With spring training coming up the game is much on my mind. While spring is generally a time of optimism for fans this spring comes with concerns about the state of the sport in general. Talk of a potential players strike, which most agree would be disastrous, has thrown and cloud over the sport at a time when many are questioning it’s future. A lot of the buzz on sports talk radio is about how interest in the game has decreased. Most commentators agree that the key is to make the sport more relevant to younger fans. Baseball, invented in the 19th century, has been declining in popularity. The “National Pastime” seemingly has for many become the game of our fathers, a reminder of a bygone era. It has been noted that the average age of baseball fans has steadily risen and now is over 50. In today’s fast paced, super aggressive culture baseball seems slow and passive. Young people have trouble relating to the game, save stats nerds that prattle on endlessly about spin rates and launch angles. Indeed some would argue that fantasy baseball has become more popular than real baseball. In addition the increasing urbanization of America has led to a scarcity of ball fields in the inner city. The sport has increasingly had to rely on foreign players as many home-grown athletes choose other sports. The fallout from the steroid era has left a stigma on the game that turned off many fans and potential fans. For these reasons among others baseball has struggled to gain new fans as other sports gain in popularity.

To properly understand the dilemma we need to look at the status of sports in America and baseball’s place in it. Football, dominant since the 70’s, is in decline and it has little to do with Colin Kaepernick and anthem protests and more to do with CTE. Where ever you stand on police violence and respect for the flag, how many of you would, knowing what we know now about concussions and brain damage, would sign the permission slip for your son or daughter to play.  As I see it football is where boxing was in the late 70’s. Back in the day boxing was huge. Live from Madison Square Garden into homes across America every Friday night. Names like Dempsey, Louis, and Marciano were legendary and Muhammad Ali was arguably the most famous athlete on the planet. However as the effects of brain trauma became better understood the sport began losing popular appeal. When Duk Koo Kim died at the hands of Boom Boom Mancini on live TV from Ceasar’s Palace boxing’s decline from a major sport became irreversible. Football now stands on a similar precipice. I can see a future where football is a pay-per-view sport. Basketball is in ascendance, not just here but internationally and the popularity of the NBA is at an all time high. The three-point shot has revolutionized the game. The Warriors are pursuing history and LeBron James has become not just the face of the league but an international icon. Soccer, the most popular sport in the rest of the world, is rising in popularity especially among women and immigrant communities.  The challenge for soccer is that it doesn’t translate easy on television to the average fan, but with youth leagues expanding the appeal soccer is gaining in popularity.

So what does this bode for the “national pastime”? There are some positives. Baseball for one thing doesn’t share the fatal flaw of football. Concussions are an issue, especially for catchers, but far less than football or even soccer. Aside from pitchers turning their elbows into shredded cheese, the long term health risks are less than your average construction worker. Indeed baseball overall could have a very positive effects on the health of a nation that struggles with childhood obesity. Baseball also has some international appeal, at least in Latin America and the Far East. Baseball has also increased it’s popularity among women. I remember when I was a kid the only women you saw at the ballpark were our moms who were dragged there to watch the kids so dad could drink beer and watch the game in peace. Today that has changed and it is not uncommon to see couples and single women throughout the stands, though due to price increases you see less families these days. And that is at the core of the problem.

There has been attempts by baseball to solve the problem by changing the game to better relate to the times. Some of the ideas center on speeding up the game by limiting mound visits and potentially installing a pitch clock and these are ideas I can support. There are also idiotic ideas such as using the Designated Hitter in the National League and starting a runner at second base in extra innings, ideas that in my opinion will do nothing to gain new fans and will turn off older fans. However these changes, both good and bad, are superficial and will do little do little to get kids to put down the game controller and grab their mitt. And they are the key to saving baseball.

If you want younger fans it seems pretty obvious you have to start with the kids. If you wait until they’re adolescents or young adults to engage them you’ve lost them. Lifelong fans are exposed to the game at an early age. Indeed it is these childhood memories that are part of the charm of the game. The sooner they gain an understanding of the game the more likely they are to become loyal fans. And the best way to come to love the game is to play the game. What is required in my opinion is a massive investment in youth baseball from t-ball to high school. Whatever MLB is spending in this area they should double or triple down on it. Spend some of those billions you’re raking in to build new ball fields and improve facilities and equipment so that kids have a place to experience the game. There is also a role for the players in this. I propose a program where former players become honorary commissioners of their local little leagues. Show up at Opening Day and awards dinners. Help with recruiting and hold free seminars to teach the fundamentals. Use their star power to give back to the game and reconnect with why they fell in love with the game in the first place. MLB should also insist on standards of conduct for youth baseball to encourage sportsmanship and to ensure equal access for all children, both boys and girls. For at it core baseball is inclusive. You don’t have to be 6’7″ and 240 lbs. In baseball your success is base not on your size but you ability and your determination. And I can tell you from personal experience that your level of ability has nothing to do with your ability to appreciate the game. So in the end exposure is the key. Getting the kids out there and teaching them the game. So play ball!