How to make baseball more interesting

[wildbillhiccup]

39 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

It wasn't trolling.

I figured everyone knew that NFL games run ~3 hours, the same length that is considered too long for baseball.

I figured everyone knew that NBA playoff games last forever.

And yet you don't see folks complaining as much about them.  Baseball is held to a different standard.

MLB is held to a different standard because it is different. Yes, the NFL games are just as long, but the condensed schedule creates an edge of the seat / must win now mentality. And the NBA season is too long, but there's almost nonstop action from start to finish. The NBA has also done a better job of marketing to millennials (i.e., cross promotions, involving current/relevant artists, etc.). The NFL, not so much, but it doesn't really have to because of it's immense popularity. Like it not MLB is probably much closer to the NHL in terms of the direction it's heading in terms of popularity. 

 

[wildbillhiccup]

36 minutes ago, Redskins Rick said:

No, I really don't. Only so many hours in the week, and I dont spend all my off time watching sports.

Usually, I try and get some Redskins time, but, I haven't seen the first game this season of theirs. They pissed me off with that kneeling crap. I had friends die supporting this country. Sorry, trying not to political and get this thing locked down.

But, I am told, the kneeling crap is mostly over, and i get watch about 2 hours of the redzone with this weekend with my son and nephew.

Kudos to you. I have a hard time turning off the Red Zone channel. It's INTENSE. 

[theocean]

5 hours ago, wildbillhiccup said:

I completely get the argument against change from the traditionalists, but they absolutely need to find a way to speed up the game if they want to attract a younger fan base. And if they don't, it's probably going to go they way of hockey and become more of a niche sport. I'm not sure I agree with all of the suggestions made by the original poster, but pitching changes take up a ridiculous amount of unnecessary time and they completely kill the pace of the game. Limiting the number of pitchers allowed on rosters and making them face more than one batter seems like it would help. 

I don't think the pace of play is really stopping things. An NFL football game goes just as long and people are happy to spend a weekend binge watching college football and NFL football. The difference is baseball is presented in a boring way on television and isn't accessible to a lot of younger people.

Quite honestly, one big issue that is overlooked - MLB The Show, the only baseball video game, is only available on PS4. There alone, MLB is losing a lot of kids' attention - or whoever has an XBOX. Video games play a huge role in how kids learn sports. Madden is singlehandedly the reason why I am an NFL football fan.

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, theocean said:

I don't think the pace of play is really stopping things. An NFL football game goes just as long and people are happy to spend a weekend binge watching college football and NFL football. The difference is baseball is presented in a boring way on television and isn't accessible to a lot of younger people.

Quite honestly, one big issue that is overlooked - MLB The Show, the only baseball video game, is only available on PS4. There alone, MLB is losing a lot of kids' attention - or whoever has an XBOX. Video games play a huge role in how kids learn sports. Madden is singlehandedly the reason why I am an NFL football fan.

 

[Yossarian]

If you're really wanting to keep the attention of the "can't go two minutes without looking at my phone" crowd here is the solution:

1.  Three inning games

2.  Three balls is a walk, two strikes is a strikeout and a foul ball on the second strike is still a strike

3.   Fans should be allowed to storm the field and protest anything at any time (baseball related or not).  Getting in the faces of the umpires for being "old white guys" is encouraged.

 

On a serious note - I played in a slow-pitch softball "one pitch" tournament one time.  You got one pitch to work with.  A ball was a  walk and if you didn't put the ball in play, it was a strikeout.  A 7 inning game took about 35 minutes.

[theocean]

19 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

 

RBI is an arcade version and OOTP in on Steam. Not full sims like MLB The Show or Madden or NBA 2k. There's a big difference there, especially for 8-14 year olds who learn the game through a video game.

[Can_of_corn]

4 minutes ago, theocean said:

RBI is an arcade version and OOTP in on Steam. Not full sims like MLB The Show or Madden or NBA 2k. There's a big difference there, especially for 8-14 year olds who learn the game through a video game.

You say on Steam like it's a bad thing.

[theocean]

3 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

You say on Steam like it's a bad thing.

Not a bad thing, just a lot of kids have XBOXs, PS4s, and Switches. They haven't yet joined the PC Master Race.

