(03-27-2024 04:33 AM)Jackson1011 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:43 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 07:37 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 05:19 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  I can't imagine what MLB will look like in 20 years. Maybe back down to 16 teams hopefully.

Good luck with that. Major pro leagues don’t contract. Who was the last? Cleveland Barons, maybe?

Why would MLB still be a viable entity in 20 years? What would even lead to that assumption? Less people playing, less people watching, younger generation lacks interest, etc.

Actually it looks like the opposite

MLB is still a thing? who knew.

(04-08-2024 04:35 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 04:33 AM)Jackson1011 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 10:43 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 07:37 PM)IWokeUpLikeThis Wrote:  

(03-26-2024 05:19 PM)Scoochpooch1 Wrote:  I can't imagine what MLB will look like in 20 years. Maybe back down to 16 teams hopefully.

Good luck with that. Major pro leagues don’t contract. Who was the last? Cleveland Barons, maybe?

Why would MLB still be a viable entity in 20 years? What would even lead to that assumption? Less people playing, less people watching, younger generation lacks interest, etc.

Actually it looks like the opposite

There are more people today, that's a disengenous survey. Go out to a ball field, no one is playing baseball.

The fan base is older white men with little to no interest along younger people. How is that a positive going fwd?

Here’s the stats and you can look for yourself. If you combine baseball/softball, it’s the fastest growing youth sport in America. I don’t see playground/sandlot anything anywhere more but that doesn’t mean it’s not being played in a more organized way/ travel ball etc

https://www.wbsc.org/en/news/record-base...ted-states

Jackson

(03-28-2024 09:03 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 02:05 PM)CliftonAve Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 10:06 AM)quo vadis Wrote:  

(03-27-2024 09:17 AM)jhjhanaway Wrote:  It's funny reading the comments in this. It always feels like those that don't care for baseball, often plan for it's funeral. Baseball fills a major gap in sports. It's every day, during the summer. I am a passionate baseball fan that acknowledges that baseball is geared to casual fans. It's a great excuse to go hang with friends and have a drink and enjoy a game, any day of the week. To say no one is watching isn't true either. Forbes has an article saying there was a 7% increase in RSN viewing last year. Baseball isn't going anywhere.

MLB Regional Sports Networks See 7% Gain For 2023 Season https://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/...b1fa8a9a8a

Yes, I have been reading about the demise of MLB - which I don't watch on TV btw until the playoffs, sometimes not until the WS, and have no chance to see in person - for over 30 years. It's always the same litany - baseball is an old fogie sport, too slow, doesn't appeal to today's youth, be that the youth of the 80s, 90s, 00s, 10s, and now 20s.

And yet here we are in 2024, and MLB has overall revenue of about $11b, a billion more than the always-trendy NBA (which I personally like and follow more than MLB, btw). But MLB is the second-highest revenue league in the world, behind only the NFL.

So, somebody likes baseball, LOL.

I’m with you, but I think the concerns are legit right now. Fewer and fewer kids are participating and watching baseball;
instead they are playing soccer, basketball and LAX.

Outside the major franchise attending MLB games is more an attraction than a passion. I echo what others have said that there Will be contraction of teams in the future to the markets that matter- NY, Boston, Chicago, LA, Philly, etc.

About the "major franchises", I don't follow baseball that close, but IIRC they are not nearly as socialistic as the NFL, right? There are massive differences in player payroll between teams like the Yankees and the small-market teams, I think. There is a "luxury tax" that tries to equalize things a bit, but still, overall, there are those huge disparities. There are some teams that just can't afford to sign contracts like the Shohei Ohtani deal with the mega-rich Dodgers.

That IMO keeps the major franchises on top so much and hurts fan interest in smaller markets that can't compete for top players. If MLB became more socialistic I think that would unleash even more fan interest league-wide.

Just MO.

Speaking to the economic practices of the game, if there's a sport in America that could make a reasonable transition to a promotion/relegation model then it's baseball.

As you said, there is no salary cap like you find in other sports. The big franchises clearly spend more and sometimes an order of magnitude more. That's the setup you have in major soccer leagues and baseball could emulate that quickly.

1. You have the Summer to yourself so a long season lends itself to significant exposure and from a competitive standpoint, a reasonable metric by which to determine who is inferior.

2. There are tons of minor league markets/ballparks around the country that could form the backbone of a national system with multiple levels. Baseball is relatively popular everywhere and super popular in select places. Give fans in multiple markets something of real currency to cheer for and aspire to.

3. Forget about crappy owners not investing in their franchise. Do that very long and you lose the value of your investment...sucky teams go down and stay down.

4. No need for a salary cap and a salary minimum. Just survive and try to keep your fans happy.

5. No more worrying about footing the bill for player development. Everything is about your main club and if you need a boost, just go find an undervalued player or a young player at a lesser club. If the minor league clubs are genuinely competing for something then the minor league players might actually get a decent salary at that.

6. You could trim down the number of MLB franchises. Maybe keep it at 20. This will improve the quality of the game.

7. Maybe have extra playoff games to decide who goes down and who goes up.

(04-08-2024 05:09 PM)Stugray2 Wrote:  Before giving a take, let me ask you guys, how do you consume MLB viewing content?

Personally I watch very little national broadcast, instead easily over 90% of what I watch are my local team (SF Giants) on Comcast Sports. National basically is Playoffs, but when my team is in I still watch the local, as I do car radio or phone app (in the car or when working in the yard).

I wonder how valuable national coverage of baseball really is.

Growing up, I watched a ridiculous amount of baseball on TBS and WGN. Now days, I don't really watch any MLB. The only baseball (and softball) I watch is college, specifically, my alma mater.

I watch my Padres on their own broadcast nightly. If is an entertaining show. Watching on national networks and the broadcast is incredibly boring.