Washington Nationals outfielder Bryce Harper is a 23 year old, five-tool All-Star, Silver Slugger Award winner, and the reigning National League Most Valuable Player (MVP). Harper is also on a mission to make baseball fun again.
Aptly referred to as "America's Pastime," baseball has a long history in the United States that can be traced back to the mid-1840's. With this long history comes rich tradition, best exemplified by what are known as "the unwritten rules of baseball." These rules include: not stealing bases while leading by a large margin, retaliating if a teammate is hit by a pitch, and not admiring home runs.
According to Harper, however, this tradition has made baseball a "tired sport." The Nationals star explained that baseball players cannot express themselves in the way other professional athletes can, but made mention of some players in the league who play with their own distinctive flair.
It's been no secret that younger sports fans are increasingly neglecting baseball. Major League Baseball's (MLB) median fan age is 53; that compares to the median ages of 47 and 37 for professional football and basketball fans, respectively.
With an average length of 2 hours and 54 minutes, MLB games are typically regarded as long and uneventful. Recognizing this, the league has worked hard to appeal to younger viewers by increasing its social media presence and introducing pace-of-play rules in an attempt to speed up games.
Despite these progressive changes, many believe that without the energy of young players the "tired sport" of baseball will continue to struggle attracting a more youthful audience. While MLB has come to accept and even highlight players' distinctive flairs, not everyone is a fan of changing baseball's culture.
After hitting a go-ahead three-run home run late in a National League Division Series game, Toronto Blue Jays outfielder José Bautista performed an ostentatious bat flip that ultimately went viral. A bat flip, viewed as a way of showing up a pitcher, is a dramatic throwing of a baseball bat after making contact; most precede home runs. Hall of Fame pitcher Goose Gossage recently called Bautista "a f***ing disgrace to the game" for "throwing his bat and acting like a fool." Two weeks later, Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench called out Harper for his bat flips.
Even some of Harper's own teammates are displeased with his playing style. During the Nationals' September 27 game last season, reliever Jonathan Papelbon yelled at Harper for not running out a fly ball, ultimately grabbing the outfielder's throat and shoving him toward the dugout bench.
Despite this resistance, Harper will likely continue his mission. Just last week he received support from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred who called the reigning National League MVP "a spokesman for this generation." In embarking on his crusade to increase the prevalence of youthful flair, Harper has divided fans and players alike over one simple question: should we make baseball fun again?
