Listening to Cowherd on the radio this morning. He was talking about Selig retiring after the 2014 season, and how the new commissioner needs to be more about being relevant again. He referenced how the NFL signed a deal with Twitter, while most play-by-play MLB announcers who ever talk about it call it "Tweeter". Also went on to shut up naysayers who looked at revenue and said "it's never been better" by saying 70% of season tickets sold at MLB stadiums are bought by large companies (to give to employees I have to assume?).

I don't know... Maybe you make the season shorter? It does seem after the first few weeks once standings start to settle in and NBA Playoffs start (late-April to July), the sport is once again put on the back-burner. Only to become relevant for two weeks during July (all-star week and the week preceding the trade deadline). Then another month where I honestly couldn't estimate my teams' win total within 10 games... and it continues until about now where the final week and playoffs actually get some coverage during every sports station's nonstop football coverage.

You could maybe ADD the DH to the NL. I know many wouldn't be in favor of this (including me), but a DH means more home runs. According to hittrackeronline, the NL averages 1.77 HR/game vs. the ALs 2.07/game. I love watching pitching duels, and I love that those type of games can hang on one pitch. But in today's world, most people just want to see a 10-7 game with six or seven longballs.

I just honestly have no idea what you could do. I'd say create some way to get to children young, but isn't Little League the most widely-played sport for kids?

I love baseball with all my heart, but I feel like it's relevance is slowly slipping away.

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It does seem after the first few weeks once standings start to settle in and NBA Playoffs start (late-April to July), the sport is once again put on the back-burner.

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People watch the NBA?

I don't think things like changing the game by making the season shorter or adding the DH to the NL will help "bring baseball back". I think Selig thought adding the 2nd wildcard would really liven things up, but I feel like the casual fans are still casual fans and the diehard fans don't like the diluted "1 game playoff" playoffs.

My random thoughts:

Speed up the game - many of baseball's detractors stem from the game being so slow and plodding at times. Batters? No more stepping out between every pitch. Pitchers? No more taking a jaunt around the mound after every pitch. A pitching change should not take 10 minutes complete with commercials. If that means the relief pitcher gets his only "warmups" in the bullpen, and instead of making the stroll in from the outfield bullpen is ready to take the field immediately, then so be it.

Promote more national stories than just the Yankees/Red Sox. The media is what helps build superstars and team-vs-team storylines. CJ Wilson talking trash about the Rangers pitching? Make that the storyline on MLB Network / ESPN coming into tonight's game. Get people wanting to tune into see what happens.

Tie-in the games' historical greats more often to show that what we're seeing from some of these current players is something special. The sports watching population knows the greats of Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, etc, etc... Did they realize Mike Trout put up a season that ranks among the best of all time last year?

It's not going to happen, but shortening the season (3 games a week max for a team) will help tremendously. A huge reason for cfb and the nfl being so popular is because we only get a huge chunk of it once a week. People can't have it everyday, so they start to crave it.

During the season, baseball is ALWAYS there and we take it for granted.

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People watch the NBA?

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Minorities

I agree with much of what mhayden has said.

We need to speed the game up, but not necessarily as he mentions... pitchers more often dictate the pace, not hitters.

That being said... the Rangers just passed 3M in attendance.

Baseball is baseball. It is NOT the NBA... it is NOT the NFL... it is NOT the NHL.

Jim Lites screwed with the atmosphere a RBiA. Lites was the GM of the Dallas Stars and became president of the Stars and the Rangers. In a feeble attempt to try to turn the Rangers atmosphere into the Stars atmosphere... he jacked up the sounds, and tried to create this high-energy, rock-em sock-em robots type feel.

NBA - played with mostly AAs in a macho, "your my biatch" bravado chest pumping attitude... with Dunks, and flagrant fouls and a different set of rules for marquee players vs others... I don't like the NBA, and it attracts a different fan than MLB. I would go with my boyz to an NBA game, but I wouldn't take my boys.

NFL - 8 Home games. That's it. Little overlap, but a similar fan dynamic as MLB... traditional... but a broader range of fans.

NHL - Similar pool of fans, but different. Talk about corporate driven... I was a STH at $20/gm X 45 games. Those were 3rd deck seats. To get in the lower bowl... $100+/gm. That's $4500\txt\season. That doesn't include Platinum parking at $25+\game. So, per game two tickets would be $225 X 45 Games = $10K. What would that get you at RBiA?

MLB - This should be a place I can take my kids and family. It should be a place where I can drop my kids off and they enjoy a game. It should be a place where yes, Corporate ticket holders can take customers and have conversations. I should be able to take a date (my wife) and have an evening of entertainment, and an ability to have a conversation.

By jacking up ticket prices, they've maximized their revenue, but have taken out the casual fan from attending, in favor of the corporate owner whose only interest is driven year by year, and based on team success. They have lost some loyalty.

By jacking up the sound and atmosphere... instead of enjoying the game and conversation... the experience becomes very "present" oriented. When I listen\watch baseball... I'm not going to sit on the edge of my seat with sound blaring at home. I'm going to be casual. I may do other things... I may engage my kids either in the game, or outside the game. However, in order for them to enjoy the game, we need to be able to go to a game where we aren't distracted by DFW and planes coming and going... AND... I need to engage them in a similar way at the game.

