By Michael Samaha, columnist
Baseball is America’s greatest pastime. You can smell the freshly-cut grass in the ballparks on a warm July afternoon. You can sit in the outfield with hundreds of other fans, cheering at the crack of the bat on a home run hit, or singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” during the seventh inning stretch. I know that, for me, there’s no greater feeling than being in the ballpark with my family taking in a game.
With baseball as great as it is, why has the sport lost so much popularity nationally? Sure, the local numbers are higher than ever thanks to television deals allowing local fans to see all 162 games from the comfort of their couch, but how often will you find yourself watching an ESPN broadcast of the Rockies and Pirates if you aren’t in either team’s area? I would bet never.
Baseball isn’t what it used to be. Kids used to love watching the weekly televised game because it would be the only chance they’d get to see the great players they’d read about in the newspaper every morning without going to the ballpark. Now, with every single game and every highlight readily available at our fingertips, we just don’t care. Why is that? Because we’d rather be watching a sport that is more action-packed, has more national stories and doesn’t take so damn long. As I write this, my roommates are watching a 31-0 NFL game instead of watching a 2-1 American League Division Series close-out game.
Baseball has always been the same, and those in charge want to keep it that way. They won’t change anything as long as they’re making money. Eventually though, the older demographic that makes up most of their fan base will go away, and the younger demographic, which they have yet to capture, will just watch other sports, and baseball’s popularity will decline even further.
They need to do what the NFL and NBA do and promote individual players more, rather than just the team as a whole. I hate that sports have become about individuals, but that’s the way it is, and if baseball wants to regain popularity, then that is the route to take. There are great players like Clayton Kershaw, who just had one of the most unbelievable seasons in history, but the casual fan may not be able to pick him out of a lineup.
Secondly, speed up the game! This has been discussed for years now, and Major League Baseball is just now deciding to actually test some new rules:
Hitters must keep at least one foot in the batter’s box at all times, with some exceptions.
Pitchers have 20 seconds to throw the ball.
There will be a maximum break between innings of 2:05. The hitter has 1:45 to be in the batter’s box or a strike will be called. The pitcher must pitch by 2:05 or a ball can be called.
Teams will have maximum of 2:30 to change pitchers. The clock starts when the reliever enters the field.
Teams are limited to a maximum three mound visits, excluding pitching changes.
The manager can simply signal to umpires when they want to intentionally walk a batter.
Will these rules speed up the game? Who knows. First, we need to see them enforced. Will a speeding up of the game increase popularity? I don’t know, but I think it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
It’s a shame people aren’t watching right now, because these playoffs have been great to watch so far. It’s sad that these games aren’t getting as much publicity as they deserve, because they have been as fun to watch, if not more, than any football game I’ve watched this season. The regular season and the postseason are played completely differently, and the roar or the silence of the home crowds at each game just adds to the greatness. If you get the chance, tune in to a game. Maybe you’ll even remember what makes baseball so great.
-Michael Samaha can be reached at [email protected].
Correction: In the original article, published on Oct. 9, The News reported that there are 182 games in the MLB season. There are 162 games.
