Why is baseball still in denial?

[PoPPeR]

On the Atlanta Braves team page on ESPN, there's an article about the Braves sagging attendance despite the fact that they've won 11 straight division titles, etc. etc. The caption for one of the pictures is "like the rest of baseball, the Braves have still not recovered from the 94 strike." Jesus christ that was FREAKIN 9 years ago! Do they not realize that a very very small percentage of people even still care about that? I didn't become a baseball fan till after the strike. Someone needs to pound it through their heads that the reason the game isn't being watched is that its simply so boring and expensive compared to other sports. Football has athletes dying, every other player has been in jail at one time or another, and it used to have St. Louis in a Western division. They're still doing fine! The 94 strike has nothing to do with baseballs sagging attendance. I'm glad Selig is going to step down after 06, he coudlnt' do it soon enough.

 

[AvesPKS]

Originally posted by: PoPPeR
On the Atlanta Braves team page on ESPN, there's an article about the Braves sagging attendance despite the fact that they've won 11 straight division titles, etc. etc. The caption for one of the pictures is "like the rest of baseball, the Braves have still not recovered from the 94 strike." Jesus christ that was FREAKIN 9 years ago! Do they not realize that a very very small percentage of people even still care about that? I didn't become a baseball fan till after the strike. Someone needs to pound it through their heads that the reason the game isn't being watched is that its simply so boring and expensive compared to other sports. Football has athletes dying, every other player has been in jail at one time or another, and it used to have St. Louis in a Western division. They're still doing fine! The 94 strike has nothing to do with baseballs sagging attendance. I'm glad Selig is going to step down after 06, he coudlnt' do it soon enough.

An Orioles pitcher died in training.

 

[Deeko]

Thank god someone else will point this out.

Baseball is old. Baseball is dying.

There are still young, die hard fans who swear by the game. However, the majority of the fanbase is OLD. Hence why it is America's PASTIME. It is not America's NOWTIME

What will happen to the MLB in 20 years when most of the fans are no longer with us? It will be no more popular than the MLS.

 

[Deeko]

Even a guy on my floor that plays Baseball and is a diehard fan admits that it is was too slow paced for today's society. So much time between pitches...and pitches aren't really very interseting...hits are the only interesting thing, and they are short, and rare.

 

[her209]

I've only gone to a basebball game once in my life and it was the most fvcking boring 4 hours of my life.

The only people who really get any enjoyment out of the game are the peeps who keep track of all the stats.

 

[nitsuj3580]

baseball is more expensive than other sports? where did you come up with that one?

Lets see

Orioles game: $10 for a seat in the upper deck
Yankees game: $12 for a bleacher seat
Mets game: $12 for a seat in the upper deck
Wizards game: $50 for a seat in the upper deck
Redskins game: $60-75 for a seat in the upper deck if you are lucky enough to find a scalper.
Bills game: $68 for a seat in the upper deck

That's just my experience but I'm pretty sure going to a baseball game is cheaper than going to an NBA or NFL game

 

[PoPPeR]

the one thing i've seen baseball do that is an ingenious idea is that MLB thing where it only shows the pitch where action takes place, ie an out, hit, stolen base, whatever. In football, there's so much action on every play, same with basketball and every other sport.

As for the Orioles pitcher dying, in my opinion that was a rare case and likely wont happen again in the near future. Football has had players dying left and right recently because of the intense competition and everyone's need to be bigger and stronger, no matter what.

 

[PoPPeR]

Football, seats are expensive for a reason. No matter what, the stadium will always be pretty full. It only happens once a week, no matter how bad your team is, the game is exciting enough to just want to go and pay the money. Baseball's obviously doing something wrong. A hot dog costs more then a lot of seats these days. Taking a family of four to a baseball game is still expensive as hell, and what do you get out of it? It's not exclusive... there's 82 home games a year. Football only has 8, basketball what, 41?

