Proposal: Accelerating Baseball Pace to Revive Its Declining Popularity
Major League Baseball (MLB) is addressing the growing concerns of long game times and potential audience loss due to perceived boredom by implementing pace-of-play changes, with promising results. The average MLB game time has significantly decreased from over 3 hours in the early 2020s to about 2 hours and 35-40 minutes in 2024-2025, largely due to the introduction of a pitch clock and other pace-related rules[1][3].
However, challenges persist, particularly during slower or less exciting portions of games, which can cause fans to lose interest or leave early. For instance, observational studies by teams like the Savannah Bananas found that fans often start leaving at predictable times, around 9 PM, regardless of the entertainment or competitive nature of the game[2]. This suggests that the slow pacing and repetitive moments can still cause disengagement.
To combat these issues, MLB and innovative teams are exploring several strategies:
1. **Rule changes to speed up the game**: Continuing to enforce and possibly enhance pitch clocks, limits on mound visits, and restrictions on defensive shifts to keep the game moving faster[1][3].
2. **Enhancing fan engagement**: Teams like the Savannah Bananas focus on making every moment exciting, questioning traditional baseball rituals, and introducing various entertainment elements during down times to keep fans engaged throughout all 9 innings[2].
3. **Innovative fan experience concepts**: Experimenting with alternative rules, live entertainment, interactive fan activities, and real-time engagement tools to reduce perceived boredom during slow parts of the game[2].
By combining rule-based pace improvements with creative entertainment and fan engagement initiatives, MLB aims to reduce long game times and minimize audience loss by maintaining excitement and involvement throughout the entire game. The goal is to have games average under 2 hours and 30 minutes in the near future while ensuring fans remain captivated from the first pitch through the final out[1][2][3].
Despite these efforts, baseball still faces challenges. For example, following individual players can be difficult compared to other sports like football and basketball. Moreover, certain aspects of the game, such as pitching changes, stepping out of the batter's box, and looking the runner back, are often perceived as boring by fans[4].
However, Mike Pesca, the host of the Slate podcast "The Gist," believes that if baseball doesn't become more engaging, it could start losing audience[5]. This length, often longer than "The Godfather" and none of the 28 shows on Broadway running longer, may be deterring fans from attending[6].
Despite these concerns, baseball still has a rich sense of history and intricacy in skills like mastering a knuckle curve or turning a double play. Moreover, the home run, not on the list of boring parts of a baseball game, is ascendant, with MLB on track to set a record for home runs in a season[7].
In conclusion, MLB is actively working to address the issues of long game times and potential audience loss due to perceived boredom. By implementing pace-of-play changes and exploring innovative solutions, they aim to create a more engaging and efficient game experience for fans.
[1] https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-to-implement-pitch-clock-in-2023 [2] https://www.savannahbananas.com/ [3] https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-announces-new-pace-of-game-rules-for-2023 [4] https://www.sportskeeda.com/baseball/most-boring-parts-baseball-game [5] https://www.slate.com/author/mike_pesca [6] https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/05/sports/baseball/mlb-attendance-decline.html [7] https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-on-pace-to-break-home-run-record-in-2021
Sports enthusiasts who enjoy baseball, particularly Major League Baseball (MLB), might appreciate the efforts being made to speed up the game, reduce perceived boredom, and boost fan engagement. To achieve this goal, MLB is implementing rule changes like enforcing pitch clocks, limiting mound visits, and restricting defensive shifts [1][3]. Furthermore, innovative teams are focusing on making every moment exciting by questioning traditional baseball rituals, introducing various entertainment elements during down times, and experimenting with alternative rules, live entertainment, interactive fan activities, and real-time engagement tools [2].
