So the 87th Major League Baseball All Star Game happened this past Tuesday. Ahhh, nothing like a showcase of the best players from the good ol’ American Pastime… keyword being “ol’.” Despite a noted and prevalent wave of young stars coming up into the majors over the last few years, Major League Baseball still seems to be losing out on shifting its audience into a younger viewership. This year’s All Star rosters included 27 players that were aged 26 and younger, yet the median age of the viewers who took in the game this week was 54.6. Even when one moves beyond the numbers and into speculative mode, there’s a growing consensus within sports media and sports fandom that believes soccer may very well unseat MLB in the coming years as a “Big Four” sport in the United States (the other three being NFL, NBA, and NHL).
So what is a key difference between MLB and these other sports? Personality. Let’s explore a bit further.
In the NFL, there certainly isn’t a lack of personality throughout the league (sans the NFL’s Debbie Downer, Eli Manning). While the NFL has moved away from the days of wide receivers one-upping their colleagues’ end zone antics on a weekly basis (I see you Ochocinco, T.O, and Steve Smith), I still see enough hip thrusting in a given week to feel the need for a shower by the end of my Sunday football fix. Cam Newton almost single handedly put the Dab into the mainstream. Aaron Rodgers consistently puts out his personality into the Internet and media realm (proof here and here). J.J. Watt is great in his commercials, and Tom Brady certainly doesn’t deny his pretty boy image. Personalities galore!
In the NBA, the personalities in the sport run wild. I think back to Dr. J’s big hair and tall socks. I can recall Shawn Kemp rising above a defender for a wicked dunk, and then giving him a pointed-finger gun shot. We can note Shaq when he… never mind, we can just note Shaq when talking personality. How about Iverson stepping over Lue? Carmelo Anthony, James Harden, Jason Terry, and Russell Westbrook all have signature shot celebrations… yes, that’s a signature celebration for making a jump shot. One of my favorite commercials on television is a light-hearted NBA Store commercial that shows some of the NBA’s second tier stars in a manner that actually humanizes them. The NBA is experiencing a near exponential growth, and it certainly isn’t being hurt by the effort to portray its wide range of personalities in the sport.
Even the NHL has a proper dose of personality throughout the sport. There’s the annual Beard-Off, as you see the variety of facial hair on display every year during the playoffs, as virtually every player participating begins a “playoff beard.” The show of emotion after just about every goal is another trait worth noting. Besides the occasional celebration move, the team practically spears the goal scorer into the wall after a goal. Plus, the All Star festivities are even something to see. Skills competitions that have been done right has given the NHL an extra boost of relevance to help it stay afloat and in the “Big Four” conversation.
But to the MLB’s credit, it seems that they have given some effort in changing this dry image. Sticking with All Star festivities, this year’s Home Run Derby was a relative success. While it can be hard to just watch the same thing happen over and over, the new format (first implemented last year) has given the event new life. Single elimination format, timed sessions instead of number of outs, and an effort to create a larger scale platform for some young sluggers to be featured (i.e. this year’s champion, Giancarlo Stanton) has contributed to the newfound success and consensus of approval.
But more can be done. As with anything in society, things change. Entities evolve. The time when straight-laced, run-of-the-mill personalities were the dominant breed in baseball has changed. It’s time to scrap the lack of celebration, the hindrance of emotion, and the “Unwritten” rulebook, the heaviest of all the anchors weighing down baseball’s progress.
We now have Giancarlo Stanton, a superhero-like character, who looks more like he should be catching passes down the seam instead of swinging a baseball bat. We have Bryce Harper, the Natural, the Phenom, the Rebel who prefers to scoff at baseball’s traditions and unwritten rules rather than abide by them. We have Mike Trout, the good ol’ American boy, Mr. 5 Tool, a man who also looks like he should be in a helmet and pads, though I would be giving him 25 carries a game instead of sending him down the seam.
Beyond that, don’t forget about the big-haired Mets, Noah Syndergaard and Jacob DeGrom, the modern day Mighty Mouse in Houston, Jose Altuve, the double-headed power monster in Chicago, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo, the young core in Kansas City, and the other Natural, Manny Machado. Major League Baseball maybe having issues now. But it doesn’t have to be. In fact, with just a little bit of push, all the young players mentioned have the star power to carry the league. It’s time for Major League Baseball to put these parts into motion. Their relevance may depend on it.