 

[LeeTJ]

Originally posted by: PoPPeR
Someone needs to pound it through their heads that the reason the game isn't being watched is that its simply so boring and expensive compared to other sports. Football has athletes dying, every other player has been in jail at one time or another, and it used to have St. Louis in a Western division. They're still doing fine! The 94 strike has nothing to do with baseballs sagging attendance. I'm glad Selig is going to step down after 06, he coudlnt' do it soon enough.

'94 strike has NOTHING to do with sagging attendance in Atlanta. Atlanta is not your typical town. it is mostly migrant white collar workers that have NO loyalty to the braves. That's the reason that attendance is saggin in atlanta. there has never been a true fan base there.

it's not like chicago and the cubs. it's more like LA and the Rams and the Raiders. the 2nd largest city in the US (LA) doesn't have a football franchise. why do you think that is??

the city that was most affected by the strike was Philadelphia, (never really a baseball town) and to have the strike just when the Phillies were starting to do really well was a real blow to baseball in one of baseball's largest market.

btw, i don't understand your statement about football players dying. what relevance is that to baseball??

 

[nd]

I was a huge baseball fan until the strike (played it all the time, collected cards, watched at least a game a night, watched Sportscenter/Baseball Tonight and kept up with everything), but haven't really watched it with the same enthusiasm since. I'm surely not the only one like this.

I don't think it's that I'm angry about the strike and I think to myself "no, don't watch that game -- remember the strike?" -- for me it's just that the strike broke my habit. Once I got knocked out of the swing of things, I just never got back into it. I was pretty bitter for a year or two afterwords over the whole ordeal, but now I just care a lot less in general about it.

Still like to play it when I get the chance, though.

 

[Anubis]

id argure that football is just as boaring as MLB. there is a play then about a min of them standing around then another 10 second play. .... keeps going like this for about 4 hours. NO Reason a 60 min game shoudl take 4 hours.

baseball is just SLOW really slow. only way I can stand it is on the radio. or on teh TV while im dooing something else and not watching it. or on Sports Center cause i see all teh good parts in about 2 min.

basket ball is boaring also cause watching shaq dunk for 40 points isnt fun atall.

Soccer is the best to watch cause something is always happening. and i dont mean MLS real european soccer. Hockey if fun also if you understand it

another thing about MLB is that the players are bitches and always complain about wanting more money for standing arond. that really pisses me off

 

[LeeTJ]

Originally posted by: nd
I was a huge baseball fan until the strike (played it all the time, collected cards, watched at least a game a night, watched Sportscenter/Baseball Tonight and kept up with everything), but haven't really watched it with the same enthusiasm since. I'm surely not the only one like this.

I don't think it's that I'm angry about the strike and I think to myself "no, don't watch that game -- remember the strike?" -- for me it's just that the strike broke my habit. Once I got knocked out of the swing of things, I just never got back into it. I was pretty bitter for a year or two afterwords over the whole ordeal, but now I just care a lot less in general about it.

Still like to play it when I get the chance, though.

baseball is probably the most enjoyable of organized sports to play, in my opinion of course, it's not the most fun to watch tho. it's kind of hard to top football.

 

[LeeTJ]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1
id argure that football is just as boaring as MLB. there is a play then about a min of them standing around then another 10 second play. .... keeps going like this for about 4 hours. NO Reason a 60 min game shoudl take 4 hours.

baseball is just SLOW really slow. only way I can stand it is on the radio. or on teh TV while im dooing something else and not watching it. or on Sports Center cause i see all teh good parts in about 2 min.

basket ball is boaring also cause watching shaq dunk for 40 points isnt fun atall.

Soccer is the best to watch cause something is always happening. and i dont mean MLS real european soccer. Hockey if fun also if you understand it

another thing about MLB is that the players are bitches and always complain about wanting more money for standing arond. that really pisses me off

your kidding right?? soccer is boring beyond description. all they do is run around. if i just want to watch people running around i'll watch track and field.

football has the most to watch, strategy, plays. it's not just a physical sport its also a very mental sport.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

the reason baseball is losing attendance is the fact that it breaks laws. Man can not walk with four balls.

 

[Lithium381]

teh reason why nobody likes baseball is cause it's boring!!!! if it were like that video game a lot more people would watch it, where you get to punch the guy out on 2nd base.. heh heh..

