In the future, I hope we can cite Dec. 2, 2021 as the day that MLB saved itself, not the day that it rendered itself even more obsolete. On that fateful day, the MLB lockout began, and no one has a clue as to when or how it will end. However, I don’t see this as an inconvenience, rather a catalyst for change in a sport that desperately needs to adapt.
As someone who grew up going to baseball games, wrote their college essays about baseball and hopes to pursue a career in sports analytics, when would you think the last time I watched the entirety of a baseball game on TV was? Maybe the World Series? Perhaps during the Cardinals’ historic 17-game win streak? Surely at least sometime this season? While those should all be extremely logical guesses based on my genuine passion for sports, the last time I recall watching a full baseball game was in 2020 when I had nothing else to do (and that comes from someone who tries to dedicate 10 and a half hours every Sunday to watching football).
As the youngest of 435 members of “The Great Fantasy Baseball Invitational,” I think that it’s appropriate to say that if you can’t get me to watch one of your games, your chances are slim at getting anyone else my age to. This should not be the case. Now more than ever, baseball is laden with young, international talent like never before, and they have the ability to utilize social media to connect with their young audiences. The likes of “Japanese Babe Ruth” Shohei Ohtani and wanderkin Juan Soto provide the MLB with the perfect selection of players to market to international youth, yet they have failed.
In order to resolve the lockout, compromises will be made and things will change; it’s just a matter of what. Yes, reconsidering contract structures, arbitration, player options, etc. are extremely important to maintaining the game, but the MLB must think outside the box and act somewhat radically to reignite young peoples’ love for this sport. There are confounding circumstances far beyond my understanding, but those involved in making these altering decisions must at least be flexible and forward thinking in matters concerning free streaming, redesigning the ball (again) to cater towards a more active game, shortening the season, etc.
If the MLB continues on the path that they’ve been on for most of the 21st century, the sport will turn from America’s pastime to America’s past. This column isn’t to (completely) sound off on the MLB’s poor management recently, instead, I wish to shed light on just how grim their future could be. This is a plea for the MLB to adapt while the opportunity is right in front of them and effectively save the future of the sport that I grew up on.