30 years ago my summers were filled with trips to the batting cages, playing catch with my dad in the backyard and practicing and playing games with my friends. Little league baseball was all that mattered.
Today, there are high schools all across the United States that are having trouble even fielding a team. Major League Comissioner, Rob Manfred, has even voiced his concerns and the effect this will have on Major League Baseball. Kids just don't play baseball anymore and here are the 3 Reasons Why.
- Kids are playing their favorite sport all year round. Whether it is basketball, football, hockey or soccer, kids are on traveling club teams as well as their school teams. The days of the 3 sport athlete are long gone. We grew up playing football in the fall, basketball in the winter and baseball in the summer. That just doesn't happen anymore.
- Kids are obsessed with video games, iPads, and cell phones. Baseball requires patience and is one of the slowest sports. For kids that are used to constant stimulation and instant gratification, baseball can seem boring. Baseball is also a thinking game that requires more concentration than football or basketball. Getting our kids off the electronics and back on the field is a focus for a lot of parents.
- Baseball isn't a flashy sport. 25 year old Mike Trout of the L.A. Angles has finished 1st or 2nd in MVP voting over the last 5 years. He has had the best statistical start to a MLB career in the history of the game. And I bet most readers of this blog could not pick him out of a line up. But Lebron James and Tom Brady would be recognized by almost everyone. Baseball has far fewer big time celebrities than basketball and football. Thanks to big money Endorsements, boys are more likely to be drawn to flashier, more in your face Sports.
So what does all of this mean? It is true that less kids are playing baseball in the United States. But in Latin America, kids are playing now more than ever. This has translated into Latin players dominating all over the field. The World Champion Chicago Cubs have some phenomenal Latin Players as does almost every team. The face of the MLB might look a little different, but the talent level remains high, thanks to our friends outside of the 50 states. Cheers!
Things change from generation to generation but not allways for the best, I agree with you scottybuckets. Its a pitty the kids are not doing real outdoor sports anymore, no wonder most of them are overweight :(
My friend told me a story the other day about her son of 23.
He had a birthday party and about 15 of them sat arround on the livingroom floor all with their cellphones in their hands, hardly talking to eachother and even sending eachother text messages while being in the same room.
I realise its how they are growing up with all this social media and new technologies so for them its absolutly normal.
As someone who is a bit older its kinda sad to see this happen.
I dont have children myself but if I did I would do all I can to stimulate then to go outside and do some sport and let them experience how much fun it can be playing in a team with your team members.
Have a great day scotty :)
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Thanks for reading @openheart My parents used to throw me out of the house in the morning and yell for me to come back in when it got dark. We were outside all day. Sad but true story about that birthday party. Thank you for responding!
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Outstanding points and a great post. In regards to point #1, another thing to consider too as I have a 7 year old son that plays all sports...a lot of the sports go on at the same time. In the last 3 months my son has been in baseball, flag football, basketball, and soccer. Time and scheduling make a big difference. And it helps that I am a work at home dad and his mother is a stay at home mom. It's not like that for most kids. I wish it would be more seasonal as we can get more kids involved.
Point #2 is SPOT ON. The electronics era has changed everything. During the school year my kids can not play their ipads or game systems during the week. And it's only 2 hours on the weekends.
Point #3: Correctomundo!!! We gotta be real. End zone celebrations, Slam dunks, and RAW EMOTION are what attracts people. In baseball, if a guy admires his home run like Bryce Harper or Jose Bautista they get BEANED or worse yet one of their teammates gets BEANED. The old school thinking is still prevalent for baseball and guys like Freddy Freeman wear it like a badge of honor. I do not think there is anything wrong with emotion or a little showboating. If you don't want a guy to celebrate a home run, just don't give it up.
Anyhow I really enjoyed your post! I am a passionate baseball fan if you can not tell.
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@ericgordon thank you for reading and I really enjoyed your response. Keep up the good work with your son!
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Give cricket a go.
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Interesting article. Being Panamanian baseball is the number one sport in my country. In fact our main national league in Panama is the National Baseball league. But even in my country the baseball popularity is decreasing. Sports as soccer, my own favorite, and basketball, even American Football are taking over. I think the MLB should invest more in advertising for kids, and the athletes have to be more marketing.
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This is sad. Kids need to be kids! Things aren't what they used to be. I was hardly on electronics back then.
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My boys play baseball and love the game. We do not play travel or all stars tho as it takes up the family's entire summer. Instead off all summer badeball we do watersports, wakeboarding and surfing. I wouldn't have it any other way.
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