Just one question – do you know when the MLB Opening Day is? No, seriously, without looking, when does baseball come back? Have you heard or seen any advertising? I certainly don’t. Coming out of a year of isolation and quarantine, where we sports fans are crying out for sports back to our screens, you would think that “America’s Pastime” would be screaming from the top of the mountain that it would soon return.
So, when does the baseball season start? Exactly one week from today. What a missed opportunity, MLB.
The major baseball league is not only choosing not to advertise, but it is also missing an incredible opportunity to change the league’s tone and vision for the general public. The Major League Baseball remains involved with white Americana, apple pie and hot dogs, and would rather play John Fogerty’s “Centerfield” than try to be young, fresh, young and / or exciting. Here is an alternative option:
Different, right? Imagine a baseball league that promotes – and stay with me here, because it is very radical – fun. You have a league full of superstar talent, but no rock star like you see in the NBA and the NFL, and it falls directly on the shoulders of a league that is trying to hold on to an outdated identity instead of embracing hip hop culture. and the individuality of are players.
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In addition to (and perhaps even including) playoff baseball, I’m not sure if I ever had more fun watching baseball than when we were treated to the 2017 world baseball classic. I had fun because the players had fun. They were passionate, loud, flashy, we were celebrating their nationalities and cultures – that was all that MLB is not. Just look at this cut by Javier Baez, including the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on a baseball field – him celebrating a mark in the second before he even took the ball and made a mark without looking.
This is how baseball should be. The days of hot dogs and apple pie are over. If the Major League Baseball wants to attract a new generation of sports fans (as opposed to the same fans who listen to ragtime music while eating their 16:00 early bird special), we need passion, excitement, not just the ability for players to express themselves , but a spotlight that celebrates it.