Major League Baseball is having trouble connecting with fans in today’s game, which has to do with the style of play.
In case anyone was unaware, American baseball has a marketing problem. This seems impossible considering how popular the sport is in Latin America, the Caribbean, Japan, and South Korea. But in the United States, baseball has long given up its place as America’s pastime. There is nothing more heartbreaking than the ratings decline over four decades of a nationally-televised weekend game, especially the postseason. It’s no secret that baseball’s fanbase is aging, as young people gravitate toward basketball and football. Baseball requires patience, timing and accuracy, which don’t come naturally to people. Baseball doesn’t involve the kind of direct humiliation of a hard tackle or posterizing dunk. It is more of a gentleman’s sports, where respect is earned.
Those who do watch are not to blame, but viewership really is down. In 2023, the Fall Classic average just 9 million viewers, an all-time low. 40 years earlier, quadruple that number were tuning in to watch a World Series game. While the US population has grown by nearly 50% since then, the ratings for the World Series have declined by 75%. Ouch.
Somehow, someway, baseball needs a new storyline. New writers, a new director, and a new studio should take over. Keep the actors, change the narrative. Today’s game is already too saturated with advertisements and performative in its attempts to woo younger demographics. The game is too reliant on commercials and too eager to price out average fans who want to see important games. Stop continuing the ongoing mess and make things cleaner. Major League Baseball can deliver better, as it has in the past. It is incumbent upon the sport to listen to fans to give them a new form of entertainment.
Possible Solutions
Fortunately, there are solutions to this problem. For starters, maximizing the sport’s international presence is paramount to securing its future. The USA is more diverse than ever before, and the World Baseball Classic is flourishing. There are talented players from Japan, Panama, the Dutch Antilles, and Mexico, and the league would do well to host series there annually. A proposal: in April, have cold-weather teams play series in Curacao or the Dominican Republic. Better yet, have both to avoid potential snow outs in the North. International players would rather perform in their home countries than freezing temperatures they are not prepared for. More representative games would help secure the sport’s future.
Next, there should be a throwback game on Memorial Day at Hinchliffe Stadium in Paterson, New Jersey. It is a travesty that the newly renovated field isn’t seeing any proposals for a game in the near future. The spiritual home of the Negro Leagues for many years, Hinchliffe was the home of OF Larry Doby, 1B Mule Suttles, and OF Cool Papa Bell. Honoring the Negro Leagues with a game there would be an economic boon for the town and a way to tell the story of truly amazing players. The game could happen alongside a high school showcase, similar to the Hank Aaron Invitational. This new event could be the Memorial Day Classic. The Hinchliffe community has been begging for an MLB game for three years, and it is time they get one.
Returning Events
Major League Baseball should also host a special game on Juneteenth. They would play at Rickwood Field in Birmingham to honor more Negro League history and also honor baseball’s most historic field. This Juneteenth game should be annual as a reminder of the game’s ugly, racist, and occasionally violent past. It would be a constant encouragement that we can and should do better. The Juneteenth Major League Remembrance Game would continue to leave Rickwood as is, since the field was also recently renovated. The game will always take place one day after the anniversary of OF Willie Mays passing, so the game would double as a tribute of sorts, like the 2024 event. The game could also honor OF Hank Aaron, who was from Mobile. The Say Hey Kid and the Hammer would be linked forever
Finally, the Field of Dreams game needs to return immediately. The pageantry, mystical aura, and magical nostalgia wouldn’t be the same as the first game, but that is no reason why MLB shouldn’t return. As the movie says, if you build it, they will come. But apparently, that is not the case for Rob Manfred, who is content to try nothing and give up when nothing happens as a result. That is a far cry from the NFL, which now has games in five different countries. The Field of Dreams at the moment is just that, a dream.
Yet those dreams can become a reality again. Sure Kevin Kostner won’t always make it to the game. But there are other ways to make the event special and draw in kids who might not have seen the movie before. How the Field of Dreams becomes transforms into something more magical depends on the players and the league itself. Perhaps we need a sequel movie to truly reset the storyline for younger generations and bring in a fresh perspective. Only time will tell.
Conclusion
Major League Baseball has more than enough monetary and political capital to spend on creating these experiences for fans who desperately crave more from the sport. Each month from April to August will have something special going on to keep fans engaged and excited. July already has the All-Star break, and September is the stretch run. Baseball needs to bring back the days of screaming crowds that make the stadium shake. The sport needs to recapture the spirit of power and awe currently dominated by football and basketball. The league needs to show it still cares about the players who give their time and effort to every single game, especially when the game has historically neglected them. The sooner MLB recognizes the ground it has lost, the sooner they can turn it around. Baseball is on the verge of a rebirth, but will the transformation be something people love again?
Featured Articles
Featured Writers
