By almost any measure, baseball is in decline.
For at least for the better part of a couple of decades now, the trends really are undeniable, whether it is declining youth participation, diminishing television ratings, or decreasing ballpark attendance.
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The negative of the information revolution has been a fragmenting of our society to the point where we seem to have no common experience and no universally shared interests.
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There are any number of explanations to which one might point: from our ever-shortening attention spans that are increasingly incompatible with the pace and rhythm of the game to the growing abundance and accessibility of other entertainment options.
The way the game is played today, with heavy reliance on analytics and hyper-specialization – and the three and four hour games that come with it – certainly hasn’t helped, as both purists and casual fans alike find themselves tuning out. Changes to the rules seem only to make matters worse.
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I don’t know how much is cause and how much effect. But I am convinced that it is no coincidence that this decline is happening at the same time as the apparent breakdown of common American ideals of democracy and collective action.
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For around 150 years, baseball, probably as much as any other aspect of American culture, gave our nation a common language and a shared experience.
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For around 150 years, baseball, probably as much as any other aspect of American culture, gave our nation a common language and a shared experience. Generation after generation of new Americans came here, adopted the game as their own, and made their own contributions.
Irish, Italians, Jews, Latinos, and Asians all had a similar experience, each with their own heroes who became household names and who helped promote acceptance among and across cultures. Regardless of background, native language, or culture, baseball provided this uniquely American thing that we all had in common.
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Of course, I am not minimizing the shameful exclusion of Blacks, Latinos, Asians, and others that happened for so long and which only very slowly and grudgingly gave way.
Again though, this can be viewed as a reflection of American culture, society, and history.
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When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Boston in the 1970’s and 80’s, everyone knew whether the Red Sox won or lost the night before, just like everyone watched the last episode of MASH or wondered “who shot J.R.?”
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For decades, Black baseball (a game by all statistical and historical accounts which was at least the equal of that played in the “major” leagues) existed in the shadows of the dominant culture.
Even today, and despite some progress, that history remains largely ignored and devalued – yet another way that the game reflects reality. But even while baseball was played and watched separately, it was played and watched nevertheless.
When I was a kid growing up in the suburbs of Boston in the 1970’s and 80’s, everyone knew whether the Red Sox won or lost the night before, just like everyone watched the last episode of MASH or wondered “who shot J.R.?” Everyone supported the team and had their favorite players.
The entire region’s mood seemed to move in sync with the team. And those summers when the team was winning (even though we all knew they would inevitably disappoint), when as teenagers we would drink beer at the field and listen to the game on the radio while trying not to draw the attention of the police, were truly some of the best times of our lives.
I’m sure it was similar all across the country whether the fans were rooting for the Yankees, the Dodgers, or the Cubs. We all had something in common, even if we experienced it differently.
So much now has become fragmented: music, art, media, sports, and beyond.
The information revolution has done great things for us. It has allowed each of us pursue a limitless number of options for our own entertainment and (in theory at least) enlightenment.
The unforeseen negative result however has been a fragmenting of our society to the point where we seem to have no common experience, no universally shared interests, and are unable to agree on even the most basic democratic ideals on which our country was founded or to engage in any kind of collective action to solve our problems.
Whether baseball’s demise is a symptom or a cause, I don’t exactly know. Either way, I am convinced that it is a bad thing for America.
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