Five Reasons We've Continued to Watch Baseball

If you all haven’t already guessed, baseball is my favorite sport. I’m very, very biased. But I wanted to take a step outside of that shell for a moment and look at reasons why people actually continue to watch baseball since it has been around for so long. Here we go:

5. Labor peace.

(MLBPA)

There is a reason why baseball has not seen a work stoppage in twenty-two years. The MLBPA, the strongest union in professional sports, has almost always seen eye-to-eye with the league over the last couple of decades in order to reach agreements. From a technical standpoint, we continue to watch baseball because baseball, for the most part, has always been there for us to continue to watch. Additionally, with the new CBA having been agreed upon this past week, we can expect to consume the sport and all it has to offer for years to come. With such long seasons, it is imperative that both the league and the players continue to meet each other in the middle in order to deliver the on-field product for fans everywhere.

4. The free market.

(Bleacher Nation)

Some of the most exciting action of the Major League Baseball season occurs, ironically, during the offseason. It is where most of the teams’ transactions occur, via trade or signing. What sets baseball apart from other sports leagues besides its strong players’ union is its utilization of a free market system to bring astronomical salaries to players of all abilities. With player contracts continuously rising and the desire for the best talent to attract fans, teams create a huge stir every offseason by bidding for these players. The growing financial level of the market each year significantly reflects not only the cost of doing business within the league, but also gauges a fan interest that is quite unique to the sport.

3. Each ballpark is so unique.

(Panoramio)

A football field is 120 yards x 50 yards. A hockey rink is 200 feet x 85 feet. A basketball court is 94 feet x 50 feet. A baseball field is...? When we watch games within the other three major sports, we know each time what we’re going to see on the playing surface. While we still go to certain venues for the history or the location, no facility architecture is as unique as that of a baseball park. And baseball fans love that. From the old fashioned design of Fenway Park, to the contemporary look of Marlins Park, fans are always exposed to something different whenever they walk through those gates.

2. Baseball owns the summer.

(Odyssey)

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, baseball runs the table during the summer. Among other things, people love to go to the ballpark during the summer because to them, baseball IS summer. To so many, there is just nothing like going to the ballpark on a summer night for a game and taking in everything all at once. Baseball is summer’s sport, and that will never change.

1. We STILL never know what’s going to happen.

(Sports Mockery)

So many things differentiate baseball from other sports, but far and away its most defining feature is the unknown. There are no time limits, no score limits, and no such thing as “impossible.” That truly is what keeps people watching this great game. Sure we know what teams are good and bad, but any given night something unbelievable can happen that will leave fans wanting more. One night you may see your team get blown out, only to see a spot starter throw a perfect game the next night. In baseball, everything is possible and nothing is off limits.