MLB Off-Topic

[BleacherBum2310]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

meh you see the baseball is boring mainly from the same recycled articles from baseball is dying stuff. It's mostly from talking heads and stupid Rob Manfred. not even Bud Selig hated baseball as much as this guy.

oh and Bud Selig was v bad but Manfred is so bad is all i was saying lol. I'm well aware how bad the dude was.

[DieHardYankee26]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Shows how short memories are with Bud Selig.

Just a quick scan down his wiki page, oof.

[CMH]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Someone the other day told me tennis was boring but loves baseball.

My wife hates tennis. Says it's boring. (I love tennis).

I have never heard anyone on television crying about tennis needing to be more exciting or killing their sport by saying it's boring. McEnroe never harps on how the players today are too big and the game is too fast. He just commentates on the amazing he watches.

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[Blzer]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Someone the other day told me tennis was boring but loves baseball.

My wife hates tennis. Says it's boring. (I love tennis).

I have never heard anyone on television crying about tennis needing to be more exciting or killing their sport by saying it's boring. McEnroe never harps on how the players today are too big and the game is too fast. He just commentates on the amazing he watches.

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We need a Chinese checkers equivalent of tennis.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Someone the other day told me tennis was boring but loves baseball.

My wife hates tennis. Says it's boring. (I love tennis).

I have never heard anyone on television crying about tennis needing to be more exciting or killing their sport by saying it's boring. McEnroe never harps on how the players today are too big and the game is too fast. He just commentates on the amazing he watches.

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Strangely enough though tennis on both sides of the bracket has seen a significant drop off in quality of competition especially on the ****** side. I think not bringing that up is a deliberate move on the commentators parts. Why try and compare the level of competition today compared to what it was 10-15 years ago when it's going to be unfavorable?

I happen to like a well played tennis match and will watch once in a great while. I feel like tennis, much like baseball is much better live than it can come off on TV.

[ImTellinTim]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Here's the most insane stat of the day.

Since 2010, Joey Votto has only popped up 7 times.

In his 6,563 plate appearances, he has NEVER popped up to the catcher, pitcher, or first baseman.

I saw this and think it's one of the most insane baseball stats I've ever seen.

[Master Live 013]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Might be growing in revenue but:

Attendance, however, has declined for the sixth year in a row to 72.6 million.

That ain't good.

[Rocky2018]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Might be growing in revenue but:



That ain't good.

Yea attendance is down. Someone on MLB network radio the other day was saying some owners aren’t really concerned with attendance with TV contracts being the way they are. He was saying they figure out what is their daily avg need to be to couple with their tv revenue to show a profit, which I think really is the same nowadays for all major sports. I think also it’s why your starting to see new ballparks with lower number of seats


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[Jr.]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Also, more than half the league seems to be rebuilding. I read not too long ago that most teams in contention are holding steady with attendance since the cold start in April

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[TheMatrix31]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I hear more, "baseball is boring, "I can't sit through a whole game," and, "it takes forever," talk from everyday casual sports fan than from anyone in the media or MLB. It's not a fake narrative that has been perpetuated to the point that people just believe it via osmosis. It's an actual thing.

If you love baseball then obviously you don't see or understand the problem, and there's obviously nothing wrong with that.

Well the sport hasn't changed. It used to be the lifeblood of the country and even when it wasn't it was still loved all across the country. So that's not the problem.

Right now the game is loaded with all-time level intrigue and all-time level talents and prospects.

What's changed? The answer is clear what's changed.

[Speedy]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Spoiler

I left a couple thoughts in another post.

I think they need to emulate how other leagues do it. Especially the NBA. Again, this is likely going to get purists upset but if I am a player that wants to make more money, purist are just obstacles in my way.

Players need to be made more available on television during games. This includes between inning interviews for the active viewers and passive stuff like microphones and highlighting more of the plays made during a game instead of telling stories because it's a slow game.

There needs to be a more expansive pre game and post game show for the national games. MLB Network sort of has this going but it's not national enough. Right now, the blowout shows are in the post season. They need that during the season for national games. ESPN's baseball coverage is very team centric and their post game show doesn't exist as far as I know.

Changing local game times to not conflict with the national game. Right now, because baseball is mostly regional, there are many games played at the same time as a national game especially during those Fox Saturday games. That means your viewership is essentially the same fans that would have watched those teams play regardless of channel.

If it's Astros v Angels on Fox at 5 pm but the Yankees game started at 4 pm, I don't care about that national game. More than likely if you're an Angels fan, you're simply not watching your regional channel and instead switching to Fox. Great, that accomplished nothing. No new viewers.

Sunday night game of the week on ESPN isn't enough. Needs to be another night for two games and no other games conflicting.

Outside of that, there also needs to be more player specific commercials pushing the games of the week. Don't give me some five second piece about Yankees vs Red Sox. Focus on the players and what those players do. Make a comedic commercial, poke fun at recent films, anything that taps into current news while delivering information. Something that can get people talking, especially young people.

Most of these things wouldn't even affect purists or old people that don't want things changed. It may actually be nice to spend less time talking about nothing and instead talking about the game and the players , or using mics to show how players communicate, strategize, etc.

I would actually prefer to hear Altuve yelling "go two, go two" as the announcers talk about a ball in the gap in the 4th inning.

I'm writing a lot. There's always more.

