413 replies to this topic

[Chris B]

I firmly believe Bautista was not celebrating so much as provoking the Rangers. Firmly believe that. Evidenced by his antics during the misunderstanding between Dyson and Encarnacion, where he was the only Jay that has to be restrained because he was going after Dyson.
 
Dude's an animal, point blank. He's an asshole, he's obnoxious and he needs help.

That's that roid rage

[Mackus]

rips somebody's tits?

[bnickle]

First of all, there is nothing entertaining about LLWS or CWS. There is no way they are getting ratings, especially not college WS. LWS probably still does ok, but that's because old people like to watch kids play anything. What Bautista did was not for love of the game. If I have to hear one more argument about him growing up in the DR and that's the way they "celebrate". What a crock of complete horseshit. You know it too.

Anyway, I don't want kids watching baseball if they need to watch yet another form of disrespecting authority figures and peers. So let the ratings suffer. Let baseball die.

[BSLChrisStoner]

rips somebody's tits?

 

Never heard that lol? Heard that pretty much every game ever growing up.

[Mackus]

Anyway, I don't want kids watching baseball if they need to watch yet another form of disrespecting authority figures and peers. So let the ratings suffer. Let baseball die.

 

This is the ultimate "take your ball and go home" argument.

[Cisc-O's]

The great american pass time.  We will let you play, only if you play by our rules.  Who is "our"?  

 

 

http://www.usatoday....ounds/73066892/

 

 

A USA TODAY Sports study of 67 bench-clearing incidents in Major League Baseball over the past five seasons found the main antagonists hailed from different ethnic backgrounds in 87% of the cases.

Just more than half of them - 34 - pitted white Americans against foreign-born Latinos. Another four featured white Americans and U.S.-born Latinos.

The figures are startling in a sport where white Americans compose about 60-65% of the population. Based on Opening-day figures, most of the rest is made up of players born outside the U.S. (26.5%) – the vast majority from Latin countries – African Americans (8%) and an undetermined number of Latinos born on U.S. soil.

[bnickle]

This is the ultimate "take your ball and go home" argument.

So be it. At least the game dies with dignity.

[BSLChrisStoner]

This is the ultimate "take your ball and go home" argument.

 

Nah, check out this strawman response lol...

 

 

First of all, there is nothing entertaining about LLWS or CWS. There is no way they are getting ratings, especially not college WS. LWS probably still does ok, but that's because old people like to watch kids play anything. What Bautista did was not for love of the game. If I have to hear one more argument about him growing up in the DR and that's the way they "celebrate". What a crock of complete horseshit. You know it too.

Anyway, I don't want kids watching baseball if they need to watch yet another form of disrespecting authority figures and peers. So let the ratings suffer. Let baseball die.

 

I'd prefer parents to be responsible for teaching their kids about respect vs. having their kids look to celebs for guidance.

 

If I have a kid, and he's greatly influenced by the actions of players.... then I've failed as a parent.

[BSLChrisStoner]

The great american pass time.  We will let you play, only if you play by our rules.  Who is "our"?  

 

 

http://www.usatoday....ounds/73066892/

 

Interesting.

 

 

 

OT: For all of the attention that happens when benches clear, how rare is it that a punch is even thrown?

[bnickle]

Stoner you don't even believe what you're preaching. You don't even like a lot of this crap. Baseball doesn't need you or others like you to give in on this just because you think ratings might spike.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Stoner rounding even believe what you're preaching. You don't even like a lot of this crap. Baseball doesn't need you or others like you to give in on this, just because you think ratings might spike.

 

Let's use this post to get back on track.

 

Do I think ratings will spike if players are not discouraged to show their emotions - even with actions we / I might not like?

 

IDK, probably not.

 

I do think the general lack of emotion shown in the ML game is an issue.

I do think the perception that MLB players lack athleticism is another.

 

I know that baseball trails the NFL, and probably the NBA, in-terms of the national consciousness. I know that Soccer will continue to grow over the next 20-25 years.

 

As someone that loves baseball, and wants to see the game continue to thrive (and as I've said, all is not dire... look at the TV deals, and attendance)... then you have to change the audience. Baseball has the highest average age for their audience. Clearly that is not sustainable.

 

If by not discouraging emotions, that increases interest in the game, that's fine by me. I think letting players be who they are as individuals can only help in that regard.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Changing the audience is changing the fabric of the game. I'm with Nickle on that point. I don't want to be watching a different sport in 10-15 years. I want to be watching baseball. It can have more personality, true. But the premise that we need to change the audience is where I'll draw the line. Sometimes you can't fix stuff. Baseball isn't going anywhere. Caring so much about where baseball lies in the rankings to where you're willing to change the essence of the game itself seems counter productive.

