MLB continues to be a "thriving business" as the '15 season begins in earnest today, but MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred since being elected to the office last August "has been sounding a startling warning bell: The sport must address its flagging connection to young people or risk losing a generation of fans," according to a front-page piece by Marc Fisher of the WASHINGTON POST. Attendance around the country at both MLB and minor league parks "is strong," while revenue "is at an all-time high." But the number of kids playing baseball continues a "two-decade-long decline." Baseball has been "defying predictions of its fall" since the 1920s, and the game "remains the second-most popular sport for kids to play, after basketball." Manfred said, "Baseball is an extraordinarily healthy entertainment product." But Fisher notes the "pervasive impact of new technologies on how children play and the acceleration of the pace of modern life have conspired against sports in general and baseball in particular." Little League Senior VP/Operations Patrick Wilson said, "We have seen a decline in participation over the past 12 years, 1 or 2 percent every year. There is a generation of parents now that don’t have a connection to the game because they didn’t play it themselves" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/6). Manfred said MLB has a "great partner in Little League and we’re working with a number of other groups to try to make sure that baseball is competitive" in the youth space. Meanwhile, Manfred said of increasing African-American participation in baseball, "We have a number of programs in place that we're going to be expanding on as we go forward." He said a “huge problem in inner cities is facilities,” and MLB’s “Baseball Tomorrow Fund” has built $10M worth of youth fields in the last decade. Individual teams also have "opened a number of urban youth academies." Manfred: "Through those sorts of programs, we hope to attract more African-Americans back to the game" ("Meet The Press," NBC, 4/5).
KEEPING UP WITH THE PACE: Manfred has been outspoken about his hope to increase the pace of play this season, and NBC's Chuck Todd asked if a pitch clock is coming to MLB following its implementation in the Arizona Fall League. Manfred: "Some people said, ‘You put a clock in baseball? Why would you want to do that?’ Interestingly, the entire committee, once they saw how the games in the Arizona Fall League went, were favorably inclined towards the pitch clock. So what do we do? We went forward. We’re now testing it at Double-A and Triple-A this year. I think that whether it comes to the big leagues is going to be a product of how well the changes we did this year worked" (“Meet the Press,” NBC, 4/5). In Buffalo, Jerry Sullivan wrote no one is “quite sure how all the changes will work, and whether they will have any discernible effect in the short term.” Some players “have called the rules stupid.” Manfred said that the goal “will be ‘raising awareness,’ not heavyhanded enforcement.” For the first month of the season, in both the majors and minors, violators “will be issued warnings.” There will “be no penalties until May 1.” Manfred said that putting the 20-second pitch clock in the minors “doesn’t mean it will inevitably be used in the bigs.” But he was “encouraged by results of pitch clocks in the Arizona Fall League.” The “mere notion that baseball recognizes the problem is sufficient for now,” and there is bound to be “some controversy.” Red Sox C Ryan Hanigan said, “This is going to get pretty interesting if they actually call it. Players are pretty set in their ways” (BUFFALO NEWS, 4/5).
BIG LOCALLY, BUT STRUGGLING NATIONALLY: NBC’s Todd noted MLB is "thriving on the local level," but television ratings indicate that it is "increasingly struggling as a national sport." Manfred replied, "What you're talking is a fragmentation of audiences that is an issue for all entertainment products. The good news is that in 11 of our markets last year over the course of the summer, baseball was the No. 1-rated program, and there’s tons of baseball available in those local markets." Todd noted, "There's no doubt the local fans are all into their team. And then when they're out, they tune out." Manfred: "We're going to try to work with our national broadcast partners this year to develop storylines over the course of the year that generate fan interest" ("Meet The Press," NBC, 4/5). ESPN's Keith Olbermann said the "major problem" MLB faces is that "unlike the other sports, there are very few national teams." Olbermann: "If the World Series is played and your team is not in it, you're not likely to watch it. That's not true in the NBA, the NFL -- certainly everybody watches the Super Bowl. ... The idea of two baseball teams drawing an audience consisting of people other than their own fans has been lost." That is something Manfred "should be addressing" ("This Week," ABC, 4/5).
SELIG SPEAKS: Former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig it feels "different" being out of office after serving in the role for 23 years. ABC’s Jonathan Karl asked, “There were some big changes to the game under your watch. Did you leave any unfinished business?” Selig replied, “I don't really think so. My greatest joy came ... in the economic reformation of the game." Karl noted in terms of PEDs in baseball, “Selig insists the game has never been cleaner and after a lifetime in America's pastime, he's never been more confident about baseball's future" ("This Week," ABC, 4/5).
