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A game once the stuff of legends now forced to change its rules in an attempt to raise shrinking viewership. The MLB officially announced in March that they would be making rule changes in an attempt to make the game more fast paced and interesting for viewers. This coming from the fact that the all American pastime has been dropping in popularity for years now. The Los Angeles Times reports in March of 2023 baseball's popularity dropped 38% in people 55 years and older and 23% in people 18-34. This year's drop isn’t anything new with there having been a steady decline in viewership for decades now. A sport once dominated by legendary athletes like Babe Ruth, Joe Demaggio, Jackie Robinson, and countless other greats has become background noise in an increasingly full sports world. All of this begs the question how has a sport once at the forefront of American culture fallen so out of favor and how can they push themselves back to the mainstream. .
From the 1920’s to the early 60’s baseball was consistently America’s most watched sport. This was at a time before television and broadcasting meaning millions of fans would buy tickets in person but most would tune in over a radio. To understand baseball's fall we have to understand its rise. The rise of baseball in the US can be attributed to a variety of factors. One of the biggest is its reputation for being a people’s game. In its golden era baseball was a unifier for immigrants from a variety of backgrounds. Baseball provided an easy form of assimilation. What better way to prove oneself American than to be a fan of the American pastime. The sport gave people something to root for in this confusing new place. As it became more popular within immigrant communities the children of those immigrants took an interest in more than just watching. Many of these children would go on to play professionally giving their community representation and a direct tie to this new homeland. Over time as the families of immigrants drifted further and further from the original, baseball still maintained a strong support as it remained the everyday man's game. blue collar families, many of which had been blue collar for generations, continued to pass down an appreciation for the sport long after the need for assimilation. So what went wrong? After all people never stopped immigrating or assimilating and much of the US still has a strong blue collar community. The fall of baseball similar to its rise can be attributed to a variety of factors; the thing that unites them all is a failure to adapt.
The 1960’s were a time of great change and discovery. Unfortunately for baseball it seems that many people discovered they weren’t that big of fans anymore. The 1960’s were the first decade where the popularity of baseball began to fall. So what all changed. One of the biggest changes was the rising popularity of other sports. In the 60’s the American Football league was developed. This league gave people an opportunity to see a higher level of football with more intense offense. This level up in the game sparked a strong response and a complete 180 in the games future, something we can still see today within the sports popularity. Football wasn’t the only sport on the rise. After both world wars and the creation of new technology like the television the ocean separating the US from Europe was made just a bit smaller. This early globalization brought over European sports, namely soccer. While the US was still extremely far from having its own competitive league fans could tune in to games in Europe thanks to TV. The truth is most sports are better watched than listened to. Meaning when new technology allowed more people access to what games were actually like their fan bases grew. Harry Eren from CNN discusses how Baseball, unlike other sports, isn't all that much better visually. With its slower pace and lack of contact physicality or tricks it didn’t play as well through this new tech. It’s not that baseball changed, it's that the world did.
Adapt or die a theory first proposed by Charles Darwin doesn’t just apply to the natural world. Baseball has stayed largely the same since its golden age. And in an age of sports being more extreme, faster, with more contact, and higher technical skill baseball falls behind. It has extraordinary moments but doesn’t play nearly as well visually as higher contact faster paced sports. Its reputation precedes it with marketing campaigns that don't show the sport's most exciting moments instead relying on tradition and themed nights to bring in sales. This adherence to tradition along with an aging fan base doesn’t look good for the game's future. The sport that was once an emblem of the American dream has fallen into the bottom rankings; but that doesn’t mean it should stay there.
Baseball can make a return but there must be a desire to adapt. The key to the success in sports is the youth. Younger generations don’t care as much about what their grandfather watched growing up or if it's farm night. The world is in an influencer age and like it or not social media is crucial. Players need to become icons again. Not just to fans but to the world. Athletes with recognition and a wide reach draw people in. Encouraging greater social media use from individuals and teams can help save them from the current marketing nightmare. More than just a wider digital footprint, steps must be taken by teams and leagues to not just play but to perform.
A non league team known as the Savannah Bananas presents an interesting example of change to the dying sport. Through a faster paced style of playing along with killer marketing they have taken a failing business and made it legendary. While the Bananas act as more entertainment than sport they have mastered one major skill: marketing. When the choreographed dances and bananas are stripped away they are left with a message they describe as fan forward. The team actively engages the audience and reaches far beyond just baseball through their mastery of apps like TikTok and Instagram. Baseball doesn’t have to change all that much but the approach teams take when crafting the brand absolutely does.
What people find as enjoyable or enterating has changed and sports change with them. It isn’t the sport but the adherence to archaic tradition that is nailing the coffin shut. With the recent rule shifts and a serious marketing makeover baseball can return to its rightful place in American culture, as a unifier and the greatest pastime.
