Baseball is doomed man. The college game is barely publicized and the draft is still done OVER THE PHONE. The NFL draft meanwhile has become so popular that it's now split into 3 days of televised drama in prime time.
You can't even trade MLB draft picks yet and the Commish bitches when teams spend over "a recommended slot." He's so passive aggressive and traditional it's fucking annoying. My good friend from back home was at the WS Game 5 in Arlington this year and he said it was the least passionate game he's ever been to in any sport on any level. Even when fans' teams are in the World Series they barely can muster any energy.
Bringing more access to the game is what's going to bring in more revenue. MLB may be at it's all-time highest in terms of gross revenue but any time your sport's championship receives less viewership than another's all-star game, you gotta know that you're falling behind. That's faLLing, as in, currently in the process of decline. Let's mic up more players during games, let's get on 24/7 on HBO, let's film several reality shows in-season and during the off-season that depicts the life of a ballplayer and its relationship with its agent, front office, media, etc.
In essence, MLB needs to bond with its viewership in progressive manners. The NFL is able to still celebrate its roots while incorporating its new generations of fans. I feel as though while there has been a movement in advanced analytical thought on the game by fans and in some front offices, the directional attitude in the Commissioner's Office is still one that spurns change in order to preserve the status quo of the status quo.
Next post: how the most progressive & successful league in North America aims to better the status quo, annually, for no other reason than because it is the status quo.