It is why my kids don't really watch the NHL... in the NHL, watching at home, you miss 90% of the game experience and it doesn't translate well. That is why the rating are poor. The camera stays on the puck, which means you miss SO much of what is going on (line changes, checks, positioning).


TL: DR version.
Solution:

Make for a better game day experience at the ballpark for how baseball was traditionally intended, with a family appeal and attractiveness.

[This message has been edited by DallasAg 94 (edited 9/27/2013 11:06a).]

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TL: DR version.
Solution:

Make for a better game day experience at the ballpark for how baseball was traditionally intended, with a family appeal and attractiveness.

[This message has been edited by DallasAg 94 (edited 9/27/2013 11:06a).]

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You should do this everytime. I never read your posts due to the length.

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You should do this everytime. I never read your posts due to the length.

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Blue star post!

The Anchor


Oh hey. I didn't know you started posting in this forum.

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The Anchor


Oh hey. I didn't know you started posting in this forum.

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That's because you're too busy writing your novels..

[This message has been edited by the anchor (edited 9/27/2013 12:27p).]

Guess that excludes dodger/giant games

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Baseball is very civilized and typically attracts the educated fan.

As america goes into the collective IQ toilet, baseball suffers.

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That's kind of a snobbish and unhelpful way of putting it, but I agree with what I think you're trying to say.

Baseball has to capture the imaginations of the "city" again. Football has a hold in both the suburbs and the cities, and it is king of the castle because of it.

In short, baseball is too expensive, and I don't mean ticket prices.

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Guess that excludes dodger/giant games

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Note: One of those clubs doesn't have an NFL team in its market...

[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 9/27/2013 2:11p).]

BMX

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Guess that excludes dodger/giant games

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I so had that written in my novel... and forgot with all the other salient points.

So DallasAg is racist? That's what I took from your posts about the NBA.

Also, baseball, the only sport you can go into straight out of highschool, attracts a more educated crowd/sets a better example? Ok.

bring back PEDs. seriously. 36 hrs leads the nl. only 2 players in the entire mlb have over 40 hrs. it's ****ing boring. everyone *****ed about the unfair advantage, but let's be honest the only thing PEDs REALLY affected were the record books. other than that, nobody really gives a care.

Recruit some Big Sticks.

- Cowhered is an ESPN tool and i'd be surprised if his 70% figure is accurate. Either way, ...

- this conversation really needs to happen in terms of the 30 individual markets. Save Tampa Bay, in markets where the team is WINNING, the game is incredibly relevant.

- The major change i'd like to see is replay and they're clearly working on that. Otherwise, game seems as great as it's ever been to me.

- If you want mass appeal like the NFL then create the same kind of parity they have. I'd be very curious to see how a salary cap system would work in baseball.

Pat

What did I say that was racist?! The NHL and MLB have made repeated attempts to attract AAs, but have failed. One of the funny interviews I recall of a black Canadian... the American reporter asked, "What can the NHL do to attract more AAs?" He said, "I have no idea. I'm neither African... nor American."

AAs don't play hockey in great numbers because it is an incredibly expensive sport with most facilities in the Burbs. Areas where the % of AAs is low. Sorry if that fact is racist.

Game experience for fans at different sports should reflect the sport. There is no reason to make all sport experiences the same.

Personally... my experience at NBA games is seeing vulgar and annoying. By the fans, by the players... of all backgrounds. I'm not a fan of the NBA... I would never take children there, but if I went... I'd go with the people I hang out with. I would take my kids to a MLB game... I've taken them to a Rough Riders game... I went to a Rangers game during my bachelor party... Having said that... I'd probably not take my family to a Dodgers\Giants game. Probably not a Raiders game.

If that is considered racist these days... so beit.

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Save Tampa Bay, in markets where the team is WINNING, the game is incredibly relevant.

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Don't forget Oakland.

They put Baylor's tarpiness to shame.

True, although the difference out there when they're good is noticeable.

Not putting the final two days if the season in competition with football would be a good start.

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- this conversation really needs to happen in terms of the 30 individual markets. Save Tampa Bay, in markets where the team is WINNING, the game is incredibly relevant.

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Any winning team in the Big 3 are generally incredibly relevant. I think the distinction is losing football teams, and I'm not just talking about NFL teams- but grade school and college, too, generally stay more relevant when they're not losing.

Baseball games are sporting events. Football games are events. Baseball is our pastime, football is our passion.

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What did I say that was racist?!

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The silly "where's my byiatch" caricature was well, I'll just say it was silly.

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The NHL and MLB have made repeated attempts to attract AAs, but have failed.

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MLB has been moderately successful in places they've actually done something to try to attract African Americans. (Talking the game up doesn't count)

Hockey is expensive in most of this country, and that's a problem if they want to attract lower income families. Where the climate is such that the game isn't so expensive, in this country and others, a fair portion of poor folk play the game or at least pay attention to the sport. There just aren't a lot of non-white people in many of those areas.

Its a culture thing built up from many decades of playing XXXX sport as much as anything. What is troubling about baseball is it used to be a cultural thing in US cities, and its lost them.

I think baseball would do itself well to get rid of select-travel leagues, but that cannibalizing practice is here to stay.

[This message has been edited by TXAggie2011 (edited 9/29/2013 12:20p).]