Why is baseball so boring now?

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I used to have a sports phase in the early 2000s. The memory I will never forget was the 2004 ALCS and World Series at that time. I know baseball was powerful back some decades ago and in the early 2000s it was thrilling to watch. I always rooted for the red sox and even if they weren't in the playoffs, the playoffs stopped being exciting after 2006. Yeah the Sox swept the Rockies in 2007, but it was boring. 2004 was just a miracle, The Sox swept the Angels in the ALDS, beat the Yankees four in a row from 3 games to none, and those weren;t close games, the Sox dominated after game 4. The Sox swept ST Louis with some challenge from the Cardinals and Kieth Foulke throwing the final out is the best world series they've won.

 

I know the Sox won again in 2013 at home, but it didn't mean anything, just felt dry. Now both the Sox and Yankees suck and the rivalry era is over. Even other teams are boring to watch. 

[Frostgage 7,976]

I'm sorry to be blunt, but if you expect 2004 to happen every season and aren't entertained by anything less, I'm not sure how real of a fan you are. I'm a huge baseball fan and an even bigger Red Sox fan, and I didn't find 2007 or 2013 at all boring, or any other season for that matter. I love the game as much as ever and can't wait for 2015 Opening Day.

Edited February 5, 2015 by Frostgage

[SuperBrony87 506]

Most sports are boring... Because they're way more fun to play... When you're watching a game you much rather be playing it... It's always better to play than to watch. Baseball... Everyone knows the outfield guys have it the worst you're standing out there in the grass, cloud of gnats flying around your head. The infield guys probably have more action there's more to do. Basketball... It's a simple a game as there ever was toss a ball in the basket, well if you sit on the bench or in the bleacher you know know you'd rather be out there playing instead of this boring waiting to play nonsense... I was a bench warmer in high school. Games of any kind except for maybe football are much better to play than watching. Football is the exception for either playing or watching. Other games are somewhat complex or just plain boring. Some sports need some jazzing up I think?

                                                           This has been SuperBrony87 thanks for reading

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

I'm sorry to be blunt, but if you expect 2004 to happen every season and aren't entertained by anything less, I'm not sure how real of a fan you are. I'm a huge baseball fan and an even bigger Red Sox fan, and I didn't find 2007 or 2013 at all boring, or any other season for that matter. I love the game as much as ever and can't wait for 2015 Opening Day.

2004 was the time I was trying to connect with sports, what made me quit was me sucking at baseball and I shunned it and went on to other things. Even though I couldn't play any sport, I enjoyed watching them. I even went to Fenway three times, two blu jay games and one Yankee game back in 2006. I even watched all of the 2007 playoffs, just not 2013's

[Frostgage 7,976]

2004 was the time I was trying to connect with sports, what made me quit was me sucking at baseball and I shunned it and went on to other things. Even though I couldn't play any sport, I enjoyed watching them. I even went to Fenway three times, two blu jay games and one Yankee game back in 2006. I even watched all of the 2007 playoffs, just not 2013's

 

You missed out then, the 2013 season was one of the most amazing Red Sox seasons ever. It's fine if you're not a baseball fan anymore, just don't act like the sport has gotten significantly worse, because it hasn't.

[TheMarkz0ne 962]

You missed out then, the 2013 season was one of the most amazing Red Sox seasons ever. It's fine if you're not a baseball fan anymore, just don't act like the sport has gotten significantly worse, because it hasn't.

I can't say much then for not being involved then. My time with baseball was mixed, I actually got harassed for being naturally bad. I might go to a game in the future, but I hear more people talking about football in the US. Even the NBA is losing ratings. I'm shocked Oritz is still playing, and good on him too. I watched other games after 2004. It just lose that electricity and energy from earlier seasons. The Red Sox have mostly old people, the Patriots will lose Brady soon and the Celtics are just....the Celtics.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

Personally, some of my fondest memories of summertime is running down to the local DQ to pick up a blizzard and getting back in time to watch the Rangers play. I find it to be an incredibly engaging, intense, and entertaining sport, ranging from watching it on TV to attending it at stadiums to playing it myself to reading statistical analysis of the players - and that's a recent as this previous summer, which the Rangers played terribly last season  

 

I don't really see how it has gotten boring nor do I see how it has gotten worse, and this is coming from a near lifelong baseball fan Perhaps the sport itself hasn't gotten boring as a whole, but your own personal interest has faded in it to the point where you find it boring?

