Baseball has always had a distinct aroma. The fresh smell of cut grass, the art of the chalky white lines painted on the field for gameday and the crack of the bat that will be heard in a split second at the center field bleachers. Hotdogs covered in the essential fixings that leave a taste in your mouth that can only be washed away from an ice-cold ballpark beer. Watching baseball on TV is undoubtedly not the same as sitting in the wooden ballpark chairs, however.
The pace of the game can be a deciding factor on whether or not people enjoy the game. Baseball is not constantly moving like basketball and doesn't have the physical contact that we crave from football (except the exhilarating bench-clearing brawls). However, there is a reason why baseball is included in the debate on America's favorite pastime sport. The MLB has been around for over 150 years and hasn't changed much to this day.
There is no time limit — no pressure of a shot clock, inattentive halftime, or designated media timeouts. Game three of the 2018 World Series turned into the longest World Series game in history when the Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers played an 18-inning game that lasted seven hours and 20 minutes. With no time limit, you experience raw talent, every last bit of energy and pushing up against the mental barriers that come with the sport of baseball.
Yes, baseball can be a slow and uneventful game to watch, however, when you think the game is over and there will be no comeback, a pitcher throws one down the middle, and the batter sends the ball high over the outfield wall. The bases unexpectedly become loaded, and a rally is started. A seventh-inning comeback can leave every seat in the stadium empty because everybody is standing in excitement.
There are so many other entertaining factors than just the baseball game itself. One of the reasons why baseball is my favorite sport is because the athletes interact with the fans. You see the outfielders dancing in-between innings or playing catch with a kid in the stands. You see how grateful and how happy baseball players are while they play. If you're lucky enough to sit behind the dugout, you learn how every team has its personality. I prefer the outfield seats at an MLB game strictly for the fans and the chance at catching a home run ball. You can become friends with anybody around you regardless of the jersey you're wearing. They will most definitely rip you apart but will offer to grab you a beer because you became their neighbor for the duration of the game.
Baseball allows you to reminisce about your childhood. Neighborhood legends have been made during back yard baseball games. I always wanted to play two-hand touch with my brother and his friends, but they never let me play or would go easy on me because I was a girl. When the plastic bats and whiffle balls came out, gender didn't matter. You were another number in the batting order and an extra hand in the outfield. You and your friends played like you were in the big leagues with your own commentating and pitching style.