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I agree fully with your sentiments about MLB's TV coverage. The primetime games don't really feel primetime with other games also going on and even so, they are either on obscure networks I don't look at (FS1) or are badly covered (ESPN). I also wish the amount of Yanks/Red Sox games would lessen so other stars can be shown - I guess that's like saying the biggest draw in LeBron shouldn't shown all the time and that's not happening though.

I think MLB has a similar package that the NBA has in EJ/Kenny/Chuck/Shaq with MLB's Tonight's Amsinger/HR/Pedro. Anybody that has watched this trio I think would agree as it's must-see-tv for baseball fans. I think it would be great to get these guys on a more "mainstream" TV appearance than MLB Tonight...which isn't always available on a lot of sports packages or streaming services.

One thing that bothers me with MLB is that history is SUCH a staple of the game (records, stats, etc.) but they don't push and MARKET the history of the game by showing old games, doing more documentaries, etc. I think with both the NBA and NFL, they do a good job in broadcasting and talking about the older games/times which then allows them to present the current players.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

Might be growing in revenue but:



That ain't good.

Yea attendance is down. Someone on MLB network radio the other day was saying some owners aren’t really concerned with attendance with TV contracts being the way they are. He was saying they figure out what is their daily avg need to be to couple with their tv revenue to show a profit, which I think really is the same nowadays for all major sports. I think also it’s why your starting to see new ballparks with lower number of seats


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Also, more than half the league seems to be rebuilding. I read not too long ago that most teams in contention are holding steady with attendance since the cold start in April

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I think Jr hit it on the head. That 6-year term cited lines up pretty nicely with the advent of the Rebuilding Era. Fans of teams that are out of contention are more interested in their minor leagues, prospects, potential trades, than going to see an intentionally inferior product put on the field.

I read somewhere MLB has seen a decline of about 1,000 fans per game (not accounting for weather). You look around and see the Royals are out of it. The White Sox were never in it. The Orioles are hideous. The Reds weren't expected to do anything. The Phillies, Braves, and Brewers were projected to maybe be .500 teams at best. San Diego is San Diego. Same with the Marlins and Mets. Probably half of the teams in baseball knew they were out of it in February/March.

There are so many teams that made the decision they had no chance to compete with the Astros, Red Sox, Yankees, Indians, Cubs, Dodgers--and rebuilding has proven to be a pretty useful strategy--that it has ushered in an even larger era of teams not expected to be competitive. The nice thing is pining for your team to be really good in the future is just about as potent a drug as rooting for a contender.

[CBoller1331]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I think MLB has a similar package that the NBA has in EJ/Kenny/Chuck/Shaq with MLB's Tonight's Amsinger/HR/Pedro. Anybody that has watched this trio I think would agree as it's must-see-tv for baseball fans. I think it would be great to get these guys on a more "mainstream" TV appearance than MLB Tonight...which isn't always available on a lot of sports packages or streaming services.

100% agree with this. When Amsinger is on MLB Tonight with Pedro or Harold or Sean Casey...or even the ever-energetic Eric Byrnes (who I find a little bit annoying yet still entertaining) I am tempted to watch MLB Tonight instead of the live Cubs game because of their studio 42 demos, the in-game updates, and the extra baseball discussion that goes on. MLB Network's coverage is very high in quality and entertainment--I find my self tuning in for nearly everything they show outside of the hour that Christopher Russo is yelling at me--and I think the bigger networks have caught on to some degree. ESPN2 broadcasts Intentional Talk as a part of it's afternoon talk-show stretch and they snagged Vasgersian to do Sunday Night Baseball. The quality guys are making their way into the limelight, and I only hope Amsinger and company get their chances too.

[SPTO]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

The decline in attendance is actually pretty alarming and is something that's been written about extensively all year but somehow other more "shinier" stories get the discussion treatment. It's may just be a coincidence but the slippage in attendance coincides with Manfred becoming commissioner.


Hmmm....

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: MLB Off-Topic

I would love to pin a decrease in attendance on Rob Manfred, but even I can't go there. lol

I still don't think attendance is really an issue. Look at the teams with decreases from 2017 to this year so far:


MIA -11.4 K/gm (what did you expect? they could've hardly tried to better alienate their fans)

TOR -10.7 K/gm (no offense to our diehard Jays fans here, but Jays fans have always struck me as uber fair weather...and the weather's been lousy)

DET -7.3 K/gm (another proud franchise embracing the total rebuild)

KC -6.7 K/gm (can you blame them? did anyone see this happening?)

PIT -6.7 K/gm (dealt away McCutchen, eh?)

BAL -6.7 K/gm (seeing a pattern here?)

TEX -4.4 K/gm (ho hum)

CWS -4.4 K/gm (poor fans, almost feel bad for 'em)

CIN -4.0 K/gm (this I expect to improve...they are playing better lately)

OAK -2.7 K/gm (doesn't exactly fit the pattern, but poor attendance here is anything but surprising)

SF -2.5 K/gm (waiting for August 11th to turn out apparently)

NYM -2.3 K/gm (obviously)


Other teams are either pretty close to even or in the positive (Brewers, Astros, Yankees, M's, Dodgers are biggest gainers). Moral of the story? Teams that suck or have been worse than expected aren't drawing fans. This is not shocking, nor is it new. Factor in an early start to the season/bad weather, that this methodology doesn't count doubleheader attendance (linked to previous point), and more than half of the league is in "who gives a ****" mode already--it's quite logical and has nothing to do with Baseball with a capital B.

Furthermore, decreasing attendance is offset by rising prices and other lucrative streams of cash.