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Old 03-14-2012, 04:41 PM
 
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I am a baseball fan. I have been a baseball fan since the 90's. Despite never having been to a World Series, I still root for the Mariners. I like soccer as well. However, I am noticing, that baseball is becoming more and more disliked. I am finding this attitude among the young people, American and foreign alike. What is it about baseball that more and more people are not liking?
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Old 03-14-2012, 07:43 PM
 
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I guess no one has any answers why?
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:06 PM
 
Location: Parts Unknown, Northern California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by green_mariner View Post
I guess no one has any answers why?
Because you have not provided a sufficient framework within which a discussion might take place.

You need to provide an essay where you outline the evidence which has caused you to conclude that baseball is becoming more despised. Have you seen some survey indicating this? Are you basing it on an examination of MLB attendance and revenues? Have you seen a large amount of journalism recently which has examined the question and concluded baseball has become hated?

Because you didn't, what I suspect, and I suspect most readers here also suspect, is that you are basing your thesis entirely on personal feelings and groundlessly projecting them onto the public.....you are finding baseball more annoying, therefore most people must be finding it more annoying.

That is probably why.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:09 PM
 
371 posts, read 812,403 times
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I should preface all of this by saying that I am a life-long, die-hard baseball fan who loves the game, and follows it 10x more then other sports.

---

I don't know if "despised" is the right word, but I think MLB is less popular in general than it once was -- especially by those that don't have a team to root for (or a good team to root for).

It's the usual suspects: there are many things drawing attention away from people, baseball games are long and (for the uninformed) can appear boring. It doesn't have the urban glamor that NBA and (to a lessor extent, the NFL) that can make it cool to follow. There are so many games, that each isn't an "event" worth drawing peoples' attention away from the other million things they are thinking about.

I think it has also snowballed where baseball is seen as an old game that only old people follow. In many places, its probably seen as quant to be a baseball fanatic. In other words, being a major baseball fan in some places isn't going to make you a cool middle-schooler.

Also, I think, because of the major focus on statistics, its seen as a nerd's game. It doesn't help that MLB players are often not as atheletic looking as NBA or NFL stars. If you are a typical 16 year old kid, do you want to be associated with a "nerd's game," or the game of big, strong bad-asses (NFL, NBA)? I think that is a problem for baseball. With the young set, NFL is seen as manly and tough, and it goes along with the image that a young boy/man wants to exert. Baseball does not.

I think, however, in cities with MLB baseball teams (especially good teams), baseball is alive and well. Attendance is high compared to other eras, and local ratings are solid.

But, I think the days where someone from Omaha or rural West Texas, or North Carolina was a baseball fanatic are in the past (for now). It's just not on the national consciousness like it was. In 1930 or 1950 or 1980, your average kid in those places would probably, at least, generally follow baseball, and know what was going on. Today, the average kid in those places may not be able to name 10 MLB teams.

Baseball is big in the North East, and in cities that have a moderatly successful teams. Elsewhere: not so much.

And, even in places with good teams, the interest may not go beyond their local team. I live in Orange County, and the Angels are huge here. We sell 3 million tickets each year, and most of the people in my office generally follow what is going on with the team. But, despite being big Angel's fans, they are not huge MLB fans. I know people in my office that may go to 10 Angel's games a year with their families, know the whole roster, and follow the AL West standings, but don't watch the World Series, and couldn't tell you who is in first place in the NL Central at any given time.

Many people enjoy going to local games with their famlies, and following their teams -- but they really aren't too worried about the rest of the league and, as a result, don't watch a lot of national baseball TV broadcasts.

Last edited by bowneline; 03-14-2012 at 08:24 PM..
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:38 PM
 
72,817 posts, read 62,160,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Grandstander View Post
Because you have not provided a sufficient framework within which a discussion might take place.

You need to provide an essay where you outline the evidence which has caused you to conclude that baseball is becoming more despised. Have you seen some survey indicating this? Are you basing it on an examination of MLB attendance and revenues? Have you seen a large amount of journalism recently which has examined the question and concluded baseball has become hated?

Because you didn't, what I suspect, and I suspect most readers here also suspect, is that you are basing your thesis entirely on personal feelings and groundlessly projecting them onto the public.....you are finding baseball more annoying, therefore most people must be finding it more annoying.

That is probably why.
Let me rephrase the question. I don't despise baseball. However, alot of people I come into contact with don't like baseball. I am running into more people who don't like baseball than ever. I am around many international students and whenever basketball season comes around, everyone is thrilled about it. Whenever it's baseball season, no one cares. It isn't just international students. Whenever the Super Bowl, March Madness, or SEC football is in season, I see alot of American students flocking for that. When it was the World Series, much fewer people.

Whenever I have tried to talk about baseball with some people, I have personally heard stuff like "baseball is boring" or "baseball takes too long". Alot of baseball fans I run into are people who have played baseball, or people over 30. I am finding fewer and fewer people under 30 who like baseball as much as I did back in the 1990's.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Blankity-blank!
11,446 posts, read 16,138,693 times
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Spectators want to see action, such as hard tackles in football, where the tackled guy's helmet flies off and he doesn't get up right away. Spectators also like to see basketball players showing off by hanging onto the hoop after a lay-up shot.
Most people who dislike baseball don't think there is any strategy going on between play action.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:48 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,156 posts, read 80,278,112 times
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People here are fed up with the Mariners losing so attendance is way down, but if they were good the stadium would sell out again. The ticket, parking, and food prices are just too high to have to watch a crappy performance.

We used to go to 6-8 games a year, even at the Kingdome, now 1-2.

Also, here, soccer is so popular that sports budgets are spent more on the Sounders.

