[blwall1416]

From 2000 to 2009, the latest year for which figures are available, the number of kids aged 7 to 17 playing baseball fell 24%, according to the National Sporting Goods Association, an industry trade group. Despite growing concerns about the long-term effects of concussions, participation in youth tackle football has soared 21% over the same time span, while ice hockey jumped 38%. The Sporting Goods Manufacturing Association, another industry trade group, said baseball participation fell 12.7% for the overall population.

Studies suggest more people now play soccer in the U.S. than baseball, and lacrosse participation among kids has more than doubled in the last decade. The number of high school lacrosse programs has been growing by about 7% a year.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... rss_Sports

[Sly Fox]

I can't convince my son to play. He just has no interest which is baffling to me since that was such a staple of my childhood. Then again, the pressure to specialize in baseball is so immense around us here in Houston that simply playing summer ball is seriously frowned upon by the baseball community.

What makes it even more disappointing is that baseball is a much more cost effective than just about every other sport outside of soccer.

Anybody else check out Darren Rovell's tweets where he shows the empty baseball stadium pics every night? Baseball needs to do something before it slides completely into the background of public dialogue alongside the NHL & MLS.

[bravo269er]

Baseball is boring to alot of kids. The game is too slow, and stuck in the past to its detriment. I've noticed this the past 15 years, and it corresponds with the increasing popularity of the NFL. The steroid scandal didn't help matters either.

[BJWilliams]

I broadcast youth baseball in Amherst and you can kinda tell that the numbers are a bit down in participation from year to year, especially at the younger ages

[TDDance234]

The best ballplayers are coming from outside the US. That trend isn't going to end any time soon, IMO.

[Hold My Own]

Hands down baseball has the worst marketing team in all of major sports, and far worse then MLS and UFC even. Just awful

[ATrain]

Working at Hillcats games, if it was a slow night even just watching the game was rather boring to me. Baseball has likely had its glory days in the US, MLB needs to focus on expanding into places where its becoming more popular such as Japan and the Dominican Republic, becoming more of an international organization if it wants to continue being a profitable enterprise.

[Sly Fox]

I agree wholeheartedly, Atrain. While the sport is somewhat taken for granted here in the U.S., the fans around the world recognize it is as the best of the best.

I think it would provide a real boost to the game and elevate it in the minds of sports fans everywhere if MLB franchises started appearing overseas. Mexico City, Guadalajara or Monterrey make the most sense initially to look into Latin America (but I wouldn't rule out a Post-Chavez Caracas or more stable Bogota that both sit in baseball-crazy nations with oil wealth). And if the game continues to gain interest in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro would be an awesome market. But frankly I would love to see a Pacific division added with franchises in cities like Tokyo, Osaka, Seoul (shout out to SeoulFlame) and even Beijing or Shanghai or Sydney/Melbourne (Australia would make travel even more problematic but it has shown a strong interest in the game). A 12-game road trip for North American franchises could be pulled off once a year with travel time added in due to the time zone issues.

Obviously the players association would be a big hurdle. But would adding up to 8 more MLB rosters be a bad thing from there perspective.

Frankly international television revenue would seem to be the last great untapped resource for MLB. With domestic ratings in a steady slide and attendance numbers continuing to spiral, signing television deals with major Japanese, Chinese and possibly Australian networks could be the lifeblood of the league moving forward. Because frankly I would imagine that U.S./Canadian deals moving forward will begin to adjust due to market correction.

[ALUmnus]

What surprises me is how much hockey is growing despite being ditched by espn. While lacrosse has typically been a northeastern sport, it seems to be moving south and west, and really started out so small its numbers can only go up.

[Sly Fox]

Both sports are growing by leaps & bounds form a participation standpoint. But much like soccer, they are not likely to grow into major national economic forces in our lifetime. While I would agree the MLS has the most potential for growing over the next 10-15 years, I don't see the NHL or NLL exploding.

It is interesting to note that the NHL did just agree to a new TV deal with NBC/Versus. NBC affiliates across America just primal screamed into their pillows because network rating for the NHL are deadly in cities not named Detroit or Boston.

