Opening Day - What does it mean to you? Is baseball still our national pastime?

“The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again…”  A. Bart Giamatti

Opening day of the major league baseball season is unlike any other. I’m not going to get all schmoopy on you, but if you’re a baseball fan, you know what that means. Sure, everyone is tied for first place and this could be the year, but beyond that, your oldest best buddy is back in town for six months and just like that, everybody is young, good looking and flush with cash - "déjà vu all over again," only new. I’ve made the brief argument before that baseball is still going strong as our national pastime – “in all its forms it tickles each of the sense…seeping into our lore and leisure” - but you could write an entire book exploring that argument. Baseball is an old game, but it seems to find new ways to get under our skin. Let’s take a quick look at baseball in modern times.

Baseball has been criticized for its seemingly slow pace in the age of short attention spans; it hasn't maintained the automatic appeal it once had. As American as it is to honor tradition, it's equally American to explore new frontiers so naturally, as our tastes in the staples of life have evolved to reflect our diversity (food/music/arts/fashion, etc), so too has our interest in sports, ranging from X games to MMA to electronic gaming. There’s a lot of competition for our attention so the numbers organically reflect diversity in interests; it's not unlike the competition for cable viewers with a gazillion channels. Add to that several new generations of parents directing their kids to other sports in a backlash to our fast-food-nation status – they want to see junior working up a sweat, not grazing in right field dreaming about free snow cones. This might all be true but baseball’s demise has been greatly exaggerated because of that greatest new frontier, the internet.

Music from rock to rap has been replaced by technology as the craggy fault line that parts the generations, but it’s not a matter of using technology or not, everyone under 70 has probably worked with computers most of their lives, so it’s about how you use it. In an ironic twist, while the rise of gaming has drawn younger generations away from traditional sports, the same technology has pushed the game out to more and more people, and on a global basis as well. Baseball is still slow to catch on in much of the world but certainly in some parts (Asia, Central America, etc) it’s as popular as ever and is reflected in the rosters of MLB teams. In the states, the participation numbers for youth have declined but the numbers are up when it comes to kids who play the game year round so high school and college programs are as strong as they’ve ever been. You can debate the merits of this kind of specialization, but that’s the world we live in. Go big or go home. The point is, the feeder systems are going strong so the game is in great shape talent wise. 

Regarding baseball attendance, there is still no more iconic American activity than going to a baseball game and chowing down a dog and a beer. A whole other book can be written on how the game’s essence is part of the fabric of America. About 115 million tickets were sold at MLB and Minor League games last year with tens of millions more attending amateur games, even if it's only ten or twenty at a time. I’m not about to dis the popularity of football or auto racing but baseball’s transcendent qualities drill down to bedrock so it’s popularity runs deep. Football as we know it is in trouble because of safety concerns and NASCAR attendance has been down for six consecutive years possibly reflecting over expansion and a sour economy. Compared to other pro sports, baseball is still a great family friendly option for a limited budget on top of the game's traditional appeal.

Above all, the real catapult for major league baseball has been the success of MLB.COM, operated by MLB Advanced Media, the world’s most successful sports streaming company. Yes, you heard me correctly.  MLBAM was created to standardize and operate baseball’s internet presence for all 30 major league teams in 2003 and has been rolling out advanced capabilities and interactive ways to enjoy the game ever since. The timing of its development fit perfectly with the expanding mobile society spurned on by the economic growth from the 80s to the early 2000’s. As people criss-crossed the nation following jobs and life, MLB.com tapped into the souls and wallets of fans who realized they could bring the home team with them wherever they went – and now do so literally with the advancements in smart phone technology. In years gone by, a sad side effect of relocation for an ex-pat was the slow erosion of interest in your team, generally unsustainable only with box scores from a USA today. The information age was the perfect complement for a fan base fascinated by data to begin with so combined with relatively cheap travel, inter-league play, live streaming games, fantasy baseball, expanded digital media coverage, etc, it’s been a perfect storm that has baseball fans as engaged as ever with their beloved game. 

So yeah, I want to say baseball is still our national pastime. Quick, name a great baseball movie!  I know you just came up with one of many, “Field of Dreams”, “Bull Durham”, “A League of Their Own?” The list is long.  Now, quick, name a great football movie - what comes to mind?  And “MASH” wasn’t even a football movie! I know, that's not fair and this forum can't possibly contain the expanse of the discussion required to debate this. There’s no denying that other sports challenge baseball in terms of economics and popularity - the average football franchise is worth over 1 billion compared to about 800m for mlb teams - but dollars can’t be the entire measure. In my opinion, for sheer staying power and the reach of the game for all those who play it, watch it, and enjoy its essence, I’m going to argue that it is still our national pastime. I’ll gladly write that book if someone wants to fund the project, but in the meantime, enjoy opening day. Your oldest best bud is back in town!

Jim Tosches is an amateur umpire and blogger in Encinitas, Ca and author of the book, "The Rules Abide: The Thinking Fan's Guide to Baseball Rules (With History, Humor and a Few Big Words)"

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