Between the garbage rule changes, trash Diamondbacks teams, and joyless analytics run amok evolution of the game my love of baseball has kinda died.
It was previously my #1 sport.
I haven't even watched a game in 2 years and I would previously watch all 162.
Which rule changes are you referring to?
I don't think the rule tinkering to speed up the game will have the desired effect.
Here's my idea to increase fan interest: shorten the regular season and increase the playoffs to mimic the NHL and NBA; 16 MLB teams will make the post-season. These changes would have two main impacts.
1. The shorter regular season will mean each game has more meaning. Fans tend to lose interest over the long 162 game slog.
2. More playoff teams mean more fan bases will stay engaged throughout the season. Many fair-weather fans check out in August (sometimes June
) because their team is so far out of contention.
Also, more playoff games might actually mean more TV/stadium revenue that will offset lost revenue during the shorter regular season. Teams that don't make the playoffs will complain of lost revenue, but the league could come up with some type of revenue-sharing scheme to compensate.
Many good teams fail to make the playoffs each season, and the one-game wildcard play-in is a joke.
To increase offensive production, MLB is conducting a live experiment in an independent league of moving the pitching mound back 12 inches. This should increase runs, and provide pitchers an additional 0.0068493 seconds of reaction time to avoid getting decked by a liner up the middle.
I consider myself a traditionalist, however, MLB must adapt to survive. The game is dying.
https://www.wtkr.com/sports/mlb-will-have-minor-league-experiment-with-moving-back-mound