The demise of Major League Baseball

[CTdeadhead]

I personally don't like baseball anymore and I was a HUGE fan growing up in the 70s.  My sports hero is still Reggie Jackson and I feel the game is just not the same.  New teams, new divisions, new stages of the playoffs, its just been overly monetized in my opinion.  Drugs and corruption have ruined my perception of MLB and also tearing down Yankee stadium was too much for me to handle.  Can't watch it anymore, just don't care.

You never go to a rock concert and leave thinking...my band lost.  I choose to put my energy into something less disappointing. 

[Tracy 2112]

You never go to a rock concert and leave thinking...my band lost.  I choose to put my energy into something less disappointing.

nice

[davymac]

Well the Braves are doing pretty good and they are pitching almost as good as with greg maddux, glavin, and smoltz so baseball hasnt really lost it's appeal to me

[Jaimoe]

The Jays attendance is on the rise, although still around half of the 4 million they used to draw in the mid '90s. Television ratings are really really impressive; they've always had good ratings, partly because they are Canada's team and a have a strong and loyal overall fanbase. Radio numbers are excellent too and their games are carried across the country.

As for the demise of MLB, there have been some news features lately regarding the lack (and worrying downward trend) of African Americans interested and/or playing the sport at a grass roots level. However, baseball remains huge in other countries such as Japan and several South American regions. If MLB is declining somewhat in the US, baseball as a sport is strong as ever.

The summer and fall diversion that television offers nowdays no doubt has an effect on the ratings of any given team. So does video games and the computer. One thing worth noting is that tabulating TV numbers is not an exact science. Also, it's tough to tabulate radio numbers too. If sports bars are not on the decline, and they are not, then you can bet baseball games are being watched by vast numbers on a daily/nightly basis, but it's impossible to calculate or prove it.

[Tracy 2112]

My point about TV ratings is that The World Series has lost half its viewers since the 80's but the Super Bowl has stayed about the same.

On a side note, I heard the women's World Cup final on Sunday set the record for most tweets per second regarding a sporting event. Pretty impressive.

[Jaimoe]

My point about TV ratings is that The World Series has lost half its viewers since the 80's but the Super Bowl has stayed about the same.

On a side note, I heard the women's World Cup final on Sunday set the record for most tweets per second regarding a sporting event. Pretty impressive.

However, tweet is a new communication gadget and Japan is wired in like nobody's business. Still, the overall quality and coverage of the WWC was impressive.

The Super Bowl is a one-day event (with a torturous week build-up of dismal hype). It's hard to defend the numbers regarding the World Series. ADD culture doesn't help ratings either.

[bowl of soup]

Why do people refer to Toronto as a "small market"?  It's got to be one of the biggest markets in the hemisphere and is owned by people who can print money.  Their lack of competitiveness over the last 15 years is without excuse.

[ericm]

I personally don't like baseball anymore and I was a HUGE fan growing up in the 70s.  My sports hero is still Reggie Jackson and I feel the game is just not the same.  New teams, new divisions, new stages of the playoffs, its just been overly monetized in my opinion.  Drugs and corruption have ruined my perception of MLB and also tearing down Yankee stadium was too much for me to handle.  Can't watch it anymore, just don't care.

You never go to a rock concert and leave thinking...my band lost.  I choose to put my energy into something less disappointing.

I've been pretty disappointed leaving some concerts I've seen over the years.Maybe not to the point of the Yankees losing a World Series, but having spent some serious $, and looking forward to the show,only to see a band on an off night or tour can be pretty damn disapponting,imo.

Never the less, I can certainly see where you or anyone else can be turned off by the state of Major League Baseball today.

I wish they would stop chasing all the tv dollars, and give us one or two daytime World Series games every year. It'd be a great way to grab kids attention, and get them interested in the game at a young age like it did for me, and so many others.

[Jaimoe]

Why do people refer to Toronto as a "small market"?  It's got to be one of the biggest markets in the hemisphere and is owned by people who can print money.  Their lack of competitiveness over the last 15 years is without excuse.

