Baseball Is Getting Really Expensive

[lukeduke1980]

 

It's not just millennials. The number of older adults (I'm talking 30-40 year olds) who would rather play video games as opposed to go outside and see a baseball game is growing. Why spend $115 bucks on a Wednesday night to go downtown when you can sit in your easy chair and play Red Dead Redemption or whatever and order pizza? I'm sure we all prefer baseball over PlayStation but we're in the minority.

Maybe it would help if Target Field had special 'older adult' pricing for us 30 - 40 year olds

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

However, I'd recommend not using the local TV ratings propaganda as an example of anything to stand your ground on.

Again, I'm not "standing my ground" on local TV ratings. Forget I brought up local ratings, if you want. ALL TV ratings are in decline (except the Super Bowl, I guess?). Entertainment consumption is changing so much every day, the Nielsens are irrelevant. What are the new indicators that networks and advertisers look at? Social media engagement? Online ad reinforcement? I'm not exactly sure, but I am sure they are looking at those indicators and they're not too alarmed, judging by their actions.

 

Anyway, I could go on but I've gone on enough. Look at the bigger picture. Check the Demographics. Compare it to other sports. TV advertisers want 18-49. Baseball needs to start planting trees.

This came up in another thread recently, but you *can't* compare it other sports, at least not in everything. It's a really different game, in structure and season. And while that hinders it on some fronts -- championship ratings, superstar recognition -- it benefits it on others: daily results to follow, ballparks as gathering spaces and not just TV stages, local ratings, summer, etc. That's not to say baseball should be complacent, of course, but I don't really think they are, relative to the other major sports -- it's just different. 

 

If we want to continue this discussion, I'd ask: what's football doing, above baseball, that's not just inherently structural (i.e. Super Bowl parties), to better capture the young folks and ensure its future? Basketball? Hockey? 

 

I'm sure we'll continue to see tweaks here and there -- ebb and flow of ticket/concession deals, pace-of-play adjustments, juiced-vs-dead-ball, etc. -- and we've all got our favorites among them. But that's mostly just working around the margins, just like the other sports will continue to do.

 

If the economic and entertainment landscape shifts enough to pose serious problems for major league baseball, it's going to post serious problems for the other major pro sports too.

[Craig Arko]

If it’s David Attenborough talking about Tree Frogs that’ll hook me every time.

[Riverbrian]

 

Again, I'm not "standing my ground" on local TV ratings. Forget I brought up local ratings, if you want. ALL TV ratings are in decline (except the Super Bowl, I guess?). Entertainment consumption is changing so much every day, the Nielsens are irrelevant. What are the new indicators that networks and advertisers look at? Social media engagement? Online ad reinforcement? I'm not exactly sure, but I am sure they are looking at those indicators and they're not too alarmed, judging by their actions.

 

This came up in another thread recently, but you *can't* compare it other sports, at least not in everything. It's a really different game, in structure and season. And while that hinders it on some fronts -- championship ratings, superstar recognition -- it benefits it on others: daily results to follow, ballparks as gathering spaces and not just TV stages, local ratings, summer, etc. That's not to say baseball should be complacent, of course, but I don't really think they are, relative to the other major sports -- it's just different. 

 

If we want to continue this discussion, I'd ask: what's football doing, above baseball, that's not just inherently structural (i.e. Super Bowl parties), to better capture the young folks and ensure its future? Basketball? Hockey? 

 

I'm sure we'll continue to see tweaks here and there -- ebb and flow of ticket/concession deals, pace-of-play adjustments, juiced-vs-dead-ball, etc. -- and we've all got our favorites among them. But that's mostly just working around the margins, just like the other sports will continue to do.

 

If the economic and entertainment landscape shifts enough to pose serious problems for major league baseball, it's going to post serious problems for the other major pro sports too.

 

Local is OK at the moment because you are working with a built in fan base that the Tree Frog doesn't have. The overall pie is sliced but that fan base is the biggest piece and It's enough to get the Kwik Trip ad buy today. However, as this erodes at multiple levels (streaming options, demo's aging out and lack of interest in the game from younger demographics) the cost per point will decrease accordingly and the game won't be able to afford Mike Trout. As the local money decreases, it will need to be replaced at the national level. This is where the NFL just cleans up. The NFL as a system can support a team in a market the size of Green Bay. ESPN just cycles through the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs and Red Sox on Sunday night because they produce the biggest numbers and this stems from the largest local bases. One place to start to build stable nationwide numbers... HOPE in Pittsburgh, as long as baseball has a have/have not model it will limit the National growth. However, the large market owners are fine with the disadvantage and the fight for today's penny will block tomorrow's penny. 

 

Those indicators you are asking about are found in the demographics. It may not seem like anyone is too concerned about it. Some are but, typically people start exercising after the heart attack. 

 

The average age of the baseball fan is already out of the demo, the ad buyer is going to place ads where the 18-49's are. Baseball isn't ready for that. They are too busy fighting for all of today's penny to worry about tomorrow's penny. Baseball needs to get wherever people are in order to plant trees for younger viewers. However, this will challenge the old model because the money they get from traditional sources want the viewer they paid for and not have to share it with the new model. Yeah, we can talk about the god awful blackout rules here as an example of today's penny blocking tomorrow's penny.     