[olldflame]

As incredibly popular as baseball is in the Dominican Rebublic, I seriously don't see any way that a Major League franchise could generate enough income there to survive Atrain. The winter league teams there feature a smattering of big leaguers along with young prospects and washed-up former ML players, and they sell out frequently, but the stadiums range from 8,000 to 18,000 capacity and the tickets are cheap. I may get season tickets to the Toros del Este this year. Going to a baseball game in the DR is definately NOT boring, and you don't even need to watch the game to be entertained!

[Sly Fox]

The only way I could see MLB in the Caribbean is once the regime falls in Cuba and investment pours back into Havana from South Florida. I could easily see the Marlins splitting home games between Miami and Havana.

But Olldflame is correct, there simply isn't enough revenue to be extracted from the Caribbean right now. And with drug violence, Mexico isn't likely to be awarded a franchise anytime soon either. Strangely, Colombia today is a more stable location than Mexico City. But once the drug violence calms down, Mexico is ready made for not only a MLB franchise but an NFL one as well.

[TDDance234]

The only way I could see MLB in the Caribbean is once the regime falls in Cuba and investment pours back into Havana from South Florida. I could easily see the Marlins splitting home games between Miami and Havana.

But Olldflame is correct, there simply isn't enough revenue to be extracted from the Caribbean right now. And with drug violence, Mexico isn't likely to be awarded a franchise anytime soon either. Strangely, Colombia today is a more stable location than Mexico City. But once the drug violence calms down, Mexico is ready made for not only a MLB franchise but an NFL one as well.

If I remember correctly, there was serious interest in relocating the Marlins to Havana until Miami came through with financing for their new stadium.

[RubberMallet]

my buddy's father has been coaching little league and city league for close to 30 years. We have a great system here in nw illinois/east central iowa. he said one of the problems though is liability costs. he said the cost of running a league is so much more expensive. league fees are hard for alot of families to justify in the tough economic times. but he said its like that every recession.

he also said parents are getting worse and worse and worse. he said you can see more kids who don't want to be there today than back then.

he had to tell a father to put away a radar gun last year during a practice. (illegal to have at practice in little league) he said parental superstar complex is at an all time high right now. never seen it this ridiculous before. what kid wants to deal with that pressure. i'm sure they'd rather play soccer, run around, chase butterflies, and have their father sit on his folding chair slumped over and leavign them alone to play.

[Sly Fox]

MLB in baseball has proven to be a disaster. All of the Snowbirds that were supposed to flock to the ballpark seem to prefer watching for free from their living rooms.

Havana today couldn't support more than a couple of homestands a season. But once all of the Cubanos bring their wealth back south from Miami then I expect Havana is going to become THE hotspot in the Caribbean once again. Perhaps our baseball-loving FlameFan with Cuban exposure could chime in ... paging SumItUp.

As for the Pacific division, the amount of revenue that could be raised for MLB through expansion fees were be huge. I would suspect investors in Tokyo, Seoul & Beijing would easily be willing to pony up fees in the billions just to bring a franchise to their nation. The expansion fees would likely be more in line with North America prices in Central & South America.

[jbock13]

Puerto Rico also seems a viable option for a new team.

Portland, too small. Charlotte, too small. Las Vegas, not enough full-time residents, too much competition also.

As for me, I was blessed to grow up in an area where baseball was everything. Along the Ohio in West Virginia, you've got Reds fans, Indians fans, and Pirates fans (may God bless their souls).

Then, here in BoCo, baseball is huge locally.

[TDDance234]

Puerto Rico also seems a viable option for a new team.

Portland, too small. Charlotte, too small. Las Vegas, not enough full-time residents, too much competition also.

As for me, I was blessed to grow up in an area where baseball was everything. Along the Ohio in West Virginia, you've got Reds fans, Indians fans, and Pirates fans (may God bless their souls).

Then, here in BoCo, baseball is huge locally.

Baseball is a dying breed here in the NW part of West Virginia. Maybe in Huntington, you might have some baseball powerhouses left. It's all about football and soccer here though.

[Hold My Own]

I can see MLB moving to the PR or another Latin location pretty soon. Also, Olld is right...games at the DR are insane. IMO baseball will not continue to grow like it has until the urban exposure is increased which is not easy to do. You can play pretty much every other sport without a friend or friends that live nearby. Baseball is not the case.

