Three Things the MLB needs to do to Keep Baseball Alive
Baseball dying? The phrase seems dramatic and exaggerating the current state of affairs for America’s favorite pastime. As the country has continued to grow and change, baseball has remained steadfast. It has outlasted war, economic struggles, cultural shifts, yet none of those compare to what it is going through now: a pandemic.
As other team sports such as the NHL and NBA were quick to begin negotiations to restart seasons after being stopped by the coronavirus outbreak, the MLB ran into huge difficulties. Players being difficult and owners being difficult led to dragged out negotiations to get the season started, ultimately leading to a plan that includes under half the games in a normal baseball season. After all the drama and negotiations, the MLB’s return plan is mediocre at best and lacks the necessary elements to increase the excitement. This leads me to believe that people aren’t so invested in the long haul baseball season anymore and are looking more towards quicker gratification from another sport: football. The high-stakes season where every single game matters makes it much more riveting to engage and watch. Missing one baseball game, unless it is close to October does not hold the same weight as missing a football game, and fans are beginning to take notice. What does this mean for the future of baseball? Is baseball fading away? Well if it continues down this path, baseball’s path looks dim. Baseball is not rapidly “dying” but may dwindle down until it becomes irrelevant (Shaughnessy, 2020).
So what can baseball do to remedy this ailment so that it does not eventually lead to the end of baseball? There may be a few ways to save the sinking ship.
1. Increase audience interaction
Whether this be to get audio from the players or making games quicker and more lively, in order to keep people interested in baseball, the game must be engaging. As someone who attended many baseball games throughout my life, I know that being at a game has a different intensity than watching it on the television. However, for the time being, going to a baseball game in person will likely be impossible. So how to fix this? Make the audience feel as though they are at the game or personally connected to the game through a television. This is no small feat, yet I have no doubt that the MLB could find a way to make this happen. (Dallas Sports Fanatic, 2020).
2. A better relationship between administration and players
Seriously, this point should be a no-brainer. The constant negotiations and bickering between players and owners when determining how this season would look felt like the MLB was killing itself. Any situation of negotiations like this that may have to happen as COVID-19 continues to shape the way the world operates would dig baseball into a deeper hole. By strengthening this relationship and learning a healthy medium between the two group’s priorities, baseball will help to avoid these issues in the future. Not only that, but it would also help facilitate a better environment for players and fans alike (Yellon, 2020).
3. Make the season more intense
What do I mean by that? Well, as the world begins to transition digitally, as does a consumer or viewer’s need for instant gratification. Our attention spans are shortening and most media types are seeming to notice. However, a season of 162 games that leads to a few 7 game series to determine who is the best team in the major league is not the quick resolution that many people are beginning to need. So what could that mean for the MLB? It could mean plenty of things: making the season shorter, doing mini-tournaments, having earlier automatic playoff births and the list goes on. These changes would ensure that fans are engaged and want to watch as many games as possible, as opposed to only watching come October.
While these changes may take time and effort, it seems that anything to move against the current state of affairs is a step in the right direction. Not to mention, the fans will care, the owners will care and the players will care. It just doesn’t seem like baseball will die without giving a good fight.