Yup, Baseball is back. Our National Pastime is roaring all over again.
No, this is not a remake of Back To The Future of 1960s-1970s Baseball. It may seem like it.
And no. Baseball is not going to replace Football.
Still, Baseball’s return to popularity makes sense today.
Understanding it, however, is a bit complicated. Hey, the fabric of baseball runs back to The Civil War.
Don’t worry. We’ll break it down here — including four videos that take you there.
Remember, only a few years ago, Baseball was barely a second thought after Football and Basketball.
“It’s dying,” many friends said. A family member told me: “Super Bowl is over, and I am waiting for next September” and not baseball’s opening day.
And for good reasons.
Baseball didn’t entertain busy and easily distracted fans who then complained like the two elderly women in the Woody Allen classic film Annie Hall:
“The food here is terrible and the portions are so small.”
Here’s what they were really saying.
- Baseball is Boring: There was too little action, games take too long, and there was scant scoring.
- Never End Season: Major League Baseball goes from late March to October playing 162 regular season games — doubling the NBA and the NHL schedule – and 9X bigger than the NFL.
A lot has changed over the past few years.
And it is not just MLB. Changes in amateur baseball are gathering more players and their families. A recent series of videos we produced back that up.
And we’ll explore the American collective mind that might be unknowingly embracing Baseball thanks to today’s polarized American politics.
Give Credit to MLB
Let’s look at what MLB has done.
Like examining player stats, look at the data. The average age of baseball fans who either attend games or watch games is getting younger. It isn’t just Grandpa’s game anymore. MLB’s fan base is only a few years older than the NBA and NFL.
So, how is MLB getting younger fans?
First, recent MLB rules sped up the game. The Pitch Clock forces pitchers to throw every 15-seconds with no runners on, and every 18-seconds with runners on base. Duration of games are now the lowest since the mid-1980s.
Second, More scoring is happening because of new Shift Restrictions. Teams can’t have 3 infielders stacked on one side of the infield giving hitters a better chance to hit safely.
Third, Gambling and Fantasy Sports popularity is drawing more tech-engaged and younger fans to all sports – including baseball. Studies show that fantasy baseball participants watched an average of 2.85 games more than non-participants. Besides watching games, they track player stats and stay invested throughout the regular season. Studies also show that gamblers who bet on games are more likely to watch the game.
Fourth, MLB embraces new media. Streaming TV makes MLB more accessible and appealing to a broader audience even as traditional cable viewership has declined across all sports. MLB is available on digital platforms, allowing fans to watch games anytime, anywhere. Services like MLB.TV, Apple TV+, and ESPN+ have provided flexible viewing options, catering to younger demographics who prefer on-demand content.
Social media and video platforms like YouTube and TikTok have also boosted engagement, enabling casual fans to stay connected without committing to full-length broadcasts.
MLB Network offers a daily show called Quick Pitch that shows the highlights of each game from the night before.
The Savannah Bananas are one of the most effective forces revitalizing baseball. If you haven’t seen them, imagine the Harlem Globetrotters playing baseball with dances, mic’d up players, trick plays, and even a pitcher on stilts. And if you try to bunt, you’re ejected. These performances are sold out bringing in fans who normally wouldn’t go to baseball games. How popular? Savannah Bananas on Tiktok have more than 10 million followers.
New Style of Fan
These changes created more fans, but also a different fan compared to the past.
Today’s baseball fans follow their team more than they follow the overall sport.
Look at the average number of viewers who watch the World Series — 12 million – compared to more than 115 million viewers who watch the Super Bowl. Granted, one big game on a Sunday with a two-weeks of hype is easier to catch than 4 to 7 games on some weeknights.
But go deeper into the “team fan approach.” Thanks to streaming and easy access to your team, you will become more involved and entertained by your team like it is a modern-day streaming TV series. The evidence: I know lots of fans who don’t watch the MLB Playoffs or the World Series unless their team is playing and still in contention.
Still, let me go back into my baseball watching history.
When I was a kid in the 1960s and 70s, I read my hometown daily newspaper, The Hartford Courant. I was spoiled because Hartford is – what I call the Baseball DMZ – a battle ground of Sox vs. Yanks — since we are 2 hours from Fenway Park and 2 hours the other way to Yankee Stadium. So, I could follow both teams. But, as a kid, maybe a soon-to-be journalist, I wanted more. So, I also read, maybe studied, The Sporting News each week and went over everything in MLB; stories, box scores and stats.
But I wasn’t alone. My baseball buddies and I could discuss anything happening on baseball fields: when Willie Mays will retire; is Johnny Bench the greatest catcher of all time? (yes); how many more World Series victories will Willie Stargell have with the Pirates; and how do the Oakland A’s “do it” under Charley Finley.
And we still do it today more than a half century later.
However, family and job responsibilities now cut down time and narrow our concentration to — arguing and joking about the BoSox and Bronx Bombers.
So, many of us have re-joined baseball but more as today’s partisan team fans.
Amateur Baseball’s Boom
Since MLB is gaining a younger audience, amateur players and fans are also flocking to local amateur baseball games.
Stats show that a half-million high school students play competitive baseball today and that appears to be growing.
