I have been asking myself this question for a while now, is baseball still America’s pastime? I sure hope so because it’s still and always will be my favorite sport of all time.
Baseball WAS America’s pastime, but I’m not so sure anymore. I used to love going to a baseball game. Sitting in the stands, enjoying my hot dog and diet coke while watching some of my favorite players blossom into stars.
The sport of baseball seems to me that it is dying and needs some CPR to resurrect it quick. Gone are the glory days of the ’60s, ’70s, and ’80s.
When I was 14 Major League Baseball went on strike. It was a sad day for me and a black eye for the sport itself. America’s pastime had disappeared.
Fans took a while to get back into the game because of it, and the home run chase by Sammy Sosa and Mark McGwire ultimately gave it a shot in the arm that it desperately needed.
I, for one, found the game fun and triumphant. Baseball was fun again, and it also helped that my favorite team the Boston Red Sox were finally decent. They were awful when I was a kid.
Watching towering home runs and seeing someone break Roger Maris’s home run record was something I never thought would be done in my lifetime.
Throughout the ’90s and the 2000s, baseball seemed to be at its peak. The NBA was struggling post-Jordan, and fans wanted some fun to occur.
When watching baseball in the 2000s, the New York Yankees were the ‘Evil Empire’ and dominated the sport with homegrown talent, and signing big-name free agents.
The Evil Empire.
The Evil Empire.This Red Sox fan was awestruck by how well the Yankees dynasty was built, and yes I was jealous. I had to wait until 2004 for my shining moment.
Since the Yankee dynasty has lost its luster, no team could fit that mold, because quite simply they didn’t have the funds. Teams have tried but failed unsuccessfully.
Big-time stars have always generated revenue and made fans watch the game and shell out big bucks for jerseys. Gone are the likes of Barry Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, Derek Jeter, Nomar Garciaparra, Manny Ramirez, and David Ortiz.
Where have you gone, Manny and Ortiz?
Athletes like that are still around in baseball, but no one knows who they are. If I asked you who Mike Trout, Bryce Harper are, and Mookie Betts half of you couldn’t tell me who they are.
Major League baseball has fallen behind the times in this writer’s opinion. There are stars in this league that can save the sport but aren’t being seen or used correctly.
It is 2019, and this isn’t your daddy’s game anymore. Now I understand that a lot of things have changed. The economy isn’t what it once was, Its a new breed of athlete and no one wants to sit at a stadium for four hours and spend endless amounts of money.
Where you draft or sign, a player has become a big deal now as well. Players are being drafted and signing from all over the world. You have players from the Dominican Republic to Japan.
Seeing all of these International stars rise has been a good thing for baseball, in my opinion. These kids give their all to every last out.
Growing up watching baseball was fun and educating. It has become slow and stagnant now, and no one wants to go to games, they would rather watch them from home.
These are four ways this fan believes baseball can be fixed…
MARKETING/SOCIAL MEDIA
Stars like Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Ronald Acuna Jr, Mookie Betts, Max Scherzer, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr are being wasted.
Lost in all of this is the way baseball needs to respond in the day and age of social media. The NBA markets stars brilliantly, and baseball needs to as well.
There are so many ways they can use these stars to promote the game, and they aren’t. Some of it could be reluctance on the players part, but someone needs to do it.
Mike Trout is probably the best player in Major League baseball, but no one knows who he is, because his team the Angels are dreadful and he plays on the West coast where it seems baseball is non-relevant unless you play for the Dodgers.
Trout needs to step up and become the face of baseball. He needs to do tons of commercials and endorse everything he can to make it work. He is a fun guy and can do it. Trust me; you will like him.
FEWER GAMES
As a baseball fanatic even I think that a 162 game schedule is ridiculous. Fans tune out games in the Summer because its too hot, and people can’t afford to go. It would save the wear and tear on some players and give them more days off and fewer travel days so that they are fresher.
GAME TIME STARTS INCLUDING THE POST-SEASON
Hear me out on this one. Playoffs games and some regular-season games start at ridiculous times. There is no need to start a playoff game at 830pm on the East coast during the week. Kids and parents are exhausted, and games are usually for hours.
DISBAND SMALL MARKET TEAMS
Yes, you have heard me right. Teams like Tampa Bay, Miami, and Kansas City aren’t helping the game anymore. I know the Royals won the World Series in 2015, but they couldn’t compete with the big boys in revenue and sales.
Have the Rays been good for baseball? Some say yes, some say no. The fact that they can’t draw fans and are starting to play games in Canada smells terrible.
Crazy ideas are always going on in my head about baseball, but its time to make it less relevant and fabulous again. The NBA and NFL have eclipsed baseball in ways that make me mad.
Commissioner Rob Manfred I am pleading with you to fix my sport and make it relevant, passionate, America’s pastime again. Jeremy Bloom makes a promise right now to do whatever he can to help out, so call me.
Who is with me?
