Is baseball still America's pastime? I ask this question rather rhetorically because I believe the answer is a resounding no. The World Series has had steady declines in ratings every year since 1995. In 1995, the Series received a Nielsen rating of 19.5, which meant that there were nearly 29 million viewers. In 2010, the World Series tied its record low from 2008 with a Nielsen rating of 8.4, which equates to 13.6 million viewers. Compare that to the most recent Super Bowl which was viewed by 111 million people, and it becomes quite obvious that football has far surpassed baseball as America’s pastime. Now we must seek to find out insights on why the popularity of baseball has decreased.
Major League Baseball has done a very poor job of embracing and incorporating technology into the game. For example, the NFL has established a replay system to either confirm or deny calls on the field. It would be very easy for the MLB to establish a replay system into their own sport for bang-bang plays at the plate, but instead they leave it up to the umpires. A replay system could also be perfect for calling balls and strikes, but once again that is left up to the umpires, which leads to errors and inconsistency throughout the sport.
Another aspect of technology that MLB has ignored is social media. MLB falls significantly behind when it comes to Twitter and Facebook. The MLB has slightly over 1.5 million Twitter followers, while the NBA has over 3 million, and the NFL has 2.4 million. Currently on 277 of 750 MLB players have Twitter accounts. That may sound like a lot, but the NBA has 396 players with Twitter account and they only have 450 players. Twitter allows fans a chance to interact with their favorite players and feel a more personal connection to the game. In addition, players can also remind fans of game times, which would make them more likely to watch or even attend the event.
Another problem facing the World Series specifically is the starting times. It starts too late for the youth demographic to be able to watch. As I’m typing this it’s 11:00 p.m. on a Thursday night and it’s only the 7th inning. Most kids in high school or younger are asleep. How can the MLB expect to grow in the future, if the future is asleep during its showcase? Sure, the NBA Finals start at 9, but they are played in the summer when kids have a more lenient bed time.
The problem with baseball is not that it’s too slow or takes too long. The average NFL game takes over 3 hours to play and includes just over 11 minutes of actual football being played. Baseball's problem is just that it is marketed to consumers in an incorrect fashion. The MLB must embrace technology, social media, and be cognizant of younger viewers. A New York Times article discussed how parents are spending more time with their children than generations past. Baseball can utilize that insight to drive stadium attendance and increase their overall brand. Baseball stadiums can be great experiences for families. It can be a great experience for those who enjoy the game and the strategy, and those who just want to be outdoors in the summer. The MLB just isn’t marketing their brand in that fashion. By rejuvenating a tradition of fathers and sons playing ball together, the MLB could grow its brand and help establish sustained success moving forward. It currently isn’t America’s pastime, but it still has the potential to move back to the top if the MLB can act on key insights.
-Robert Reinhard
I completely agree with you Rob. I think MLB should position better to target more audience by make their time toward afternoon such as 4~5pm where both families and friends can watch together while having dinner.
ReplyDeleteThe main problem with baseball is that the pace of the game is much slower than any other major sport (football, basketball, soccer). It is a game of mental toughness, unlike a true physical sport. However, I think that the main reason baseball is beginning to lose popularity is that it is losing its die-hard fans. In he early 90's, die-hard baseball fans could be seen all over America as well as in movies (Angels in the Outfield, Major League, Rookie of the Year, etc.) Now, fans still enjoy the game of baseball but attendance at games are down drastically. I think that starting games at an earlier time could be a great idea to encourage more viewing. Along with that, baseball teams could also advertise more family package deals on the weekends of baseball games (Buy 2 tickets, get 2 kids tickets for free, Buy 4 tickets, get a free dinner). Therefore, the "extra costs" of attending the game are not as high.
ReplyDeleteThe 2 major issues I see with the MLB, are the slow game-times and the little sprinkling of rain having the possibility to ruin a perfect time to sit, drink a beer, and watch a sport. While the rain is always going to be an issue and can't likely be changed unless you just put everyone in domes. Forget the financial aspect of that, but traditionally, these games are outside in the sunshine so people can sit outside and enjoy themselves at a picnic of sorts. Having them inside severely challenges this "sanctity of the game" argument, but baseball must change something to bring it to a bigger audience. Whether that means marketing better to younger audiences or potentially shortening the season/length of games, is left to be seen, but something needs to happen.
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