Realize this, though. Only about 8% of high school baseball players will play college ball. And the number of college players who will make it to MLB is only 1.8%. And another report says only 0.5% of high school students will make the majors.
So, the big-league dream is as achievable as hitting a 600-foot homerun. Still, the dream or the chase does not stop. And there are some obvious reasons.
Baseball Safety
Baseball is a less contact sport. Sure, there are hitters hit by pitch and collisions on-base or into walls. And young pitchers are suffering more from elbow and shoulder injuries.
But compared to football, soccer, lacrosse, and hockey, Baseball is far safer. A study found that reducing injury rates in football and other contact sports to match those of non-contact sports like baseball would result in 49,600 fewer injuries per year in colleges and 601,900 fewer injuries per year in high schools.
Additionally, concussions in football occur at a rate 15 times higher than in non-contact sports.
Parents know this now. And they are getting more involved directing their kids to play baseball.
I see what they’re seeing. Some fellow classmates and teammates who played football way back are today struggling physically and mentally as the reach retirement age.
Here’s Where I Got Lucky
My Grandfather was Charles W. Daly, a prominent, well-respected, and forward thinking doctor in the Hartford area. In the late 1960s before he passed away, he told my Dad pointing to me, “He is not playing football.”
At the time, I was the tallest in my class with a dominant fast-ball and good outfield range and instincts. (Even today in my backyard adjacent to a golf hole, I can watch the person hit his drive and instinctively I can still detect if our house is in danger long before the ball hits the ground.)
So, back in the 60s and 70s, they thought I had a chance at competitive baseball. However, a pitching shoulder injury diminished my pitch velocity and then hidden genetics never allowed me to grow to great heights despite having blood relatives towering at 6’6”.
No regrets, though. Sticking with baseball into my mid-20s, I think, has allowed me to stay very healthy into my second 50 years.
And I am not alone. Many Boomers and Gen-X Americans understand the comparative safer outcomes of baseball. Senior baseball leagues are popping up with guys in their 60s still pitching, hitting, and fielding.
And that is being handed down to today’s young athletes.
I see it with my two life-long baseball buddies – Ken “The Scruffer” Hyne and Tom Prior. They have never lost their love of amateur baseball while passing it on to their kids and grandkids. They have been coaches as well as fans and supporters over the years.
Summer League Baseball
In addition to increased participation in high schools and colleges, summer leagues are gaining traction, offering young athletes a chance to refine their skills while playing in different cities. Some of the most prestigious leagues include the Cape Cod Baseball League, Northwoods League, and Coastal Plain League, which attract top college players and professional scouts.
Here in the Carolinas, we see it with the emergence of the Old North State League. It is a summer league for high school and college kids looking to refine their skills to move up in the college ranks or to get a shot at pro ball.
The league has been around for years, but it is now expanding with new teams like the Shallotte Shallywags and the Oak Island Loggerheads. These games are now nightly events for the growing number of local residents and summer beach visitors. Watch here on Carolina Buzz. Notice too how they steal a little bit of Savanah Banana success.
Here’s another Carolina Buzz segment about the local Brunswick County community coming together to house players who are not from the region. Notice how Shallywag General Manager Steve Prokop talks about how the players get to watch big league games on TV with their hosts, and the players get to share experiences with the host’s kids and grandkids.
In the third segment, Steve explains how the new technology the Shallywags offer helps the players improve while keeping their out-of-town parents involved.
So, baseball is being passed on even more now as the older generation shares it with younger players and fans.
And it appears to be leading to a re-awakening of a unique American dynamic that baseball embeds or reinforces in most Americans.
Baseball: Part of American Soul and Psyche
What is that unique American dynamic?
It’s the balance, or battle, between the individual vs. the common good.
This confrontation, when balanced, is what made America. We stand up for individual rights while including the common good. Historically, the U.S. has thrived on this interplay or battle —where personal ambition fuels innovation, but larger institutions, communities, and traditions provide stability.
No other sport has this.
Baseball calls for every hitter — as an individual — to go against 9 opposing players – the common good. Unlike other sports with continuous motion and fluid team coordination, baseball isolates moments where a single player is entirely responsible for the outcome, stepping up against the defense. Yet, immediately after their turn at bat, they integrate back into the team structure, contributing to the common good.
And with the polarized politics America faces today, Baseball might be the calming reprieve for many Americans and they don’t even know it.
Even if fans don’t consciously recognize this dynamic, the structure of baseball, I think, evokes a sense of familiarity or national identity, reinforcing its position as America’s pastime.
Here’s the last of four videos. I raise the individual vs. the common good formula with Shallywag GM Steve Prokop. Listen in to his take.
Give me your thoughts.
John Daly writes and produces for Carolina Buzz on WingdingTV covering business and entertainment along the booming Carolina coasts. He played organized baseball since he was 5 until he was 26 when the news business called. His last years of organized ball was Assistant Coach for the West Hartford, Connecticut Legion and playing in the Greater Hartford Twilight League which is now 96 Years Old. Need to get your business’ story out, contact John at Wingding Media. Yes, we’re more than video production company. We provide digital and social media marketing that touches your audience far better than old style media. We can propel your business here and beyond the Carolinas. Call us at 843-272-1901.