While Major League Baseball has been breaking records in the past few years, it has also decreased in interest. Kids and young adults are no longer interested in playing or watching the game. There has also been a drop in attendance for live games. Here are some reasons why baseball isn’t what it used to be, according to Joseph Vessecchia.
It’s Expensive
It’s getting expensive to attend a baseball game. Both individuals and families are finding it difficult to get their hands on tickets. A family of four could spend as much as $211.53, according to the Team Marketing Report 2015 Fan Cost Index. It’s only going to increase over time. The average cost for a non-premium seat is $29, but that doesn’t include the costs for hot dogs, peanuts, pretzels, soft drinks, beers, and souvenirs. In order to get good seats and actively engage with the event, you’ll have to spend hundreds of dollars more.
The Extra Cost of Batting Practice
It even costs to watch the players during spring training. Hardcore fans are expected to pay a hefty price to watch some of their favorites during batting practice. While the food and drinks are cheaper during this time, there has been an increase in add-ons and upsells that marketers have come up with to get more money out of these fans.
The Atlanta Braves has its own Batting Practice Experience, which ranges from $55 to $90 depending on the time, day of the week, and which team the Braves are hosting. This “Experience” doesn’t include the cost for the regular admissions ticket. There are still opportunities at stadiums across the U.S. where fans can watch batting practice for free, but the extras are getting costly, especially at spring training facilities.
Local Fans Can’t Watch the Game
Due to a contract dispute that erupted in 2014, millions of Los Angeles Dodgers fans couldn’t watch their game for an entire season. It took a great deal of effort to resolve that issue by the time the next season began. At the beginning of the 2015 season, 70% of Dodgers fans couldn’t watch their favorite team because cable companies like Charter Communications, DirectTV, and Verizon refuse to pay the increased costs from Time Warner Cable, which provides the distribution rights for sports broadcasts on the SportsNet LA channel.
There are plenty of ways to cut the cord and get all of the shows you need. But since sporting packages are often only available with a cable TV package, it makes it harder to drop your cable bill. Cable packages start at $67 per month and could climb much higher. Sometimes the professional sporting packages cost more. Fans are now turning to live-streaming mobile apps, which allow them to watch the game in real-time.
The Game is too Slow
Back in 2014, the average Major League Baseball game lasted over 3 hours. That was a half-hour longer than these games lasted in the 70s and 80s. The games have gotten slower and longer thanks to commercials, pitcher and batter behavior, new rules, and endless pitching changes. The MLB has introduced new rules that will hopefully add excitement and speed up the game. The baseball season and playoffs are also much longer than any other professional sports season.
Not Enough Scoring
Baseball was much worse during the late 90s and early 00s when there was too much scoring. This was believed to be a result of the steroids controversy. Now, after tackling this issue, viewers feel there isn’t enough scoring in baseball. According to a New York Times report, there were 5,000 fewer runs and 1,000 fewer home runs in 2014 compared to 2000. There’s not enough entertainment to keep fans interested throughout the game. The lack of entertainment has translated to horrible ratings for the World Series in 2014, including one of the lowest records for Game One.
Baseball Has Few Recognizable Superstar Players
The MLB no longer has its superstar players, as most of them have retired. There is no Lebron James or Tom Brady of baseball. Americans would hardly recognize Mike Trout if he walked down the street or sat next to them at the bar. That hasn’t stopped Trout from becoming one of “the best in the world.”
This problem relates to the baseball culture itself. Baseball culture has been getting overshadowed by other professional sports. Baseball is a conservative sport in which the players don’t draw attention to themselves. There are fewer celebrities, which is a problem for young kids and Millennials.
About Joseph Vessecchia
Joseph Vessecchia has built his own online community from the ground up in an effort to help others succeed in sales, no matter the industry. Joseph and his family are heavily focused on their local community by volunteering and attending church services regularly.