Correct. MLB has been dropping in tv ratings for years. This isn't anything new. But so is everything else. But nobody wants to just face the fact this is the new reality and there's been a paradigm shift in what and how people watch tv, shows, movies, entertainment in general. On the other hand though, ballpark attendance has been rising for a good while, with the exception of the pandemic blip, and things are back on the rise in gameday attendance again. But you don't "stop the bleeding" by turning the game into something it's not. Sure, pro wrestling, the carnival, an orgy, a riot, a town square beheading are all fun on special occasions, but even the most fervent weirdo is gonna turn that shit off at a certain point because even car crashes get boring if you're watching them every day.

I believe viewership and attendance were both up in 2024.

https://www.mlb.com/amp/press-releas...ven-years.html

Yeah, they're touting the rule changes as to why they finally pulled up a bit out of this slump they've been in. And that's why they're going to keep doing it.

Part of the reason I watched more baseball the last couple of years is how much they reduced the length of an average game. Fantastic change and great job by Manfred.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/...b-game-length/

Yeah, I know viewership did actually go up this year, but I'd almost attribute a lot of that to so many good, fun, big/small market teams being in the race all year. This was actually a really, really good year of baseball with terrific storylines from several places. Though I'm sure some of the rule changes might've had some sort of impact as well, more than anything, the pitch/hit clock, but again, you could easily speed things up by cutting down on the ads.

I haven't heard any clamor for another work stoppage when the current CBA runs out. Are you referring to something you've heard or seen? I think MLB kinda already is a "niche sport", and there's nothing wrong with that. There's nothing at all quite like it from a major sports perspective. I know there's a ton of shared concern regarding the NBA. Viewership is way, way down. But it's such a global thing, I have a hard time believing their problems are too deep.

Baseball is fine..but Imagine Bobby getting one more AB every game

Really? Manfred hasn't exactly been subtle about his intentions to eventually implement a salary cap or something equivalent to one. While that would absolutely go a long ways towards fixing the constant competitive balance issues it'll be a non starter for the players. It's almost entirely dependant on how serious Manfred and the owners are about getting that implemented.

Soooooo many records would fall. Pete Rose would finally one day be nothing more than a footnote, so it wouldn't be all bad.

dont forget the asterisk...lol

Yeah, I guess. But I've had a hard time taking any salary cap discussion very seriously because it really is such a non-starter for the player's union. And I don't know if either side has enough leverage at this point to do a thing about it. Expansion isn't gonna help the owner's case much, because expansion is already inevitable. And the only leverage the owners have after that is a complete and total shut down lasting a year or more, or playing with scabs, and simply sucking it up. It would likely wreck the game irreparably, or take a generation to get things back to even close to the prior levels. Manfred wants to retire in 2029, so I doubt he wants his lasting legacy residing on MLB shutting down for a salary cap.

Maikel Garcia sending out some cryptic tweets about heading to KC for x-rays and "God's plan". Makes me think a trade is brewing...

Aaah man! I sure hope not. Love maikel

Or he's ****ed up himself somehow.

What could we possibly get for him I wonder?

I don't see anything about x-rays.