[wildbillhiccup]

1 hour ago, theocean said:

I don't think the pace of play is really stopping things. An NFL football game goes just as long and people are happy to spend a weekend binge watching college football and NFL football. The difference is baseball is presented in a boring way on television and isn't accessible to a lot of younger people.

Quite honestly, one big issue that is overlooked - MLB The Show, the only baseball video game, is only available on PS4. There alone, MLB is losing a lot of kids' attention - or whoever has an XBOX. Video games play a huge role in how kids learn sports. Madden is singlehandedly the reason why I am an NFL football fan.

Football is nonstop action. There are too many dead moments to disengage during a baseball game. 

[SurhoffRules]

18 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

Football is nonstop action. There are too many dead moments to disengage during a baseball game. 

I feel like we're getting close to apples an oranges. There are roughly equal amounts of ball in play vs. standing around/setup in both football (11 minutes - https://qz.com/150577/an-average-nfl-game-more-than-100-commercials-and-just-11-minutes-of-play/) and baseball (18 minutes - https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/theres-about-18-minutes-of-action-in-your-average-mlb-game/).

Whether and individual finds the time between plays in football or baseball more exciting is largely going to be personal preference. I personally don't find watching people shuffle on and off the field is any more (or less) intrinsically rewarding than watching the batter and pitcher stare each other down.

In football that broadcast time is often filled with replays and might be less noticeable than listening to the baseball commentator trying to fill dead air while the catcher relays the signs, but I think that's more an issue of presentation than the sport itself.  I certainly do think the NFL puts a lot more thought into the entertainment value of their broadcasts than the MLB though.

[BohKnowsBmore]

2 hours ago, Dipper9 said:

Mark me down for 5 games a week.  Thursday, Monday, and three on Sundays.  And on Thanksgiving week its Monday, 3 on Thursday, and 3 on Sunday.  

I guess I'm in the minority when it comes to this topic.  I like baseball the way it is.  I don't mind 3 hour football games.  And I don't care if a round of golf takes up an entire Saturday.  Normally these things are events or days that I plan out for that purpose.  If my intention is to rush through a game so I can go do something else, well, I guess the game isn't really the priority for those folks. 

I am the same.  I'm in no rush to get these things over with.  While I may be a select group (die-hard fans vs. general population),  I sometimes get the vibe that we hear so much about this topic because sportswriters want their jobs to be easier/quicker.

[Natty]

18 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

Football is nonstop action. There are too many dead moments to disengage during a baseball game. 

When you go to a football game its not nonstop action at all. Its often a bunch of players standing around on the field waiting for the TV commercials to end.  

[tntoriole]

We need to figure out how to have more FUN at baseball games at every level..from Little League to minor league to MLB games..

And maybe having hot corner street discussions would be good too..see this video by the late Anthony Bourdain in Cuba...at 3:25 at a youth game, then another segment featuring the Cuban hot corner street baseball arguments at 22:50, then the chaos of noise and joy by fans at the Cuban professional games at 35:25....or you can watch the whole segment which is great too..

We need to rediscover joy in the game as fans...

 

[atomic]

1 hour ago, wildbillhiccup said:

 MLB is held to a different standard because it is different. Yes, the NFL games are just as long, but the condensed schedule creates an edge of the seat / must win now mentality. And the NBA season is too long, but there's almost nonstop action from start to finish. The NBA has also done a better job of marketing to millennials (i.e., cross promotions, involving current/relevant artists, etc.). The NFL, not so much, but it doesn't really have to because of it's immense popularity. Like it not MLB is probably much closer to the NHL in terms of the direction it's heading in terms of popularity. 

  

Plus people are drinking beer during NFL games. Makes the games go quicker. If you drink while watching MLB games and watch every game you are going to be an alcoholic. 

[theocean]

33 minutes ago, wildbillhiccup said:

Football is nonstop action. There are too many dead moments to disengage during a baseball game. 

SurhoffRules had a great reply to this. Couldn't agree more. I'd just add that I think football has far superior television broadcasts than baseball. There's more actual stopping in football - but you'd never think so because they do an excellent job at showing replays, look ins at other games, other graphics packages, etc. Often, in baseball, those gaps are filled with some old player from thirty years ago telling some boring story no one cares about.