Baseball has long been the most beloved sport of American citizens. However, in recent years, baseball's popularity has dropped, and football has started a new empire as most popular sport in the United States. Sports that are full of action have become more popular than baseball. Baseball stands out when compared to other sports. Sports like hockey, soccer, and lacrosse all share similar objectives. Volleyball, tennis, and badminton share a family in the same way. And almost all sports, to include football, basketball, and the events noted previously involve two sides of a rectangular playing area being designated to either team. Baseball stands alone in all these accounts. The uniqueness of baseball makes it special to Americans. But why is it no longer the favorite sport? Baseball is becoming outdated due to the slow nature of the sport; to rectify this, certain changes could be made to keep the sport interesting and popular with younger generations while still retaining many of the traditions that make baseball unique.

It is incredibly important for American society to preserve the sport of baseball. A wise man once said, "When future historians look at the United States the same way we look at ancient Rome, they will remember us for three things: the creation of jazz, landing on the moon, and baseball." Baseball is uniquely American and is an important tradition in American culture. It is accurate to hold baseball in as high a status as revolutionary events such as the creation of jazz or the first man on the moon because baseball was and still is revolutionary. It created a brand-new type of sport. Similarities can be drawn to the English game of cricket, but baseball is incredibly different in a multitude of ways. Baseball is revolutionary because it is a children's game that fascinates adults. It is a game where impossible feats of skill are the norm. It is American entertainment in its purest form. It is a relic from American history that has survived in the hearts in minds of Americans, from tee-ball to the Major Leagues. And because baseball represents America in so many ways, it is essential that it is kept in American culture.

Nostalgic appeal contributes greatly to the popularity of baseball in the United States. David Lamoreaux discusses the so-called "golden age" of baseball during the late 1800s. He writes, "…baseball's popularity drew upon a certain nostalgic longing for childhood and rural America". Baseball has always created nostalgia in its fans. Almost all fans of the game grew up playing it and remember having fun. The "golden age" was no different. This was a time when baseball first soared to immense American popularity and saw an era where baseball was seen in almost every aspect of life, from families enjoying a day at the ball park to young boys idolizing great ballplayers of the time as they played in the streets. Lamoreaux states, "Baseball was merely one of these diversions which grown-ups appropriated from children." Baseball is a children's game because its purpose is to have fun. Watching baseball reminds people of when they were children and how much fun they had playing the sport growing up. A main draw for many baseball fans is the nostalgia created by a baseball environment

How has a sport with such great traditions and legendary moments began to die? According to Gallup Poll, the sport is too slow. Spectator sports with a faster pace and more action are polling as American's favorite sport much more often than baseball. Namely, football is the clear favorite, with nearly 40% of Americans agreeing. However, baseball only is the favorite sport to 9% of Americans. Baseball games last roughly 3 hours on average, longer than many football or basketball games. This combines with the fact that baseball seasons include overwhelmingly more games than other sports. 162 games in a baseball season means that any given team will play almost every day. This demotivates fans to tune in, they can watch the game tomorrow, likely even the same teams. In contrast, basketball only includes 82 games and football seasons are only a mere 16 games long. One football game is about the same portion of a season as 10 baseball games. This difference is important in understanding why baseball is losing popularity.

Another possible explanation is the rising costs of baseball, both live and through broadcast. Mike Axisa writes, "Make everything cheaper. Literally everything. Tickets, concessions, merchandise, parking, broadcast subscriptions, streaming services, you name it. Make everything about being a baseball fan cheaper." The article goes on to discuss how a day at the ballpark can cost a family around $200, and declining attendance shows that fans simply don't enjoy baseball enough to justify the costs. Perhaps this is related to the speed of the sport. It is unlikely a family will pay a large amount of money to attend a ballgame when they know the kids will lose interest before the fifth inning. It's much cheaper and more convenient to watch the game on television from the comfort of your own home. Baseball is too expensive to justify the limited enjoyment from a day at a baseball game.

However, reasons for declining attendance could reach beyond the cost of the game. After all, Major League Baseball tickets are significantly cheaper than that of many other professional sports. In a study done at Lake Forest College, it was found that total attendance over a season still surpasses that of any other professional sport in the United States.

