As the MLB owners and players association have repeatedly clashed over the past several months, going back and forth hashing out a new collective bargaining agreement, a painful truth has become increasingly clear: baseball is in deep trouble.
Between declining ratings, a corrupt commissioner and losing viewers to the bigger leagues, baseball is quickly fading into the background of the average sports fan’s view. What caused baseball’s rapid decline, and how can the league emerge from these bitter bargaining sessions better than it was before?
To answer this, I’m proposing several changes and additions I would love to see as a fan. These would greatly enhance the viewing experience and allow baseball to maintain relevance in a rapidly changing sports and media landscape.
A Midseason Tournament
As with most sports, baseball’s tensest and most memorable moments have come in elimination situations. In the context of the playoffs, single-game elimination wildcard games have been received with mixed reviews. I’m on the side that hates to see 90- or 100-win teams lose their seasons to a single game based on a flukey performance. But what if we could shift that intensity to the dog days of the regular season?
A midseason tournament could be a low-stakes way to inject some excitement into baseball's sleepy summer months. The stakes could take up just about any form, too. Maybe wins in the tournament format could count double towards seeding and tiebreakers, or perhaps a massive cash prize could await the winning squad. The possibilities are endless and it would allow the league to inject some much-needed variety into the 163-game schedule.
More (Positive) Player Mobility
As I recently addressed in this column, player mobility in the NBA is here to stay, for better or for worse. But in baseball, I believe increasing this could add some much-needed drama and notoriety to the league’s biggest stars. Shorter contracts and the ability to enter free agency a year or two early for players on rookie deals would be a great start. It would allow stars rotting on poor franchises to aim for legitimate shots at postseason glory.
One of the saddest things about the sport is how superstars like Shohei Ohtani, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper never get their chance at the postseason spotlight. Putting your biggest stars on the biggest stage is a foolproof way to boost a sport’s appeal.
Get Yourself a Romo
The great thing about announcers like Tony Romo in the NFL is the energy they bring to the table. Romo brings an exciting blend of Xs and Os analysis along with giddy and accessible exclamations. It’s a killer formula that makes me seek out CBS broadcasts for the NFL every Sunday.
If baseball can net a former player or coach who brings that similar energy, they can cue fans in to learn more about the strategy of the sport while also deepening the fun they have during the broadcast. Maybe even give local announcers with deep-seated passion for their own teams a bigger national stage. Seriously, go search up Dave Niehaus announcer highlights. You won’t be disappointed.
