WSJ: "Why Kids Aren't Watching Baseball".

[Hot Springs Bathers]

I think Jon hit it with the starting time. Baseball has given in to the corporate world with no day games and late starting times.

These post-season comes during the school year and kids can not stay up. As far as length of game there is much more time wasted in a football game than in a baseball game. I don't know how many of you have been to an NFL or college game of late but the extended timeouts are horrible.

Also, in person a current college game is impossible to watch. It used to be that when a team broke the huddle the crowd would lean forward or rise to watch the action. Now there is no huddle and the QB raises up after calling signals 2 or 3 times and no one knows when the play will begin. It has literally sucked the life out of the stadiums.

Last Saturday I was driving to see a D-2 game and passed two baseball fields that had pick up games going on, no adults in sight. Maybe there is hope after all!

[christopher.herman]

Edited to add the following related article:
"Why Kids Are Losing Interest in Baseball"
http://www.theatlantic.com/entertain...seball/281017/

[packs]

It seems like the game is growing globally still.

[Mark]

Regarding tv viewership, it's important to pay attention to the numbers for local broadcasts of local games. They can make up for a drop in national tv ratings. As for national games, they are a problem. I recommend that they start televising them at 6:30 eastern. Regarding Little League, that's a big drop. But it will be mitigated some by the explosion of travel / club teams over the last 15 years that take kids away from the Little League program.

Hope for the future? Baseball's new slogan: Play Baseball, Where There Are Few if Any Concussions!

[Hot Springs Bathers]

We have seen a tremendous rise in youth baseball in Arkansas. As a longtime Boys & Girls Club board member we have been scrambling to meet the need. Our largest groups are in T-Ball, we are in the process of raising funds for turf fields t avoid the missed game times during the Summer.

What I am hearing from parents is that they feel a team sports is a positive in their child's development and it is very obvious that they are directing their sons away from football. I think the most curios fact here is that is happening in a southern state where most of us were raised with football in our DNA mix.

Of course travel baseball or as I like to call it "buy your kid a position" baseball is strong but the economy is tough on travel team parents right now.

[CaramelMan]

There will soon be a baseball renaissance when the known but long withheld brain damage information comes out....

NFL players are killing themselves slowly due to Repeat trauma ...brain disease is found in ALL dissected NFL player brains.....

Soon it will be a no-brainer (no pun intended) for a world class young athlete to choose baseball over football...

Pro football players are finally admitting the don't want their kids to play football.

Add in the fact that baseball has GUARANTEED contacts vs football non guaranteed contracts and baseball becomes more attractive...it really should be the opposite way....

Things run in cycles and baseball will have its upswing (from increased international players and from potential football players choosing baseball)

So collect away!

[Texxxx]

I think there are a lot of factors that have contributed to the decline. There are so many thinks for the kids today to do hands on. Watching is boring compared to doing. Even if its just texting. Another reason is the sheer number of channels on TV to chose from. I have like 250 on mine right now. When I was growing up I only had 3 and so when baseball came on it was great. Even if it was in black and white. At least I missed the radio era.
I think the game is going through a bad time also with all the PED problems. That turns kids off also.

[Runscott]

Originally Posted by packs

It seems like the game is growing globally still.

I love it!

Hey, who needs punctuation?