 

Baseball has issues to work out. All sports really but demographically... Baseball is the first one off the cliff. 

 

You can compare it to other sports. Yes the shapes and seasons are different to make them seem not comparable, however they all have the same objective, that is to increase their fan base to maximize revenue. It's why the NFL is playing in London. It's why the NHL expanded to Nashville and Tampa. Baseball needs more diverse demographics, this is the MLB version of the NFL's London. Why does Football have less of a demographic problem? I don't know for sure but I believe it is a combination of entertainment and education. It's a slower game and people have nothing to latch on to. 

 

I'm not shy offering my opinion... however, self awareness is going to stop me from posting my ideas for baseball on Twinsdaily. My ideas are too radical for this crowd.   The fine folks who populate Twinsdaily are already comfortable with the current arrangement and will immediately dismiss multiple adjustments out of hand. We are here because we already like the game as is and we ain't enough for the future.

 

Let's just say my ideas range from top to bottom. From the broadcast presentation itself (Bremer would no longer have a job) to frequent player biographies (like they do on the Voice) to help make superstars and add an emotional attachment to the players, to live bands in Section 303 playing between innings to actual emotion on the field without getting beaned to heart rate reports during stress moments on the field.  But Yeah, I'm not getting into that so please everyone ignore this paragraph. 

[laloesch]

 

It's not just millennials. The number of older adults (I'm talking 30-40 year olds) who would rather play video games as opposed to go outside and see a baseball game is growing. Why spend $115 bucks on a Wednesday night to go downtown when you can sit in your easy chair and play Red Dead Redemption or whatever and order pizza? I'm sure we all prefer baseball over PlayStation but we're in the minority.

 

I think football will be OK for a while, although it's getting more and more "Disney-fied" as are all sports. The purists are leaving due to the Mickey Mouse stuff - the NBA is a good example of that. A 1980s NBA fan wouldn't recognize the game today.

 

With purists leaving, pro sports are doing everything they can to draw in younger crowds. But I don't think enough new blood is jumping on board MLB. Just too much competition from video games and other online-based entertainment.

 

Great post. I agree. I think the NFL will be okay for a while but MLB is in trouble long term especially with the Baby boomer generation getting to be quite old now (70's). I love baseball and i'm 39 but A LOT of my friends my age could care two hoots about baseball in general. I was a HUGE Chicago Bulls fan in the 90's. I watched almost every game i could.  I love the NBA of the 80's and 90's, but absolutely can't stand it now. It's not the same sport at all.

[Mike Sixel]

Every team makes the second season. I have a complex plan for the second season that vastly rewards the best teams in the first 150 ish games....

[dex8425]

This year I spent way less on Twins tickets and went to way more games. 50 bucks a month for every home game, general admission with the Twins Pass they offered in April. I don't even know how many games I went to, probably 35 or so. I had two, so went with friends, my wife, my Dad, my relatives, it was great. 

[TheBoofIsLoose]

 

No worries, in about 20 years (+ / -), I'm almost certain half the teams in baseball will have folded or will be folding. Millennial's couldn't care two hoots about baseball or hockey for that matter. They aren't really interested in the NFL either.   

 

It's not just millennials. The number of older adults (I'm talking 30-40 year olds) who would rather play video games as opposed to go outside and see a baseball game is growing. Why spend $115 bucks on a Wednesday night to go downtown when you can sit in your easy chair and play Red Dead Redemption or whatever and order pizza? I'm sure we all prefer baseball over PlayStation but we're in the minority.

 

To be pedantic, millennials range in age from 25-40 so it's not exactly the youth of today killing the game. You could make compelling arguments for a variety of reasons, i.e. wage stagnation, cost of living increases, rising debts, etc. as to why people haven't turned out. It's especially disheartening to see a team that typically hasn't spent enough on the field, and I'll eat these words if they change that this offseason, cater to an elite crowd to pad the Pohlad's wallets.

[scottz]

It'll be interesting to see the first stadium that goes all-in on this approach, and effectively replaces all mid- and upper-tier infield and baseline seats with boxes of various kinds. Reduce the capacity, increase the experience. You could also build more vertically, so you probably could even reduce the footprint of the stadium - no small change if you're talking about valuable metropolitan land.

 

Let the others watch on their hologram TVs at home.

 

Also, I went to 1 game this year. A friend got a bunch of tickets through his company that were going unused. My whole family went.

[laloesch]

 

To be pedantic, millennials range in age from 25-40 so it's not exactly the youth of today killing the game. You could make compelling arguments for a variety of reasons, i.e. wage stagnation, cost of living increases, rising debts, etc. as to why people haven't turned out. It's especially disheartening to see a team that typically hasn't spent enough on the field, and I'll eat these words if they change that this offseason, cater to an elite crowd to pad the Pohlad's wallets.

 

Not to mention the ridiculous length of games. I mean 3-1/2 hours for a game on a week night? Absolutely absurd when games should be 2 hours in length like the NBA, NHL, AAA baseball.