 

FWIW, I personally despise the NFL's constant little freak show / circus. I'm over it. Good for the NFL for tapping into once perceived non-target demographics. Kudo's. I'm sick of it personally.

[BSLChrisStoner]

Changing the audience is changing the fabric of the very game. I'm with Nickle on that point. I don't want to be watching a different sport in 10-15 years. I want to be watching baseball. It can have more personality, true. But the premise that we need to change the audience is where I'll draw the line. Sometimes you can't fix stuff. Baseball isn't going anywhere. Caring so much about where baseball lies in the rankings to where you're willing to change the essence of the game itself seems counter productive.

 

How does the sport survive if the current audience dies out, and is not replaced by younger demographics?

 

Don't see how changing the audience changes the fabric of the game, and I would be against on-field changes to the game play.

 

Have to find ways to reach younger people though.

[Chris B]

I think this "have to find ways to target younger fans" argument from Stoner is pretty BS, no offense Chris. It's not going to die out suddenly.

 

You know how baseball will continue to have young fans? By having the older fans bring their kids or grandkids to games. By connecting with them via social media (and letting people post content without being banned or under review). I think MLB does a pretty decent job of this already but they could be better.

 

No sport is ever going to just "die out." It will have its ebbs and flows due to the landscape and culture of that time. The NFL will eventually go through it when people realize how dangerous the sport is.

 

Baseball will continue to be popular and the way that happens is through families coming to the game and events and passing down those memories and that legacy to their kids.

[BSLChrisStoner]

I think this "have to find ways to target younger fans" argument from Stoner is pretty BS, no offense Chris. It's not going to die out suddenly.

 

You know how baseball will continue to have young fans? By having the older fans bring their kids or grandkids to games. By connecting with them via social media (and letting people post content without being banned or under review). I think MLB does a pretty decent job of this already but they could be better.

 

No sport is ever going to just "die out." It will have its ebbs and flows due to the landscape and culture of that time. The NFL will eventually go through it when people realize how dangerous the sport is.

 

Baseball will continue to be popular and the way that happens is through families coming to the game and events and passing down those memories and that legacy to their kids.

 

What's bs Chris?

 

It's factual that the NBA has in some ways eclipsed MLB.  (Look at Finals ratings vs. World Series ratings over the last 3 decades.)

 

It's factual that MLB has the oldest (by far) average aged audience vs. the NFL, NBA, and NHL.

 

It's factual that youth participation in baseball is declining, and very minimal in the cities.

[McNulty]

I can't believe someone can watch Bautista's antics and not only accept it, but encourage it. You should be ashamed.

Haven't read the whole thread yet, but I thought it was awesome. It's a game man. A game. Emotion is a good thing. You don't like it? Get the guy out.

[Chris B]

Wow a like from bnickle! Never thought I'd see the day tbh.

[bnickle]

Peoples tastes also change. I used to absolutely love to watch football as a teen and through my 20s. Still watch it, but would watch a random NBA before it now. On the other hand, I never really cared to watch the NBA in my 20s. My taste for NBA has grown while my taste for the NFL has diminished. Now, for me, Ive always been a big baseball fan, but my sense is baseball is something that people grow into and often enjoy more as they get older. Having an older audience is fine. The problem IMO with baseball isn't as much age as it is race. In general, black people don't watch or follow much baseball. 

[bnickle]

Wow a like from bnickle! Never thought I'd see the day tbh.

I guess people need to yell at Stoner more. Plus, Im actually on a PC. 

[McNulty]

Second: I understand there are traditionalists and purists and whatever-ists who think that flipping a bat after you hit a home run is bad form, or disrespectful, or something. I disagree. I think it’s awesome, frankly, and if you can’t enjoy Joey Bats, who had that crazy itinerant baseball life and then found a home in Toronto, and who is the soul and beating heart of this team — a team which hasn’t been in the postseason in 22 years and which has brought sports life and sports relevance back to one of the world’s great cities — and whose team went down 0-2 at home to a clearly inferior team and then stormed back on the road and gutted out two big wins and then went back to Toronto, fell behind early, scratched their way back to even, then went down by a run on one of the weirdest plays in postseason history, then loaded the bases on three errors and had a guy forced at home and then only scored one run and had a guy thrown out at second on a single to the outfield … if you can’t enjoy Joey Bats flipping his bat towards his own dugout in a badass and life-affirming and glorious and barbaric yawp of baseball excellence after hitting a home run in that situation, then I feel bad for you. From Posnanskis article today.