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
the reason baseball is losing attendance is the fact that it breaks laws. Man can not walk with four balls.

ROTFLMAO

that goin in my sig I called it

 

[Lithium381]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
the reason baseball is losing attendance is the fact that it breaks laws. Man can not walk with four balls.

ROTFLMAO

that goin in my sig I called it

at least give the guy credit for it!

 

[Kevin]

Advertising is killing sports, they delay the damn games so commercials can be shown.

Just have to get this in, Bud Selig is a fool...

 

[yobarman]

it's true for me. i stopped watching baseball after the strike.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: PoPPeR
the one thing i've seen baseball do that is an ingenious idea is that MLB thing where it only shows the pitch where action takes place, ie an out, hit, stolen base, whatever. In football, there's so much action on every play, same with basketball and every other sport.

As for the Orioles pitcher dying, in my opinion that was a rare case and likely wont happen again in the near future. Football has had players dying left and right recently because of the intense competition and everyone's need to be bigger and stronger, no matter what.

ok i agree that baseball is boring and everything, but this is just retarded saying that it isn't a good sport because enough people aren't dying. what an asinine thing to think.

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: Lithium381

Originally posted by: TheEvil1

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
the reason baseball is losing attendance is the fact that it breaks laws. Man can not walk with four balls.

ROTFLMAO

that goin in my sig I called it

at least give the guy credit for it!

yeah give the guy credit!

 

[Anubis]

Originally posted by: maladroit

Originally posted by: Lithium381

Originally posted by: TheEvil1

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
the reason baseball is losing attendance is the fact that it breaks laws. Man can not walk with four balls.

ROTFLMAO

that goin in my sig I called it

at least give the guy credit for it!

yeah give the guy credit!

i prefer the english version to the engrish version in your link

 

[Kev]

Originally posted by: TheEvil1

Originally posted by: maladroit

Originally posted by: Lithium381

Originally posted by: TheEvil1

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski
the reason baseball is losing attendance is the fact that it breaks laws. Man can not walk with four balls.

ROTFLMAO

that goin in my sig I called it

at least give the guy credit for it!

yeah give the guy credit!

i prefer the english version to the engrish version in your link

well the "engrish" version is the original

 

[calpha]

There will always be ppl that say baseball is boring. To those that haven't played, or haven't grown up watching it----it will be boring. Hell, Golf is boring as hell, but Tiger still makes a killing.

As far as the strike---that's what did me in. I used to be a die hard fan----loved the braves and cardinals since the early 80's. IT still hurts that Torre is the Yankees coach now. But in 94----there were two great things happening----
1. Griffey Jr was on track to break Maris's record----and that was when Jr was still a star and not a whiner.

2. Tony Gwynn had a great chance @ being the first hitter to break 400 since Teddy Ballgame.

And they struck, and no WS. And that permanently damaged it for me. I have been to a playoff game.....and plenty of regular season games-0---but I probably won't go again. I even wrote Selig's office a letter saying that if they struck last year I'd never watch baseball again.

So...yes it's boring. Yes it's slow----but the reason attendance is down is b/c of the 94 strike (i'm not the only one)---and the ridiculous $ that they make. Don't forget---there is no salary cap in baseball. Of all the professional sports---it's the one that has the most assanine organization. I know my uncle quit watching when they announced ARod's deal.

Anyway---just my .02.

<--
Cheers for the braves, or whomever plays the yankees.

 

[PoPPeR]

k my point about the players dying has totally been taken the wrong way. In my first post I brought it up because you would think a sport that literally kills the athletes by fueling competition would have more public criticism and less of a fan base (unless of course people actaully like seeing high school and college athletes OD on steroids). I don't see where I suggested football was a better sport because athletes are dying. I was showing that they have the biggest problem out of all the sports, a disease that goes far beyond money, fame, commercials, boredom, or anything of that sort, and yet the sport has not really done anything to prevent further injury to its players. Honestly, suggesting that I want to watch a sport where people die... what the hell...