own TV stations(SNY, YES, etc).. It's not a fair measurement.
 
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Velvet Elvis said:
Yes. Get rid of instant replay. Baseball played just fine for 100 years without it.
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It seems you are a traditionalist, and I respect that however technology is moving at a rapid pace and if you do not adapt, you will be left behind. Soon we will have automated vehicles, Virtual reality will be much more commonplace and the majority of cars will not be fueled by oil.

Get used to it. Adapt or perish. I'm guessing people your age back in the 1980s didn't think they would be on the internet but it looks like the majority of people adapted.

FANS DO NOT FOLLOW SPORTS BECAUSE OF CHEERLEADERS. Cheerleaders do not "keep players engaged." Cheerleaders do not "motivate" players. CHEERING FANS do. Your absolute fascination with cheerleaders makes me think you really aren't a sports follower. Perhaps YOU are one of these low-attention-span children who spend the whole game watching Facebook, and snapping selfies. It's OK...you don't have to be a sports fan. There are lot of people who'd rather not watch sports. You don't have to pretend. Maybe you can instead spend your time with nudie magazines.
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The problem with baseball is that it lacks a "cool" factor with most young athletes and it really doesn't attract an urban audience. Attractive females have been used in boxing, the UFC, basketball, football, etc... If baseball continues to be stuck in its ways, they will not be able to grow as a sport.

It isn't "cool" being a baseball player anymore. Sure their contracts are guaranteed but football and basketball players are worshiped. Generally superstars are attracted to that kind of thing - celebrity, fame, groupies, etc....

That's why baseball lacks superstars. If you look at the 50 most popular pro athletes today:

13. Derek Jeter
30. Babe Ruth
50. Pete Rose
51. Anthony Rizzo.

So out of the top 50 - 1 has been dead for almost 70 years, 1 has been retired for 30 years, 1 has been retired for a full year!

So do think the sport is healthy when the most popular athlete is a 1b for the Cubs, many have not heard of?
 
Bucky said:
It isn't "cool" being a baseball player anymore. Sure their contracts are guaranteed but football and basketball players are worshiped.
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That's part of the reason why I like baseball and only baseball.
 
Josie said:
That's part of the reason why I like baseball and only baseball.
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So, do you like baseball more now, or 10 years ago when they had a lot of stars - Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Bonds, Sosa, Big Mac, Griffey, Kenny Lofton, etc?
 
Bucky said:
So, do you like baseball more now, or 10 years ago when they had a lot of stars - Derek Jeter, A-Rod, Bonds, Sosa, Big Mac, Griffey, Kenny Lofton, etc?
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I've only been a fan of baseball since the 2011 World Series. It hooked me.
 
RetiredUSN said:
Yet, millions and millions of US citizens pay to watch them play.

Baseball will make a comeback, not that it's doing bad right now.
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It could if it adapts. Cricket went through a similar struggle and had to introduce faster versions of the game like 20/20 cricket.
 
Higgins86 said:
It could if it adapts. Cricket went through a similar struggle and had to introduce faster versions of the game like 20/20 cricket.
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It's doing OK now. A sport doesn't have to be on top to be successful, and faster isn't always better
 
RetiredUSN said:
It's doing OK now. A sport doesn't have to be on top to be successful, and faster isn't always better
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You don't have much interaction with the younger generations so you?
Rightly or wrongly they want thinks faster and they want it now. 160 plus game seasons ain't going to cut it with them.
 
Higgins86 said:
You don't have much interaction with the younger generations so you?
Rightly or wrongly they want thinks faster and they want it now. 160 plus game seasons ain't going to cut it with them.
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I have 2 grandsons playing tee ball and little league.

The ball fields are just as packed now with players and families as they were 30 years ago when my son was playing.

The downfall of youth baseball in the inner cities is largely due to lack of promotion, support, government officials who sell off the fields to develop the land, or creating equality by stealing baseball fields to promote soccer. It's only a issue because we see fewer black players, and the media loves projecting race.
 
RetiredUSN said:
I have 2 grandsons playing tee ball and little league.

The ball fields are just as packed now with players and families as they were 30 years ago when my son was playing.

The downfall of youth baseball in the inner cities is largely due to lack of promotion, support, government officials who sell off the fields to develop the land, or creating equality by stealing baseball fields to promote soccer. It's only a issue because we see fewer black players, and the media loves projecting race.
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Yeah, no. You can't blame everything on race, the media and 'fake news'. Baseball has been on a downward trend for 20+ years. Some years in the early 2000's Monday Night football got better ratings than WS games. Sad but true. 'Race' has nothing to do with the rating dropping every year.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Series_television_ratings
 
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