It drives me nuts. Some, but not all, sports media in the US think Toronto is a small market. However, the area is the 4th largest in NA, not including Mexico City. Actually, the Greater Toronto Area has a population base of over 8 million and "Hog Town" is considered the biggest NHL market in the world. The Raptors are also Top 10 in attendance year after year.

I disagree somewhat (with a respectful *) with the amount of years the Jays haven't been competetive since there's always a dollar issue (also with the Raptors). The Jays and Raptors are paid in US dollars, so when the CDN dollar was 65-75 cents compared to the US, it was difficult to go after free agents and/or keep more than a couple of stars on a team. And when it comes to the Raptors, it has been a real challenge to recruit US players simply because we don't have ESPN (on basic cable) and are seen as a cold climate. But our climate is nearly identical to Chicago and Detroit, similar to NYC and Boston and much warmer than Minnesota. Fame in the US is also related (see that fucker Bosh and Wince Carter).

On a related note, until they got their current and very very good GM, Alex Anthopoulos, the Jays haven't had a quality boss since Pat Gillick. But the ship has righted itself and few now, including the US sports pontificators, think it'll be long before the Jays make a serious playoff run. Many think it'll be next year. I agree. They need to add just a few missing pieces... and a fucking closer would be the first place to start. Over 15 blown saves so far! 

[YouAre_GivenToFly]

"Whaat? You want MORE teams in the playoffs???"

[Eweezy]

I personally don't like baseball anymore and I was a HUGE fan growing up in the 70s.  My sports hero is still Reggie Jackson and I feel the game is just not the same.  New teams, new divisions, new stages of the playoffs, its just been overly monetized in my opinion.  Drugs and corruption have ruined my perception of MLB and also tearing down Yankee stadium was too much for me to handle.  Can't watch it anymore, just don't care.

You never go to a rock concert and leave thinking...my band lost.  I choose to put my energy into something less disappointing.

Totally agree to a point.  I am a Florida Marlins fans so disappointing is our middle name.  I know we have 2 WS Championships and I am so grateful for going to both of those but I would just like some consistency.  Music doesn't make me angry like sports especially baseball.  I know to some it is boring and is on a decline ratings wise but I still love it and I still watch and go to a bunch of games.  Next time a Marlin game is on look close you might see me, I am one of the 100 or so people there. ;D

Mike Stanton is a Beast though and so is Josh Johnson as soon as he gets of the DL.

[ScreamingDizBuster]

I love baseball. In fact I am watching my STL Cardinals right now. I have watched, attended or listened to all but about 25 games since I started in 1989.  Up until this season MLB enjoyed more popularity than ever.  I come from St. Louis and live in Louisville.  STL was the highest rated market for the world series and all-star game the past few seasons.  Baseball is just what sports fans follow there, and it is not a large market.   

The Pirates just started winning and people came out. They sold out something like 8 of their past 12 games. 

I am actually surprised how little the recession has diminished attendance at MLB games. 

For those bemoaning steroids and poor pitching, obviously you gave up years ago because pitching is back.  I prefer a 2-1 pitchers duel to a blowout any day.  The only thing that still spoils the game is commercialism.  Big money and, literally, TV commercials slow the game down.  But come on, the game is far more complex strategically than soccer, basketball or hockey.  It has moments of great athleticism, but it offers much more in strategy, history and life lessons about determination, consistency, hard work and balance. 

I do agree that our ADHD culture can't appreciate baseball.  But there are a lot more important issues facing out society that are also diminished by ignorance and disaffection.  dare I reference our current political state???

Anyway,  if you quit baseball years ago, give it another look. Were I commissioner I would change a lot of things, but I much prefer MLB to the NFL or NBA.  I mean, you want to talk about a sport that fans can't afford look at the NBA and you want to talk steroids, look no further than the NFL. I love how the NFL gets a free pass on that issue but baseball gets beaten up because it still aims for some measure of integrity.