If Big Sexy can't take it over ...nobody can.
Posted on 05/12/2019 9:21:44 PM PDT by GuavaCheesePuff
Major League Baseball has a dearth of high-profile stars. Is the problem a down cycle, or is it the sport itself?
Major League Baseball has a dream matchup for the World Series as two of its marquee franchises, the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, face off.
But oddly it also has a problem: Most people, even sports fans, might struggle to name a single player on the field.
The percentage of Americans who say baseball is their favorite sport to watch is at a low. Fewer baseball players have crossed over into wider popular culture than did a couple of decades ago. There is no Derek Jeter or Ken Griffey Jr. at the moment.
By almost any measure, baseball players just aren’t well known. ESPN’s annual ranking of the most famous athletes in the world includes 13 basketball players, seven football players, several cricket players, two table tennis stars and zero baseball players. And ESPN is a media partner of M.L.B.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
If Big Sexy can't take it over ...nobody can.
It started with Curt Flood.
LOL, I remember when there were bands that actually played their own instruments.
Players also used to have to work in the off-season, and were part of the Community.
Who?? Never heard of them, but think one might be the boyfriend of that pudgy chick with big tatas.
I despise the NYT, but they have a point. Could almost do the same with the NBA and NFL.
Not having watched NFL for three years, no idea who is who.
Now, MotoGP, different story.
It’s largely because they used to be heroes and people who wanted to be looked up to.
Now, a criminal record is an asset.
Sports athletes made a point of saying they didn’t want to be heroes and now they got their wish.
The 1994 strike caused damage added to the steroid infusiom
The national anthem "protests" in the NFL soured a lot of people on (un)professional sports in general. Strikes have also helped in the decline in popularity of baseball and football. Not having a set end time used to be less of a problem. And metrosexuals don't like the sweaty male aggression in sports, or profess interest in BS like WNBA or women's boxing -- but it is feigned. Having a-holes like pretty mucn everyone on ESPN -- while having to pay for access -- also undermines the popularity of sports. The orchestrated campaign against the Redskins' name (not so much for the Braves, the Indians, the Chiefs) helped reduce interest in sportscasting. Anyway, I'm going to stream some Bill Burr...
“Will we ever see anything like that ever again?”
The Bird was a unique individual. There are, and will always be, characters in the game. But things aren’t what they used to be. The players are a lot more regimented now. Most have state-of-the-art training facilities, analytics and all sorts of other tools that they didn’t have when Fidryich played.
Fidrych had one good year. It was a dream year, to be sure, but he blew out his arm not long after. Eventually he got killed working on a car around rotating equipment. Not sure exactly what happened, but it sounds gruesome.
Nevertheless, I will never forget Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. He had a magical year, and I was glad to be there to enjoy it.
Go Tigers!
Carl Yastremski. Harmon Killebrew. Johnny Bench
How’d I do?
I cried when I heard what happened to Mark.
Base Ball is just not as exciting as Football or Basketball. Baseball is 20th Century. As is horse racing and boxing. Life in America is speeded up in the 20th Century. Baseball is slow to move. Rockies baseball: Nolan Aranoldo, Charlie Blackmon,.
“Who?? Never heard of them, but think one might be the boyfriend of that pudgy chick with big tatas.”
At my age, I’d rather watch JV pitch then stare at his wife’s tatas. For that matter, staring at any woman’s tatas without her permission is just wrong.
Kate Upton. That’s the woman to whom you refer. It took me a minute to think of it. Nice lady. Has a kid. No reason not to respect her, far as I can tell.
The left really has it in for Baseball.
The NBA sucks
The NFL sucks
...but why does the left need to take down baseball? /retorical
I remember having this record as a kid and playing it ad nauseum
The Year of the Tiger ‘68
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmEZUCCBToE
“I cried when I heard what happened to Mark.”
Yeah, I hear you. I was very sad too. I’m sure it could have been avoided. Sounded like a freak accident.
Charlie Blackmon
How much does baseball develop the sport in other countries? The Chinese know all about basketball, and they play it as well. I was in Hong Kong and watched a little of their evening news. They reported on all of the NBA games just like an American network would.
You are correct on all counts. I suggest adding that multiple screen technology and its impact on virtually everyone in the boomer generation and its generational progeny has changed all televised sports activity to mere ‘content.’ The networks and cable companies’ 24/7 programming diluted the average guy’s attention span by 2 or 3 powers so that he cannot just focus on rooting for the local team as the alternatives grab more and more of his time and attention.
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