Is Something Wrong With Baseball?

By Josh:

Saturday night I went to a minor league baseball game. It was a great night for baseball as the weather was great, the two teams were full of young talented professionals and there was even special guest Don Larsen (threw the only perfect game in World Series history) at the game. Yet the stadium felt empty.

This got me thinking about the same discussion that keeps coming up as to whether or not something is wrong with baseball and what needs to be done to fix it.  Sports writers question if the game is too long, if the season is too long, whether or not there is enough ‘star’ power, and a wide variety of other issues believed to be plaguing baseball.

Let me begin by saying as a baseball fan I think a part of the reason this discussion keeps coming up is because ESPN doesn’t care about baseball as much as it does NFL and College Football. I don’t think that shocks anyone but I do see it as a part of the issue.

Baseball isn’t perfect but the idea that things aren’t well makes me shake my head. Last year major league baseball hit its 7^th highest attendance mark with over 73 million fans attending games.  The 6 years that beat it were 2005-2008 and 2012-2013. This season is averaging only about 300 fans less a game.

Yes I know that TV ratings are down some for baseball but that to me is because the game wasn’t made for TV. Baseball is a game best enjoyed outside and in person. Football on the other hand, although going to games is fun, is far better enjoyed in your living room with tons of food and friends.

I do want to address a few ‘issues’ that people have with baseball. First the games are too long. I get this and at times I feel the same way. I’ve been to a few 4 hours games that didn’t go into extra innings.

However, for me a part of the reason why games feel like they are too long is because games can run late at night and as a father of a 4 year old I just can’t stay late at the games.

Sunday afternoon games though are perfect. I get to be outside watching a game and not be home so late that my daughter is super tired and cranky. So for me this issue isn’t really how long the games are but instead how late they start and finish.

Another complaint is the season is too long. The number of games isn’t too many in my opinion, but the fact that the playoffs don’t start until October and can run into November is way too long.  Baseball is a summer sport and the playoffs need to happen a little earlier. If that means less regular season games then I would be okay with that.

The last complaint I want to discuss is the lack of ‘star’ power. That is just crap in my opinion. After Josh Hamilton’s homerun derby show a few years ago every sports fan in America knew who he was. Mike Trout is a name that sports fans should know. The big difference between baseball and other sports is that baseball stars seem to be known regionally more than nationally. This doesn’t mean there is a lack of ‘star’ power, it is just that it is focused by region.

Overall I do think that more needs to be done to promote baseball to the younger ages. Find ways to help cut the cost of equipment for kids. However, the game itself isn’t needing a huge overhaul.  It just needs parents to remember that it’s okay to take their families outside during the summer to do more than just PokemonGo.