Critiques on why the greatness of players like Machado are not celebrated more have only grown louderGETTY IMAGES
When it comes to the "national and international prominence of baseball’s top players, the sport by many measures falls behind not only basketball and football but also soccer, tennis and golf," according to Eric Fisher of SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL. With attendance down 6% at the All-Star break -- marking the "biggest year-over-year drop" since '09 -- viewership on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” down 8% and several teams "engaged in multiyear rebuilding efforts, the lack of a megawatt global star to help draw in fans is all the more noticeable." The "critiques surrounding why the continued greatness of players" like Angels CF Mike Trout, Nationals RF Bryce Harper and Dodgers SS Manny Machado "isn’t more celebrated have only grown louder." Despite the various impediments, the league and the MLBPA "know they must find a solution," and both sides have "taken a more proactive approach." MLB Exec VP/Product & Marketing Chris Park pointed to a "three-pronged strategy that includes a heightened emphasis on creating and surfacing content on platforms such as Instagram, Twitter and Facebook; a pursuit of new broadcast elements such as expanded on-field miking of players; and the creation of new platforms such as Players Weekend" that was "well-received by players and fans." Park said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred's "strategic focus is moving away from top-down, large-scale, methodical, slower-moving programming to more nimble, day-to-day, resourceful pursuit of chances to connect with fans and amplify the compelling stories of players" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/23 issue).
MARKETING POWER: Agent Scott Boras said that the league "should bear the burden of promoting its best players." Boras: “Stop looking for players to endorse products when they are Major League Baseball’s product. The product is the players, not players promoting products. It’s about MLB teams investing millions of dollars in promoting their product” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/22). In Detroit, Mitch Albom wrote of Trout, "What exactly is he doing wrong? He doesn’t want to film some cutesy TV promotion? Doesn’t want to sit on a talk-show couch? Doesn’t want to tweet every second, video his every move, or be marketed as a force, a hurricane, or a thirst quencher?" Trout's job is to play baseball, and he "does it amazingly well" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 7/22). THE ATHLETIC's Ken Rosenthal wrote if "baseball was smart, it would make a commercial showing how Trout interacts with fans, particularly children." The theme could be, “This is our biggest star. He conducts himself the way we want our sports heroes to conduct themselves. And we are so proud he is ours” (THEATHLETIC.com, 7/20).
LET TROUT BE TROUT: In L.A., Bill Plaschke wrote Manfred was "wrong in questioning Trout because baseball’s greatest player is one of its greatest ambassadors in his unassuming way." But there are guys who "would love to show more of themselves" and the baseball culture "needs to lighten up and let them do it." Baseball indeed has a "serious buzz problem," but Trout is "not the reason." Baseball’s problem "is baseball." Its culture "doesn’t encourage players to individually shine." Its union "doesn’t push players to publicly engage." And the game "does little to keep the modern sports fan interested" (L.A. TIMES, 7/22).
SUGGESTION BOX: In Boston, Nick Cafardo wrote the player the league "should be promoting" is Red Sox RF Mookie Betts, who "would be more willing to do the things required to gain that status." Trout is the "LeBron of baseball in terms of talent" and that alone "should market him as the face of baseball." But it is "just not in Trout’s DNA to be that guy." Cafardo: "Just leave him alone and let him be the genuine guy he is. And stop blaming Manfred for telling the truth. And now bring on Betts as the face of baseball" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/22). VICE SPORTS' Drew Fairservice wrote under the header, "Javier Baez Is The Perfect Baseball Player For Our Time." Known for his "infectious energy and an effortless amount of style," the Cubs 2B "plays with an enviable joie de vivre that attracts fans from other fan bases and makes him a legend among Cubs diehards." There "isn’t a single thing Baez does that doesn't look cool." His style, his "weird collection of capital-A Awesome skills, his smile and his swagger, all combine to make him a legend" (SPORTS.VICE.com, 7/19).
INTO THE FUTURE: In DC, Dave Sheinin wrote the "inescapable conclusion" coming out of the All-Star break is that baseball, "if not in crisis, is at least at a crossroads in regards to what it wants to be, as both a game played by gifted human beings and as an entertainment product and cultural institution." The game "doesn’t just want to connect with younger viewers and ticket-buyers; it absolutely has to." When it comes to the "controversial tweaks, changes and decisions" that Manfred has made, and the "ones he is still mulling, that context is crucial to understanding the motivations." The game is "built on its traditions, and they are essential to its ethos, but to survive as a major sport, baseball needs to be faster-paced, more action-filled and -- yes -- more accessible and entertaining to younger generations that might have different viewpoints on what is or isn’t fun." The trick is "satisfying both sides" and "maybe that’s impossible" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 7/20).
