MLB fans are a sturdy lot, they have to be - because their beloved sport is slowly dying. It's not going to vanish anytime soon, but like the buggy whip makers of 100+ years ago, MLB is slowly fading away. As one sports writer put it:
Empty seats can be seen everywhere on weekday nights. Take a look at a Yankee game. The sections between first and third are vacant even on weekends because the average fan can’t afford them. The same is true of Citi Field, Dodger Stadium, Tropicana Field, and Minute Maid Park. Just name the venue. If filled, the corporate seats usually contain soulless fans that don’t care.
The game’s biggest problem is its age. The average viewer on a local broadcast is over 55 and the average age of the season ticket holder is only slightly younger. Many defenders of the present state of the game would point to two issues to disprove my point: huge local TV deals and rising minor league attendance. That just proves my point further: the game is becoming regional in focus. A national apathy towards baseball is taking hold. Worst of all, kids are not playing anymore because they are simply not interested.
I recently asked a young man with a skateboard whom I judged to be about 15 with a tattoo on his neck that read BEZBO if he watched Major League Baseball, he said "No, who wants to watch a bunch of guys standing around spitting for 3 hours and getting paid 5 million bucks a year?" After fishing his vape coil out of his pocket, he jumped on his board and headed off in the direction of the local skateboard park.
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@mchill saidCould it be that there are just too many entertainment options available to this generation?
MLB fans are a sturdy lot, they have to be - because their beloved sport is slowly dying. It's not going to vanish anytime soon, but like the buggy whip makers of 100+ years ago, MLB is slowly fading away. As one sports writer put it:
Empty seats can be seen everywhere on weekday nights. Take a look at a Yankee game. The sections between first and third are vacant even on w ...[text shortened]... of his pocket, he jumped on his board and headed off in the direction of the local skateboard park.
I admit that even my own interest has fallen off a bit, but there's still a lot to like.
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@ponderable saidOh, I dunno, the Japanese took to it fairly well: But yeah, they're the exception, not the rule.
Would it really matter if Baseball would vanish?
It never really caught on anyweher in the world besides the us, did it?
@mchill saidThe rising minor league attendance and the TV deals lead me to think that the wrong conclusion has been reached.
MLB fans are a sturdy lot, they have to be - because their beloved sport is slowly dying. It's not going to vanish anytime soon, but like the buggy whip makers of 100+ years ago, MLB is slowly fading away. As one sports writer put it:
Empty seats can be seen everywhere on weekday nights. Take a look at a Yankee game. The sections between first and third are vacant even on w ...[text shortened]... of his pocket, he jumped on his board and headed off in the direction of the local skateboard park.
It would indicate that baseball is gaining in popularity based on minor league attendance and TV deals (advertising $$ chases people's attention), but that the price of MLB tickets is too high, stifling in-person attendance.