[Ashen Pathfinder 16,162]

I was never a baseball fan myself; I found the game boring to watch and play. I just never saw the appeal, but then again my sports tastes tend to swing to hockey, soccer, and rally, so that might explain it. I was a unique child growing up here.

[CC_Maud_Pie 6,431]

I used to be somehow into watching it in the past and into wearing MLB hats from stores like Champs Sports. Nowadays, I get bored easily of it and I think it's a waste of time for me to watch it. Kinda unusual considering it's popular in the region I live in (SF Bay Area) since many people around my region talk about it a lot and wear local team fan gear in public no matter where I go.

Edited February 6, 2015 by CC_Maud_Pie

[Twilight Dirac 721]

I have always found baseball boring.  Admittedly, I am not much of a sports fan in general, but I can bring myself to watch the occasional game of football or soccer.  The problem with baseball is there are extended periods of time in which nothing really happens and it gets dull fast, its almost like watching golf.  

[Yellow Diamond 7,575]

Game times have objectively gotten longer, but that does not appear to be the thrust of what you find problematic about the current state of baseball. Although there is some repetition, like with the Cardinals ans Giants making the NLCS on a frequent basis, competitive balance is probably the best it has been in years. The top payrolls no longer automatically dominate the sport: the Dodgers couldn't buy their way past the Division Series; the Yankees and Red Sox didn't even make the playoffs last year. Now teams like the Pirates, Orioles, and Royals have a decent shot at the playoffs through smart investments and cultivating their farm systems.

 

The Royals and Giants gave us one heck of a World Series, one filled with athleticism and strong performances (i.e., Madison Bumgarner). So while the familiar rivalries are finished (or at least dormant), I don't see baseball as more boring than it was in the early 2000s. If you're looking for storylines a la "The Curse of the Bambino", check out the Cubs stocking up in hopes of ending their own drought. Frankly speaking, I don't think it would've been possible ten or fifteen years ago for the Cubs to make the moves they did this offseason. That's not to mention the Padres at last seeking to be a contender.

 

Baseball, in my opinion, is getting a breath of fresh air. The sport doesn't need to thrive on the Yankees and Red Sox sucking up all the free agents in their once annual arms race. (I kind of wish the Mets would spend a little more, though.) The lack of certitude regarding who will be the best teams adds flavor that was markedly absent from the late 90s and early 2000s.

[CheeryFox 23,822]

I don't watch it as much anymore but I will go to live events if at all possible. In the summertime, I'll go to various little league games - including softball tournaments or what-have-you. I'm not sure if it's 'boring' nowadays - I still respect the sport and its players. 

 

P.S. There's only one way to <really> watch baseball; live and not on TV or the Internet! 

[Justin_Case001 4,903]

My dad and brother are baseball maniacs, but I've never cared for it.  It was always a snorefest to me.  But 42 knocked my socks off.  And so did Remember the Titans and Friday Night Lights.  I don't like ball sports, but I love a lot of those sports movies.  I just wish watching an actual game was like watching those movies.  :S

[Yellow Diamond 7,575]

P.S. There's only one way to <really> watch baseball; live and not on TV or the Internet! 

 

I know you're joking, so don't take my next response as a rebuke aimed at you.

 

I tend to go to a handful of Mets games every year; however, ever since they moved to Citi Field, I had found difficulty in remaining interested through the games. Often by the sixth inning, I was ready to leave.

 

There are two exceptions: whenever Matt Harvey pitched back in 2013 (before his injury) and, most recently, a game Jacob DeGrom pitched on my birthday last year. The exciting part of the latter experience had to do with the change of perspective: instead of watching the game from the left field seats, my dad got us tickets down near the field along the third base line. There was an electricity from being so close to the game, even though the Mets were out of contention. The speed of each pitch and each play carried an energy television fails to adequately capture. At field level you come to realize why so few human beings are capable of hitting a mid-90s fastball, or that even the slowest runners demand near perfection from the fielders.

 

The experience restored my love of watching the game in person. I was saddened to leave the ballpark despite the fact the Mets were in the midst of blowing another fine performance from DeGrom. As great as television is, it also makes us take for granted the unforgiving nature of professional baseball.

[Scootaloo Is Best Filly 578]

To me I really don't think baseball is boring. But, the main sport I watch is baseball. I am a huge Yankees fan. And, honestly can't wait for baseball to start.

 

( and, speaking of baseball, if the padres do end up getting Shields. On paper at least, they would be the team to beat in the NL west.)