Nationwide I agree that it's not as appealing to younger people. I also noticed that the NBA lockout didn't seem to bother people much. When it comes to basketball, college seems to be far more popular than NBA.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:53 PM
 
72,817 posts, read 62,160,234 times
Reputation: 21772
Quote:
Originally Posted by bowneline View Post
I should preface all of this by saying that I am a life-long, die-hard baseball fan who loves the game, and follows it 10x more then other sports.

---

I don't know if "despised" is the right word, but I think MLB is less popular in general than it once was -- especially by those that don't have a team to root for (or a good team to root for).

It's the usual suspects: there are many things drawing attention away from people, baseball games are long and (for the uninformed) can appear boring. It doesn't have the urban glamor that NBA and (to a lessor extent, the NFL) that can make it cool to follow. There are so many games, that each isn't an "event" worth drawing peoples' attention away from the other million things they are thinking about.

I think it has also snowballed where baseball is seen as an old game that only old people follow. In many places, its probably seen as quant to be a baseball fanatic. In other words, being a major baseball fan in some places isn't going to make you a cool middle-schooler.

Also, I think, because of the major focus on statistics, its seen as a nerd's game. It doesn't help that MLB players are often not as atheletic looking as NBA or NFL stars. If you are a typical 16 year old kid, do you want to be associated with a "nerd's game," or the game of big, strong bad-asses (NFL, NBA)? I think that is a problem for baseball. With the young set, NFL is seen as manly and tough, and it goes along with the image that a young boy/man wants to exert. Baseball does not.

I think, however, in cities with MLB baseball teams (especially good teams), baseball is alive and well. Attendance is high compared to other eras, and local ratings are solid.

But, I think the days where someone from Omaha or rural West Texas, or North Carolina was a baseball fanatic are in the past (for now). It's just not on the national consciousness like it was. In 1930 or 1950 or 1980, your average kid in those places would probably, at least, generally follow baseball, and know what was going on. Today, the average kid in those places may not be able to name 10 MLB teams.

Baseball is big in the North East, and in cities that have a moderatly successful teams. Elsewhere: not so much.

And, even in places with good teams, the interest may not go beyond their local team. I live in Orange County, and the Angels are huge here. We sell 3 million tickets each year, and most of the people in my office generally follow what is going on with the team. But, despite being big Angel's fans, they are not huge MLB fans. I know people in my office that may go to 10 Angel's games a year with their families, know the whole roster, and follow the AL West standings, but don't watch the World Series, and couldn't tell you who is in first place in the NL Central at any given time.

Many people enjoy going to local games with their famlies, and following their teams -- but they really aren't too worried about the rest of the league and, as a result, don't watch a lot of national baseball TV broadcasts.

If this is true, it is quite an eyeopener. I wanted to ask because today I was on youtube. I was wathcing old youtube videos of previous World Series games, mainly between 1979 and 2009. I have also been watch previous Division Championship games. I felt alone because where I was today, I couldn't find a single person to relate to as far as what I was feeling. I was feeling nostalgia when I watched a video of the Seattle Mariners winning the ALDS in 1995. I get excited still when I see it. I don't know if alot of people where I live seem to understand. I get nostalgic when I see baseball back in the 1990's. I have wanderlust when I watch baseball games from the 1970's and 80's. It's difficult to explain the nostalgic feeling to anyone who doesn't like or understand baseball very well. For me, it was a feeling of being young(I'm 25 now), and for the games that were before my time, it makes me wonder what it would be like for me to live in 1980.
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Old 03-14-2012, 08:59 PM
 
72,817 posts, read 62,160,234 times
Reputation: 21772
Quote:
Originally Posted by Visvaldis View Post
Spectators want to see action, such as hard tackles in football, where the tackled guy's helmet flies off and he doesn't get up right away. Spectators also like to see basketball players showing off by hanging onto the hoop after a lay-up shot.
Most people who dislike baseball don't think there is any strategy going on between play action.
I've played the game and I know there is a certain strategy. It is more about the details and the subtlety of it.

With basketball or football, the strategy is more apparent and to me, easier to look for. In baseball, you have to think about things more. You never really know what pitch will come next, or if the pitcher will hit the batter in the head with the ball. You never know where the ball will get hit, or what play will come up next. To me, it's like chess. You have to play the game to understand.

To me, I never really got into basketball that much. It was something I was forced to play in gym class because baseball was not provided.

I never got into football because, I don't know, I was always more into baseball.

Interestingly, I like soccer and will watch it.
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Old 03-14-2012, 09:16 PM
 
72,817 posts, read 62,160,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140 View Post
People here are fed up with the Mariners losing so attendance is way down, but if they were good the stadium would sell out again. The ticket, parking, and food prices are just too high to have to watch a crappy performance.

We used to go to 6-8 games a year, even at the Kingdome, now 1-2.

Also, here, soccer is so popular that sports budgets are spent more on the Sounders.

Nationwide I agree that it's not as appealing to younger people. I also noticed that the NBA lockout didn't seem to bother people much. When it comes to basketball, college seems to be far more popular than NBA.
I'm a Sounders fan. I will definitely watch them. Seattle seems to be one of the few places in the USA where soccer is popular. Most soccer fans I know(even American soccer fans) don't like soccer played in the USA. Alot of them have never heard of Seattle's team. I hear more about Chelsea, Manchester, Juventus, or AC Milan.

As for the Mariners, I am aware of how bad they have gotten. I would still root for the Mariners and go to their games. The problem is, I live in the Atlanta area now. As expected, most people are Braves fans. However, even with the Braves success, attendance has been declining somewhat. I remember in 2002 when the Braves were drawing 12,000 people a game, in the month of April. People seemed to be getting bored with the Braves.

I still miss the Kingdome. One of my childhood memories is in that stadium. I have a 1991 pocket schedule of the Seattle Mariners(back when they were blue and gold).
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