Three Ways to Make MLB More Fun
The change to the Home Run Derby seemed to make people enjoy it a little bit more. The time limit was a good idea and people weren't as hesitant to change as they thought they would be. Yes, the idea of a clock runs counter culture to baseball. Yes the game is an exhibition and yes, it gets rating regardless but, the clocks seemed to make it better.
Now is when baseball can use this and try to make subtle tweaks to the game. You know, for fan excitement purposes. Here are a few ideas to make baseball's entire year a little more fun.
1) The All-Star Game Shouldn't have World Series Ramifications
On July 9th, 2002 MLB panicked. Over 13 years ago one of the most iconic moments in MLB history saw then Commissioner Bud Selig shrug his shoulders during the All-Star game, leading to the game ending in a tie.
The next year MLB decided to trot out a new slogan. "This time, it counts." What does that mean? It means that the winner of the All-Star Game determines what league (American League or National League) has home field advantage in the World Series. So, if a one-time All-Star like Brett Gardner hits a walk-off double to win the game for the AL it matters in October. It matters, even if the Yankees aren't playing and Gardner is watching the game from his couch.
No other sport league does this. The NBA doesn't care about the All-Star game in that way. The NHL doesn't care about it in that way and the NFL has their version of an All-Star game (Pro Bowl) the week before the Super Bowl. The rules state that if you're in the Super Bowl you don't play in the Pro Bowl. They don't care.
You can say it makes MLB's game unique but most people see it as a panic move that MLB did because fans were mad that there was a tie.
"We can't have ties, this is America! We don't tie! We win! What's going on? I hate this game. Good riddance"
I assume some version of that was said after the tie in 2002 and MLB decided to adjust. Now they need to adjust it the other way. You can do other things to make people care.
2) Install Some Version of a Clock in MLB
This seems like a fix that you could mess with and it wouldn't change that much about the game. Yes, I understand that baseball historians pride themselves on the fact that the game is timeless. They love the fact that the game has no clock and that's what makes it special.
However, I refer you to an article that Bloomberg posted over a year ago documenting the median age of baseball fans in the US.
For the sport of baseball the median age of the viewer watching it was 54 years old. Even worse, over half of the TV viewers were 55 or older and 6% were under 18. Football was younger, hockey was younger and basketball was younger. The only sport that baseball beat was golf.
Maybe installing a pitch clock or a time limit in a game won't solve all of the problems but if you're only reaching 6% of viewers 18 or younger then it's hard for your sport to maintain. Ask boxing and horse racing how they feel. Sure, the Kentucky Derby and a Mayweather fight matter but that's it. Be careful baseball.
3) Have More All-Star Game Events
Again, this doesn't have to be something elaborate. We have an event now that highlights people hitting balls over 450 feet and we love it. Add in some other elements that we love. Do you remember the Yoenis Cespedes play in Los Angeles where he threw out Howie Kendrick from the wall? Why not do that?
It doesn't even have to be an MLB player trying to beat the throw. Maybe have a track and field Olympian trying to beat Yasiel Puig's throw. You'd watch that, even for only a few minutes.
Maybe you have baseball players try to play other sports like basketball or football. Maybe they succeed and maybe they fail but it would be fun to watch. I don't know how good Bryce Harper is at basketball but it would be fun to watch him try.
These are ideas that may be terrible when they come to reality but at least it's an attempt. Again, baseball is dying and they need something to make young people care about it. Otherwise you, boxing and horse racing will all be sitting together remembering the good old days and wondering why people don't love you as much as they used to and the NBA and NFL are sitting atop the throne.