DS9 had an episode where Sisko recounted how baseball eventually "died" as a major sport. At the time, I didn't think that was likely. Now, I could really see that actually happen. I'm from Generation X and I think baseball is boring as hell. Generation Y likes it even less (i.e. the number of young fans or participants keeps going down every year). I could see it becoming just a minor sport within the next 50 years.

Europeans also find baseball very boring.

I see more problems with London Kings ever starting up. I coached T-Ball a couple years back. I was told that teams used to be much bigger and they are getting smaller. Baseball will only last as long as my generation lasts (oh, 2040 or so).

Personally, I would cry no tears for baseball (all my tears were for naught in 1978 [Bucky Dent for all you non-Red Sox people.]) Despite being taught that there is no such thing as a just God (C'mon, Yankees? ) I see no redeeming value in Baseball at all. In fact it is one of the reasons I disliked DS9. To show causality and such to timeless being Sisko could have used anything. IMHO anything would've been better.

(Oh, when the Red Sox win their next World Series they will stop being a legend and become another baseball team. {Yes, I root against them in game sevens. ]) Because of that the great script writers can not end baseball until the Sox finally end the Curse of the Bambino.

Oh, Annoymouse who cares what the Europeans think about anything. Anyone who calls soccer "football" is too daft to worry about.

Hmm... And calling a game in which you throw and catch the ball with your hands for "football" isn't daft?

Seriously though, it would make sense if many of the present day sports doesn't exists in 50-100 years. The sharp rise in extreme sports the last decade or so is a clear indication that many people from the new generations won't necessarily be interested in the traditional sports. Since I'm European I can't commentate on baseball, but some traditional sports (like tennis) of my country has also experienced a drop in public interest.

Some sports (examples are: table tennis, badminton, athletics) try to reform/develop their rules in order to improve the appeal of the game and thus attract new viewers and fans. But in doing so they risk alienating the old fans who might fell that the integrity (for a lack of better word) of the game has been compromised, and it isn't even guaranteed that the new rules will do the trick. Then again doing nothing could be equally dangerous.

Baseball might even be lucky that at least some people know about it in 300-400 years and still plays it in their spare time (although I have high hopes for football (or soccer as you Americans call it ))

Just for comparison: how many people today know that tug-of-war was an olympic discipline until somtime around 1910.

I'm 17, a chick, and a baseball nut. My team is the Atlanta Braves, and I am friends with lots of baseball nuts. Judging by our numbers, it may be a while before baseball dies.

IMHO, you've got sometime left to enjoy Baseball, another 40 or mabye 50 years.

Signs to look for on "The Death Of Baseball"

*Decreased attendance during Playoffs & World Series.
*No one dashes after a home run hit into the bleachers.
*No network wants to cover the Playoffs or World Series because something better is scheduled.
*Violence at the park gets to a point in which no one wants to come to the park anymore.
*Nobody wants a foul ball anymore, they throw it away in the garbage.
*No advertisers will want to put their billboards in the parks anymore.
*The box office can't even give away FREE TICKETS.
*Reruns of "Lost in Space" on Sci-Fi do better in the ratings than live action stuff on ESPN.
*Kids don't ask a superstar for his autograph.
*Superstars can't even GIVE their autographs away.
*Announcers yawn during triple plays and home runs.

IMHO...I'm surprised baseball hasn't died already...players want way, way, way too much money for a KID'S GAME, umpires---ditto, the cost of getting into the park & buying snacks, souvenirs and such costs a king's ransom...
drunkenness is out of control, too much rowdiness...
Let's face it...baseball is not a game anymore...it's a business.

(Any other signs we should look for?)

As a frustrated Red Sox fan I'd answer that with a quip about totalitarian owners (Steinbrenner). Oh, baseballs last season will have the Red Sox win the world series. Until then I have to pull for the Boston, er, Atlanta Braves.

Cynical-Chick, did you hear about the T-Shirts Belinda and Sloan from The Neil Boortz Show were handing out at the game the other night? On the front they say, "Atlanta loves New York" and on the back, "Its the Mets we Hate"

To John Lang: What stadium are you looking at? I live in the Bay Area and Pac Bell Park (which is where the Giants play) refutes the following suggestions of yours:

*Violence at the park gets to a point in which no one wants to come to the park anymore. (My park is sold out every game)
*Nobody wants a foul ball anymore, they throw it away in the garbage. (Everyone here seems to bring their glove in order to get a foul ball)
*No advertisers will want to put their billboards in the parks anymore. (That is laughably wrong)
*The box office can't even give away FREE TICKETS. (because they want to sell them)
*No one dashes after a home run hit into the bleachers.(Have you heard that someone is suing another guy for a home run ball hit into the stands?)
*Kids don't ask a superstar for his autograph. (Actually, they do.)

Also, these are wrong:

*No network wants to cover the Playoffs or World Series because something better is scheduled. (except FOX, which paid billions of dollars for it until 2007(?))
*Superstars can't even GIVE their autographs away. (Yes they can. Trust me. They just prefer to be asked)
*Announcers yawn during triple plays and home runs. (Maybe that's because your announcers are unskilled)

That is all.

Dear Doug B.,

John Lang posted those as signs that baseball was dying. He didn't say they were happening now. He even says that he is surprised that Baseball hasn't died already. That means that he acknowledges it is alive now and his signs have not happened, yet.

By the way, Cynical, sorry about the Braves. (They are my third favorite team. My second favorite is currently Arizona. Just before them it was Seattle. Before that it was the A's.)

Baseball owners vote to disband two teams

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/slead.htm

A sign that the prediction is coming true?

Baseball is a rubbish game, little more than glorified rounders, a game played mostly by children in the UK. Didn't the story about Baseball dying out originate in The Next Generation episode The Big Goodbye? To someone way up the page, I call "soccer" FOOTBALL because that is its original name, soccer is a silly American word to distinguish the WORLD'S MOST POPULAR SPORT from that bizarre Rugby like thing you play in the US. And could someone possibly explain to me how you can have a World Series of something when only one country takes part?

Soccer? YAWN!

If you count Canada, there are two countries.

Canada counts as country?

(No offense to the Canucks on this board... It's just an old joke.)

And very lame...and not very funny.

Yeah...you wanna impress us, at least throw in some reference to beavers. Or toques. Or even beavers in toques.

Yeah ;)

Not that I have a vested interest in this debate, I've heard it's called the World Series because the cup was donated by a defunct newspaper called "The World." So it's not supposed to mean "the world"

My thanks to 'Nobody', your explanation makes sense. Renee clearly wouldn't know a good sport when he saw one. At least FOOTBALL (the game known as 'soccer') makes it into the 24th century according to the DS9 episode Let He Who Is Without Sin.

Note from moderator : I will thank you not to mispell my name. And for the record, I think all sports are boring.

Edwin,

I'm the guy "Way up the page who joked about the English misuse of the term "Football". It is obviously due to your country's lack of verbal skills. For proof I ask you what color this is. (Note: there are no extraneous vowels in the word.)

Surely it is the US who mis-use the term football, from what I have seen of your sport the ball is mostly carried. And can I help it if Americans can't spell?

Okay Okay. This is going off topic. I am closing this thread.