Chris Rock on why MLB is so "un-black"

[VTech]

Hasn't tv viewership dropped pretty much across the board?

That is true. I guess I totally forgot about that. A lot of the younger demographic gets rid of cable and just uses apple tv/netflix/hulu/hbo go. I personally use a SlingBox to watch the O's

[JohnnyEutaw]

That is true. I guess I totally forgot about that. A lot of the younger demographic gets rid of cable and just uses apple tv/netflix/hulu/hbo go. I personally use a SlingBox to watch the O's

I have heard of SlingBox, but how does one go about getting out of market games? I am in metro Atlanta and rarely see the O's. Not gonna spend hundreds to get the MLB package.

[JohnnyEutaw]

In terms of age, baseball will always appeal to older, ore mature fans. I basically forgot about baseball except a few live games now and then from when I was 17-35. In my late 30s now, and I appreciate the game more and have time to follow it closely. Many baseball fans follow the sport to the point of obsession due to the amount of games and number of stats. Most fans, however, will catch a live game now and then, follow their team's scores on TV occasionally and check the standings every once in a while. I don't think it will ever be a sport that gets a ton of viewership or ticket sales from teens or 20-somethings.

[DrungoHazewood]

Obviously an older demographic is going to have more money than a bunch of 20 year olds which is fine for MLB because their viewers will have more money to spend. But you don't think the fact that World Series viewership has dropped significantly is a problem? At college, I can have 50 people over to watch the Super Bowl but get yelled at by my roommates when I turn on the World Series.

Baseball doesn't need to have NFL ratings. Of course a 7-game series isn't the same as a single game preceded by two weeks of 24/7 hype.

You say you get yelled at for turning on the Series, but I literally know zero NBA fans, and just a couple of guys who follow hockey. But just in my division leadership team of maybe 10 people at work we have three real O's fans, a halfharted/adopted O's fan, a Pirates fan, and a Yanks fan.

[OFFNY]

Obviously an older demographic is going to have more money than a bunch of 20 year olds which is fine for MLB because their viewers will have more money to spend. But you don't think the fact that World Series viewership has dropped significantly is a problem? At college, I can have 50 people over to watch the Super Bowl. but get yelled at by my roommates when I turn on the World Series.

Yell back.

[Frobby]

MLB's revenues are something like 90% of the NFL's. What are we trying to radically restructure to fix?

The average age of a baseball fan is something like 56 years old. Things are fine right now but there are some longer term issues that need to be addressed.

[Nigel Tufnel]

I have heard of SlingBox, but how does one go about getting out of market games? I am in metro Atlanta and rarely see the O's. Not gonna spend hundreds to get the MLB package.

You would need to have a friend in Baltimore who would let you hook up your SlingBox to his cable box. And if you were watching the O's, he wouldn't be able to change the channel.

[Nigel Tufnel]

The average age of a baseball fan is something like 56 years old. Things are fine right now but there are some longer term issues that need to be addressed.

Yeah, in the short term, having an old fanbase is good, because old people have money to spend. But it's bad in the long term, because in 20-25 years, a lot of those fans will be too old to care.

[backwardsk]

Fantasy football plays a huge part in it. As does gambling. It is a lot easier to gamble on football then baseball.

Hopefully this single day season baseball stuff takes off and helps draw in eyes.

How is it easier to bet on football than baseball?

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[Nigel Tufnel]

How is it easier to bet on football than baseball?

The point spread is a lot easier to understand than whatever system baseball uses, that I never bothered to understand.

Also weekly football pools.

Also, fantasy.

[DrungoHazewood]

The average age of a baseball fan is something like 56 years old. Things are fine right now but there are some longer term issues that need to be addressed.

That is a concern. And I'm definitely someone who's advocated for an active attempt to fix problems in the game. But you need to be very careful to not alienate the significant current fanbase when trying to cater to people who don't like baseball. I see parallels to how some Americans who can't stand soccer propose "fixes" to soccer to make it palatable to them. And most of them so fundamentally alter the character of the game that it renders it unrecognizable to a current fan.

[DrungoHazewood]

How is it easier to bet on football than baseball?

I admit I don't like gambling, and don't know much about gambling theory, but it can't be easy or productive to bet on a sport where the results of almost every game are pretty close to random. The best teams generally do better than the worst teams over 162 games, but the worst beat the best multiple times every year. Even when you factor in pitching matchups you rarely or never get anything like a lopsided NCAA football match.

[Frobby]

That is a concern. And I'm definitely someone who's advocated for an active attempt to fix problems in the game. But you need to be very careful to not alienate the significant current fanbase when trying to cater to people who don't like baseball. I see parallels to how some Americans who can't stand soccer propose "fixes" to soccer to make it palatable to them. And most of them so fundamentally alter the character of the game that it renders it unrecognizable to a current fan.

Very fair comment. To me, the biggest things are improving the pace of play, and playing more postseason games during times when kids can watch them.

[DrungoHazewood]

Very fair comment. To me, the biggest things are improving the pace of play, and playing more postseason games during times when kids can watch them.

Yep, I think there are plenty of things more around the margins like pace of play and postseason start times, more balls in play or stolen bases, and even more regional play that you could look at before you start doing things like halving the schedule or other radical changes. I really think that you could improve the marketability of the game to younger people with MLBAM advances, like apps and tools that get you caught up on what's happened already in a game you couldn't devote three hours to. I'd really like a phone app that shows you a condensed version of the innings (or heck, whole game) you missed in just a few minutes. Embrace the idea that most people aren't going to give 100% of 486+ hours (i.e. 1/4 of a work year) to the Orioles every year.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Average fan is 56? I sure do see a lot of young people in the stands at every game shown on TV.

I think 56 is the median age of people who watch national TV broadcasts. So right away, half the people are going to be younger than that. It's also possible that the national broadcasts could skew older, as younger people might be fans of their team, but have no interest in watching two other teams play.