Not only are prices of tickets increasing, but broadcasts are shut down for fans in certain areas too, making TV subscriptions not worth their cost. Major League Baseball's "Blackout Policy" prevents fans from watching local sports games through television and online streaming. Often times sports fans root for their local team, but this policy means that these fans cannot watch their favorite team just because they live nearby. As many as six teams can be blacked out for fans in the Midwest due to the high density of teams in the area, which denies fans access to one fifth of the MLB. These television blackouts are contributing greatly to the downfall in baseball's popularity by denying fans access to their favorite teams.

One way to increase baseball's popularity is to find new groups of people to convert to baseball fans. Polling shows that a disproportionate amount of baseball fans is over the age of 50. Younger audiences are simply not into baseball as much as older people. One issue, previously addressed, is the length of the game, but another might be that the concept of baseball doesn't appeal to younger people. A fix to this is to introduce sabermetrics to the common fan. Sabermetrics, in baseball, is the use of statistics to search for players who are incredibly valuable, yet do not have fame and are typically underrated athletes. These are usually younger players who are unproven, sometimes risky additions to a veteran team, but often have huge payoffs when used correctly. The process of combining these players into a well-rounded, successful team is known as the art of "Moneyball." Moneyball gets its name because it was first used by Oakland Athletics manager Michael Lewis to use the relatively small payroll of the A's to create a championship team. The idea of analytics and numbers, a critical part of sabermetrics and Moneyball, is appealing to younger people, many of whom are pursuing careers in science, math, engineering, and technology fields. Because of this, young people are often interested in numbers, and applying this to baseball can be a great way to get more younger fans to the ballpark, watching the game and keeping track of statistics, seeing if they can predict the next baseball superstar before he breaks through.

Another proposed to fix baseball is the addition of a pitch clock, as used at the college level. Some suggest that limiting the amount of time between pitches will speed up the game. However, finding a balance between not too long a time and not too short a time is tricky. If the clock is too long, it will fail to speed up the game. But a short clock runs the risk of rushing the pitcher and affecting the games quality. Current pitch clocks in college baseball very rarely even come close to expiring, but college games are somewhat shorter than major league baseball. It is possible that this addition will shorten the length of the game and help keep baseball interesting to younger fans and generation for the entirety of the game.

In fact, it is possible that the game on the field is too out of date. There are far too many aspects of the game that are old and outdated, rendering it impossible for baseball in its current form to ever soar in popularity. If a pitch clock is added to baseball, a game clock surely won't be far behind. This would work similarly to football's play clock and game clock dynamic. Instead of 9 innings, a baseball game will be limited to a certain amount of time. And when the clock expires, regardless of the score, who is at bat, how many outs there are, or any other factors, the game is over and the team with the most runs is the winner. If needed to break a tie, overtime could be allowed like in other fast pace sports, but

Of course, the game is much slower than other sports, but there are other qualities that make it far worse as well. The most important of these is the lack of contact. Compared to sports like football, or even basketball, baseball has no contact or violence and falls to fill fans with adrenaline and excitement. Aside from the rare hit by pitch or home plate collision, and even rarer bench clearing brawl, baseball players almost never come into contact with each other. The solution to this is to scrap many rules that prevent this. Implementing kickball peg rules—if a runner is hit with the baseball, he's out—will add more contact into the game. After San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey injured his leg on a home plate collision in 2011, the MLB started to add new rules to prevent runners from charging catchers at the plate. This only made the sport more boring and reduced the rare amount of contact there already was. The MLB should allow all defensive players to use any means necessary to block players from reaching a base. This will create a dynamic similar to what is seen at the line of scrimmage on a football field. Adding blocking and tackling to baseball will make it much more exciting. More action is needed in baseball, and we can increase this by scrapping some useless rules that make the game boring.

The game also gets bland because of its repetitive nature. It often seems like baseball is the same every time a game is played. Baseball needs to add a new element to the game to keep it lively and to keep players and fans guessing. Baseball would draw larger audiences if it was a blend of sport and circus. Attach motors to bats to allow players to hit the ball further. Create rubber baseballs to make them bouncier and more unpredictable. Attach the ball to an elastic band and watch as a player's smashes it to the outfield, only for it to stretch the band and be pulled back at incredible speeds towards the pitcher's mound. Or maybe the bungee snaps and the ball flies freely over the outfield wall. The possibilities are endless and the game will see instant interest from a higher number of fans.

