MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred yesterday told a group at New York Univ. that decreased participation in youth baseball and the changing media landscape "are baseball's biggest problems, and that baseball is keen on expanding into Mexico in an effort to draw more Hispanic fans in the United States to the game," according to Colin Stephenson of NEWSDAY. Manfred said that MLB is "working hard to grow youth participation because 'the single biggest determinant of fan ability is whether you played as a kid.'" He added that the biggest challenge to baseball is "not lacrosse, soccer or some other sport, but electronics." Manfred: "When kids don’t play a sport, at all, and instead what they’re doing is messing around ... with electronic devices, as opposed to athletics. We are working really hard in the youth space to make sure that the game gets passed on to the next generation." Manfred noted that the current cable television model likely "will change soon." However, he said that MLB is "well positioned" because it is "ahead of the game in delivering its programming via streaming video." Manfred also "made it clear he is hoping" MLB soon "will expand into Mexico." He said, "If we could play regularly in Mexico, it would help us improve our relationship with the Mexican professional leagues" (NEWSDAY, 4/14).
