And you see no problem with the fact that baseball has 25% of the viewers that it had 40 years ago? That it has 50% of the viewers that it had just 15 years ago? Do you not recognize that this is not good for baseball?
If MLB were a drama or comedy series it would be cancelled with this decline in viewers.
It’s a rough comparison, but MLB is kind of like WWE. It’s a legacy entertainment product that will always have brand value and isn’t going away, but it has bled fans for decades due to extreme mismanagement by out-of-touch leaders.
WWF was huge in the 80s Golden Era behind Hulk Hogan, Macho Man, Andre the Giant, etc. kind of like MLB had its huge teams like the 1988 Dodgers (Gibson HR) and the Bash Brothers A’s teams. Both companies took downturns in the mid-90s with WWF’s post-Hulkamania lull and 1994 McMahon steroid trial, while MLB had the 1994 strike that drove fans away.
Both companies came back in the late 90s. WWF pushed the hell out of Austin vs McMahon in 98 and 99, plus had a megastar in The Rock and a great supporting cast. MLB pushed the hell out of McGwire vs Sosa, had Bonds, Jeter, A-Rod, Clemens, etc.
Ever since those eras, it’s been downhill the past two decades. And some of the troubles are similar:
1. Out-of-touch, aging leaders (Bud Selig, Rob Manfred, Vince McMahon) who seem to actively dislike their fanbase. Fortunately, Vince is finally gone, with HHH taking over the reins this summer.
2. Failure to create or properly market new stars. Do you ever see MLB players do a ton of commercials? Are they appearing on other shows? Do a bunch of podcasts? It doesn’t really seem like it. The guys I see the most are retired guys like Jeter and A-Rod. Mike Trout isn’t marketed. Aaron Judge isn’t really marketed. Shohei Ohtani is limited because he doesn’t speak English well. Other stars of the past 15 years like Verlander, Kershaw, Miggy, etc. aren’t really ever seen in pop culture other than the Kate Upton connection for Verlander. WWE has a similar problem. There’s no one even close to Stone Cold or Rock levels of pop culture popularity. John Cena had success but he’s gone. Do you ever see Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton or Drew McIntyre in pop culture? Not really. Those are their big guys now. I guess RKO Outta Nowhere was kind of a meme for awhile for Orton.
3. Games/shows too long. Monday Night Raw being 3 hours long has been a constant trouble spot for a decade, with fans saying the show is stretched out and boring. Similarly, MLB games generally take way too long and are accused of being boring.
4. Product out of mainstream conscience except for legacy events. MLB still gets attention for Home Run Derby, the All-Star Game and the World Series but otherwise basically has a niche audience. Similarly, WWE draws a lot of casuals for WrestleMania and maybe the Royal Rumble, but otherwise just has its dwindling niche fanbase.
5. Raw was drawing around 8 million viewers back around 2000 during the height of the Attitude Era. Ever since, it’s been a steady decline and the show draws around 2 million these days. The MLB TV decline has been documented already.
It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …