MLB Struggling To Attract One Key Demographic

[yuiyoshida]

Fresh off a thrilling World Series in which TV ratings were up from last year, not everything is look good for Major League Baseball.

One key demographic -- children ages 6 to 17 -- is conspicuously losing interest in the sport. According to the Wall Street Journal, kids accounted for 4.3 percent of the average audience for the ALCS and NLCS this year, down from 7.4 percent one decade ago. Kids made up about 4.6 percent of the World Series audience. That figure is lower than the number of kids in the 6-17 range who watch the NFL, NBA, NHL and the English Premier League.

Making the situation more troublesome for MLB is that fewer kids are playing Little League. Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal notes that 2.1 million children played Little League baseball last year, down from 2.6 million in 1997.

The problem with the national pastime isn't just that it's past bedtime. More likely it is that baseball is slower and less action-packed than most other sports.

more..http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/dish/201310/mlb-struggling-attract-one-key-demographic

[Jetboy]

1. I remember sitting in school as a child in the early 1980s thinking about the

World Series game that was going to be on TV that night. And I was and still am a Cub fan! I know I wasn't alone either but the long term future for baseball does not look great.

It's a video game world and baseball isn't instant enough gratification I guess. Oh well. for me the season can't start any sooner (even though it will be over shortly thereafter for my team lol!)

[DrewFlorida]

2. In 1967 my school delayed classes and brought televisions into each classroom

allowing everyone to watch game 7 of the World Series, in which our beloved Red Sox fell short against the St Louis Cardinals.

Those statistics are substantial, however I think part of the problem is with how long the season is, 162 games is a lot of games, and each game is relatively less important than a game in the NBA, NFL etc. I think the game by itself is very exciting, and would be more compelling if the season was shortened to 120 games. The season as it is now goes on for roughly 7 months, 4-5 games a week, people have other things to do in their lives.