Major League Baseball Decline Essay

Parker Hayen

Cosby

ENGL 1101

5 May 2023

The Decline of Major League Baseball: A Study on Popularity and Relevance in Modern Times

Known as ‘America’s Pastime’, Major League Baseball is an institution that has captured the hearts of Americans for over a century. However, in recent years, the sport has experienced a decline in popularity. This decline not only has economic implications for the country but also has cultural implications. Baseball has long been a symbol of American culture and a tool to circulate money through the economy, and its decline has left many wondering what this means for the future of our society. As Major League Baseball works to regain and spur popularity in the United States and beyond, we can observe patterns from

This trend of talented and successful teams yielding an increase in attendance and revenue can be seen both in the past and in the present. In the 2014 MLB season, the Kansas City Royals clinched their first postseason berth since they won the World Series in 1985. Fans had not seen a competitive team in nearly 30 years. Their 2014 campaign fell one win short of a World Series title, so their fans were excited about the possibility of winning the title in 2015 From 2014-2015, the KC Royals' average attendance per game increased by 38.3%, the largest margin in the MLB (Gaines). Another team that saw immense growth between the 2014 and 2015 seasons was the Houston Astros. A struggling Astros team had just recently moved from the NL Central to the AL West, seeking a new identity with a fresh rebrand. From 2011-2013 the Astros had a win percentage under .400. Although 2014 was not a successful year for the Astros as they only improved their win percentage to .432, the 2014 Astros team featured several players that would end up defining the 2015 Astros team that advanced to the Division Series. The 2015 Astros were a successful team, so their improvement yielded an increase in average attendance per game by 21.4% (Gaines). Both of these teams drew in more fans because they provided fans with what they wanted

This has come with many diverse efforts to engage and draw in potential fans like rule changes, new merchandise, and games outside of the United States and Canada. In the 2023 MLB season, new rules were implemented to make the game more exciting. Younger fans that are not very interested in baseball are drawn in by the high amount of action, along with more defensive highlights, steals, and base hits through defensive shift restrictions, bigger bases, and a pitch timer (Rogers). Other efforts like City Connect jerseys, individualized jerseys for each MLB team that celebrates “the connection between the team, the fans and their city” (“MLBshop.com”), and the MLB World Tour, a series of games played in countries other than the United States and Canada to spur enthusiasm about the MLB, are also being used. These all aim to provide fans with a greater incentive to watch baseball than other