Spring is creeping (literally) nearer, which means baseball is just around the corner. Last week was the official start of spring training, with pitchers and catchers reporting towards the end of it. I can't believe how little fanfare there was for this; while it may not seem like a big deal, this truly marks the start of preparations for the 2010 season. Just another great example showing how far baseball has fallen from the national conscience.
Don't get me wrong; I'm not here to bash baseball. It's a wonderful game that intertwines through history more than any other major sport, and its historical characters are more mythical creatures than athletes. Which is why the current state of the game is a shameful afterthought to it's historical context. No major sport continues to shoot itself in the foot as much as this one, creating this epic fall the sport can't seem to get out of. Just a few of the low-lights from the past two decades:
-cancelling the '94 World Series amidst the longest strike the sport has seen
-casting Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa as the saviors of baseball (which became a fraud)
-creating pieces of the current CBA which called for increased revenue sharing, esentially dooming smaller market teams because they could now profit from the largest-market teams without having to increase their own payroll
-ending the 2002 All-Star game early (creating the first tie in the game's history)
-the 2005 Congressional hearings (creating what may be the lowest point in the sport's long history)
-did I mention steroids (and Barry Bonds, the biggest cloud to hang over baseball for the past 7 years)?
The funny thing is, as crowds continue to dwindle, ticket prices continue to increase, driving fans away from the sport (case-in-point: the average cost of a spring training game has now bypassed what average regular season ticket prices were just 5 years ago, according to the USA Today). Sure, the Cubs, Yankees, and Red Sox will continually fill their parks, but other than those three strong markets, baseball has certainly become an afterthought. All one has to do is look at the popularity of the NFL, which has left baseball in it's dust as "America's sport" (although the NFL faces it's own upcoming labor unrest, and should really take notice from what has happened to baseball).
Sadly, while greed among all principals has driven the current ecnomomy of the sport, it has been performance-enhancing drugs (and the rendering of historical stats as meaningless) that may have put the final nail in the once-interested observer's coffin. Anyone playing baseball has become guilty until proven innocent, and the long list of once-bright stars fading with the sport has created that indifference felt throughout much of the country towards baseball.
Which leads me back to this week: spring training used to be the great period of hope when all 30 teams have dreams of winning the pennant (and more). It signaled a time for renewal; spring was coming, and the boys of summer were right behind it. Don't get me wrong; baseball is still a wonderful game to go to in the summer (if you can afford it, of course). It's just a shame that teams have reported, yet no one seemed to notice.
Hey, Mike...Finally got to catch up on your blogs.....So glad that your college tuition was so well spent! Great job!
ReplyDeleteSorry Mike, but I have to disagree with one of your assertions.
ReplyDeleteIncreased revenue sharing has not doomed smaller market teams, but has made them more competitive. One of the reasons the NFL has left MLB in the dust in terms of popularity is the system of revenue sharing in the NFL. No team in the NFL has an advantage in terms of overall payroll. Contrast with the MLB where teams like the Red Sox and Yankees spend 2, 3 even 4 times as much as smaller market teams on payroll and that's why the Royals and the Indians have become glorified farm teams for the big spenders. Once a homegrown talent reaches free agency, the club that developed that talent can't afford to keep it.
On the other hand, in the NFL, if a team can't afford to keep a homegrown talent (read draft pick) then it is not because other teams have an unlimited payroll with which to poach talent, it is instead a result of priority and management of payroll.
Mike:
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new blog. Hope your readership increases enough that you are compelled to put your expert thoughts in writing on a regular basis.
You make good points… here are a couple of comments from a very biased, diehard baseball fan.
Bud Selig and Major League Baseball executives have been trying to ruin baseball for years. But baseball will survive because it is the purest of games. Baseball has remained virtually unchanged for over 100 years (with the notable exception of the designated hitter). Abner Doubleday design was pretty close to perfection. The pros play the same game as high schoolers, little leaguers, and even kids who organize pick-up games on the sandlots.
The NFL makes significant changes to their game annually; rewriting the rules to generate more offense; trying to level the playing field by instituting a salary cap; instituting contradictory rules that attempt to negate the advances of defensive gurus (a cornerback can clean a receiver’s clock, but only within five yards of the line of scrimmage)… and when’s the last time you saw a kick return that didn’t result an “illegal block in the back” penalty.
Small market baseball teams have proven that they can compete with budgets that are miniscule when compared to the outrageous spending of their big market rivals. Just two seasons ago, the Cleveland Indians were within one game of beating the Red Sox and advancing to the World Series [Heartbreak inserted here]. The Minnesota Twins are a perennial pennant contender with penny-pinching ownership. The Oakland A’s and the Tampa Bay Rays have fielded competitive teams through astute management and intelligent selection of personnel.
The NFL may currently be more popular from a fan standpoint, but is far from perfect. What does an NFL fan do the other six days of the week, when no games are being played? Being a Monday morning quarterback has a very limited life span.
NFL players exhibit the same greediness and self-important attitudes as other professional sports. Plus the NFL is not exactly chock full of altar boys. NFL rosters and alumni include thugs, drug addicts, and murderers… but enough about the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFL’s best days might be behind them. It is increasingly looking like the 2010 season might be played without a salary cap and then followed by and owner’s lockout. That would leave NFL fans with a huge void to fill on Sundays. It would also negatively impact the economy as beer and buffalo wing sales would plummet.
While we suffer through the worst winter weather in a generation, I am yearning to hear the words “play ball”. Because every new baseball season brings heightened optimism, rebirth, and yes, hope that springs eternal… even for a Tribe fan.
Thanks for the replies, Jared and Don.
ReplyDeleteDon, you hit everything on the head about baseball and it's purity (even with the current state), and I have to believe that the worst days are behind. There is still nothing better in the summer than either being at ballpark (on any level) or listening to a game on the radio (which is the only sport that I can say far outweighs TV broadcasts).
I can only agree about one thing...ticket prices for spring training have definitely gone up. Mike, you should come out and see one of the spring training games in person!
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