I couldn't agree more with your analysis of the problems with baseball. I used to be a huge baseball fan and was someone who could actually sit through an entire game. Those days have gone away as the overall excitement of the product has diminished over time. The perspective of star players not being involved when it matters is a very valid point and one that I wish could change. I remember a time when I knew all the big stars in baseball and now I don't. The reason being that I don't watch games the same way I used to. Thinking on your statement about markieting stars gets me pondering how often I see advertising for baseball players. Only the local stuff for your own team but nothing from the league in general. How can people cheer for players they don't even know. Tradition is in my opinion the biggest straight jacket holding Major League Baseball back. The sport is so rooted in its past and being "America's Pastime" that its biggest heros are the heroes of the past. Someone is much more likely to know Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb or Mickey Mantle then any player in the game today. A big contributor to this is the statistics component to the "individual" players. Records have been set and they are standards for which the entire game is propped up on. This has led to a rigidity from the league that is very resistant to change. There has been a push from the public to both speed up the game and reduce the number of games for years but that would impact the chase for records and the statistical integrity of the league. As long as this attitude prevails then baseball is destined to continue its slide in ratings.
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I'm right there with you on those points. Tradition and statistics. At some point, they'll think about other things, but will it be too late?