Baseball in Crisis: Spiraling Costs, Bad Behavior, Uncertain Future

Recent polls have placed football well ahead of baseball in terms of popularity. Do the numbers reflect football’s rise or, as many suggest, baseball’s decline? Why has the national pastime - a title now less accurate than it is familiar - fallen behind other so-called major sports? Is the trend reversible?This book addresses these important questions by identifying the most unique, persistent and substantial issues that have impaired and most likely restricted Major League Baseball’s development and potential as a professional sport. Chapters cover inflationary player, team and game costs; the evolution and shifting of MLB’s fan base; the problems of congestion faced in cities and urban areas that host (or have hosted) big league ballclubs; the negligent and irrational actions (some of it criminal) of players, owners, league officials, and the players’ union; and the misallocation of power among the big league franchises. A final chapter identifies six major reforms needed to boost the popularity of Major League Baseball.