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RelativeAssistant923 t1_j9br476 wrote

Reply to comment by Make_the_music_stop in Average Attendance for North American Sports Leagues [OC] by BoMcCready

No, it is not "America's game". It is third in TV viewership, third in self identified fan interest, and second in overall revenue. It's also declining: only 25% of sports fans under the age of 25 say they follow it (https://www.statista.com/chart/15869/favrotie-sports-league/) and attendance is down 14% since 2007 (https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/2387447)

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Spaticles t1_j9c8zoe wrote

But how does that compare to previous generations? People who were 25 in 1960 may have also had 25% interest, but by the time that generation was 50, they could have gone up in interest. It's an old man's game.

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RelativeAssistant923 t1_j9cs6p3 wrote

I dont know that that data exists, but its far from the only evidence of baseball's decline.

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social_media_suxs t1_j9dyfj8 wrote

The big issue with viewership are RSN contracts requiring cable subscriptions at a time when people are ditching cable. It's a huge problem MLB is now looking to fix.

Recent example being Dodgers games having a multi-year blackout in their own home market. https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/dodgers-tv-blackout-is-finally-over-for-some-fans-in-southern-california/

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RelativeAssistant923 t1_j9exk09 wrote

I mean, yes, this is a problem with sports generally (although the NBA is doing better than others). But in terms of whether it's "America's game", MLB has never had the viewership revenue that the NFL has right now.

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