In the last decade or so, America’s favorite pastime has seemed to take on new meaning. It used to be that baseball was the most popular sport in America, but instead, it seems like it has become a sport of the past. Major League Baseball has slipped from the number one sport, largely because the game of baseball has hit a wall that they have not yet been able to climb over.
In the mid-1980s, Major League Baseball competed with football for the most popular sport in America, but it has since fallen behind. Beginning in 1985, the Harris Poll has been asking Americans which sport, in terms of league, is their favorite. The 1985 results showed that the MLB and the NFL were very close in popularity, receiving 23 percent and 24 percent of the vote respectively. The Harris Poll conducted the same survey in 2010, with very different results. The NFL had increased to 31 percent of Americans while the MLB had declined to 17 percent — only five percentage points above college football.
I believe that one of the main reasons why the MLB has struggled to grow as much as the NFL is because the MLB has been relatively unchanged since the beginning of the league. While the NFL changed kickoffs from the 30- to the 35-yard line last season, the MLB has kept the same distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate — as 60 feet 6 inches — since it was created in 1893. As far as teams, the last time the MLB expanded into a new market was in 1993 when the Florida Marlins were founded in Miami. On the other hand, the NFL has added teams as recently as 2002 with the addition of the Houston Texans.
With a society that is moving more towards action-packed and violent sports, such as football, the MLB has fallen behind in TV ratings, largely because the sport of baseball lacks either of these characteristics. The 1986 World Series with the Boston Red Sox averaged 36 million viewers, compared to the 2011 World Series between the Texas Rangers and the St. Louis Cardinals, which averaged 16 million viewers. On the other hand, the Super Bowl has increased its TV ratings, from 92 million viewers in 1986 to 111 million viewers in 2012.
Until recently, it seemed like the MLB was not going to do anything about its decline in popularity. It was necessary for the league to create something to talk about. Fortunately, there were a couple of events this season that could help them regain the spotlight they once held.
While NFL teams, such as the Cowboys, were building the Taj Mahal of stadiums, the MLB’s biggest stadium accomplishment was simply constructing a larger model of the old Yankee Stadium. However, in 2012, the MLB finally opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art stadium: Marlins Park in Miami.
Not only is there a new stadium in the MLB, but there was also a big rule change in the postseason structure. Starting this year, there was room for two more teams in the playoffs — one from each division. This creates a one game wild card playoff in which the winner advances to the divisional series.
Due to the new playoff system, there was much more excitement about the end of the season than there used to be. Within the last week of the season, there were still 15 teams fighting for 10 spots in the postseason. It came down to the very last game of the regular season, sending the Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers to the inaugural one game wildcard playoff.
However, the biggest story that has come out the 2012 season was when Miguel Cabrera won the Triple Crown, which is awarded only if a player is leading the league in home runs, batting average and runs batted in. Cabrera is the first player to earn the award since Carl Yastrzemski won it in 1967.
I believe that the MLB can regain the popularity they once held if they are able to create the excitement that the NFL, and even NBA, has created. Whether it is building a state-of-the-art stadium, adding instant replay to the sport, or even changing the distance from the pitcher’s mound to home plate, they need to act fast before America’s favorite pastime really is in the past.