[TDDance234]

I can see MLB moving to the PR or another Latin location pretty soon. Also, Olld is right...games at the DR are insane. IMO baseball will not continue to grow like it has until the urban exposure is increased which is not easy to do. You can play pretty much every other sport without a friend or friends that live nearby. Baseball is not the case.

...and with the ever dying sport of playing outside, it may never grow.

[Sly Fox]

San Juan doesn't have the revenue base to sustain a franchise. But it certainly has rabid fans. Unless the stadium issues can be resolved in San Juan, it will take quite awhile for them to get another "homestand" from Miami.

[Schfourteenteen]

Soccer's potential will never be reached if the US Federation cant fix the U.S. structure. While the lower levels are at least developing a more economically viable regional model, the disarray between lower level for-profit leagues will continue to ruin any chance of localized branding consistency. Franchise fees are just too high for any investor to seriously consider starting up a minor league team in a minor league sport. The current organizations are struggling because traditional sports income can be challenging(hello ticket sales) and they fail to grasp the concept of turning a profit off their players.

From my experience, youth soccer leagues are just as expensive from an insurance standpoint as baseball leagues, and participation fees for kids might have something to do with those monsters we call parents. I wish I kept some of the hate mail I got from them. Woof!

Baseball is stuck without an American niche in recreational participation. It's cheaper for a city to build and maintain a basketball court, and it's cheaper and easier for a child in a low income area to play basketball or even street soccer. The kids in higher income areas with more opportunities see baseball as boring compared to the other sports available to them. While just about every sport offers constant effort and interaction, baseball requires that you spend half of the game standing and the other half sitting. It's also very difficult to put together a pickup game. Unlike baseball, a group can play basketball, soccer and even football with 8 people actively involved.

There is a strong correlation between professional athletes, youth participation and adult spectatorship. Baseball's cycle has gradually broken down within this generation, and with the Latin America pipeline continuing to grow I doubt future generations will view baseball the way we did.

[Kolzilla41]

Both sports are growing by leaps & bounds form a participation standpoint. But much like soccer, they are not likely to grow into major national economic forces in our lifetime. While I would agree the MLS has the most potential for growing over the next 10-15 years, I don't see the NHL or NLL exploding.

It is interesting to note that the NHL did just agree to a new TV deal with NBC/Versus. NBC affiliates across America just primal screamed into their pillows because network rating for the NHL are deadly in cities not named Detroit or Boston.

If you actually look at the cities the games are shown in but the team does not play, the numbers are up this year.(saw that on a tweet regarding the deal yesterday). I'm very excited becuase this is going to give Amercia more exposure to hockey. If you like MMA, you'll love the NHL.(MMA=NHL on skates )

[Sly Fox]

It is true that ratings were up this past year ... but going from a .2 to a .3 rating still has the telecasts trailing most infomercials. Hockey has yet to find a way to draw in fans who didn't play the sport as a kid. And even those who did generally show little interest in watching the NHL on TV. It is disappointing that the explosion of the past 20 years in hockey participation has coincided with the decline in television viewership. This should have been hockey's opportunity to step up alongside the big three sports in the collective minds of America. It just hasn't happened.

As for baseball, the influx of Latinos that Sch14 mentioned in regard to soccer & baseball is frankly the last hope for the MLB unless they turn things around in regard to marketing. Hispanics love beisbol nearly as much as futbol. But soccer has done a better job of created an event around their games than baseball. Perhaps it is the 160+ games in the season that waters down the product from an event perspective. But soccer games on Univision, Telemundo & Azteca are considered event in Hispanic culture while baseball is where many of them prefer to go hang out with their kids every now and then.

As HMO referenced, MLB marketing is almost an oxymoron.

[jbock13]

Baseball is a dying breed here in the NW part of West Virginia. Maybe in Huntington, you might have some baseball powerhouses left. It's all about football and soccer here though.

In Parkersburg it's a big deal. Along with football. But yeah I don't know about everywhere else anymore.

[TDDance234]

Baseball is a dying breed here in the NW part of West Virginia. Maybe in Huntington, you might have some baseball powerhouses left. It's all about football and soccer here though.

In Parkersburg it's a big deal. Along with football. But yeah I don't know about everywhere else anymore.

Not really. That's where I am and neither PHS/PSHS haven't been competitive since I've been here.