Why Baseball Still Feels Like the Ultimate Throwback Family Sport
To varying degrees, the major US sports leagues have laid out plans to conquer the world. The NFL plays more and more games abroad each year, including permanent fixtures in London; the NBA is expanding to create a new NBA Europe league in the next year or two, and even the NHL has an eye on cashing in on the sport’s popularity in Eastern and Central Europe.
Major League Baseball does have an international presence – the World Baseball Classic was a huge success again this year – and the game is popular in Japan, Venezuela (the WBC champions), the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and elsewhere. Moreover, MLB has played international games before, though not with the same frequency as other sports leagues.
Baseball remains a uniquely American experience
Nevertheless, baseball remains uniquely American, or at least the baseball experience remains uniquely American. The tagline of baseball as “America’s pastime” feels very apt for the game, perhaps more so than any other. Going to a game is a rite of passage for so many youngsters, and the experience is so different from being in a football stadium or basketball arena. It’s arguably the sport that has most kept with tradition – even the player kits are a throwback to times past.
Of course, baseball has rolled with the times, too. It is a technology-heavy sport, using statistics and analytics more overtly and frequently than others. The statistics filter through to the fan experience, too, with everything from batting averages to pitch velocities being used for fantasy sports picks and baseball betting strategies. But that focus on metrics belies a game that is more approachable than others. Baseball players come in all shapes and sizes. You don’t need to be musclebound like a football player, nor tall like a basketball player. People learn the game by tossing a ball with a parent or sibling in the yard, not via elite academies.
Stadiums are built for families of all ages
Overall, though, there is the pacing of baseball. The MLB recently made adjustments to make the game faster with the introduction of a pitch clock, but the fan experience remains semi-passive. There are certainly moments in baseball that require rapt attention – see the reaction from the crowd when it’s the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded and a batter has the chance to tie a game – yet it’s also a sport that can be dipped in and out of when the intensity is not being ratcheted up.
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Those elements lend themselves to the family feel of a baseball game. Like all sports, a game can get fiery, and the crowd can get out of hand, but the majority of games are “gentler” than other sports. There are long periods where it feels like nothing happens (things do happen, but not always consequential), and that can help when bringing young kids to a game: there is time to go to the bathroom or get a snack.
There are other reasons. The stadiums are built for families, and the teams themselves push the boat out for family-oriented experiences, with everything from mascots entertaining the kids to collectible bobble-heads being handed out at games. It’shard to think of any other sports games that are both suitable for children and grandparents at the same time. MLB games are usually more affordable for families compared to NBA and NFL games, too.
Yet, above everything else is that feeling of nostalgia. We associate baseball with long summer evenings, and those sit in our memories as we watch our kids enjoy their summers. There may be some changes in the stadiums with big screens and people filming games on their smartphones, but there are universal themes of Americana that have remained constant in baseball stadiums across the decades.