Or perhaps we don't need to worry so much about baseball's fading legacy. Perhaps the sport is meant to have ups and downs, but will survive, nonetheless. Maybe the game, the sport, and the pastime of baseball will live forever, not as a dim light in the hearts of millions, but as a bright burning flame in the hearts of a few. Those who hold the game most dear will never give up what they love, because there is something special about baseball fans; There is something special about baseball itself.

Baseball exhibits a unique set of traditions that are essential to the game. Fans often have an unhealthy obsession with statistics, enjoy specific baseball food, love iconic ball parks, and reminisce over legendary moments and careers of the past. Statistics are important to baseball because it is essentially a game of individuals. Each time a fielder takes a fly ball or a batter steps up to the plate, it is up to him and only him to succeed. His entire team is helpless. Because of this isolation, statistics are a great way to measure induvial player value and baseball fans love to use stats to analyze and compare players. From as simple as "hits" or "runs-batted-in" to as complicated as "on-base plus slugging with runners in scoring position", statistics are beloved by nearly every baseball fan.

Baseball is also an important part of American Pop Culture. There are hundreds of movies about baseball, but subjects range from kids playing pickup games for fun in a backyard to a man turning a farm in Iowa into a ball park in Heaven to play catch with his father one last time. Many of these movies capture more than just baseball, but important parts of American culture and history, including WWII, Civil Rights, and the Great Depression. Baseball also appears in many songs, books, and TV Shows. Every President since Taft in 1910 has thrown out the honorary first pitch of a Major League Baseball game. These are ways that baseball culture has asserted itself as a key part of American Culture.

Baseball food helps to complete the ballpark experience. Baseball just wouldn't be baseball without hot dogs, peanuts, pretzels or cracker jacks. Even a line of the famous "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is dedicated to baseball foods, reading "buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don't care if I ever come back." Every ball park has foods unique to their stadium as well. Busch Stadium in St. Louis is famous for fried ravioli, whereas Red Sox fans in Boston enjoy Lobster Dogs at Fenway Park. Nearly every fan has a favorite baseball food, but baseball culture adores the classics. It just isn't baseball without the smell of hot dogs and peanuts in the air.

Baseball fans also enjoy classic features of specific stadiums. Almost all ballparks have an iconic attraction that makes them special to fans. Wrigley Field in Chicago is well-known for the bricks and ivy that make up the outfield fence. Camden Yards in Baltimore is home to Eutaw Street, where home runs are marked in the ground with small plaques marking how far the ball traveled and where they landed. Perhaps the most famous of ballpark landmarks is Boston's "Green Monster", the tallest wall in baseball that has denied batter of countless home runs over more than a century of baseball games. Classic stadiums are also beloved by fans. The Polo Grounds, home of the New York Giants before the team moved to California, was a stadium originally built for polo and reused for baseball. Because of its origins, it is well known for the massive open areas in foul territory and an exceptionally deep center field fence. Lastly, Yankee Stadium is one of the most famous and recognizable baseball stadiums. Nicknamed "The House that Ruth Built" in reference to the great Babe Ruth, the original Yankee Stadium was one of the oldest baseball stadiums until it was torn down in 2010. Baseball fans love unique stadiums, and any true fan can justify their favorite stadium as the best.

The final aspect of baseball fans that distinguishes their sport from others is the respect for the memory of legends. Legendary, teams, moments, and players are recognized by all baseball fans. The 1927 Yankees lineup—nicknamed "Murderer's Row"—includes Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Earle Combs, and others. The "Big Red Machine" is another all-time great roster. Cincinnati's team in the late 70s was a team that won the World Series and included MVP Joe Morgan and multiple All-Star players, including Ken Griffey Sr., Johnny Bench, and Pete Rose. The Red's defense at the time is one of the best in baseball, and the team was very successful batting as well. Fans also never forget incredible baseball moments, such as Willie Mays' famous basket catch, the fans storming turner field after Hank Aaron broke the home run record, or when Babe Ruth called his shot. Star players live as heroes as well. Cal Ripken will forever be remembered as the man who played 2,632 consecutive games and Pete Rose will long hold the record for most hits. Famed and beloved athletes and legends of the sport are larger than life to fans. People like Babe Ruth, Ozzie Smith, and Yogi Berra are as well known for their feats on the field as they are for their personalities, quotes and stories of their action off the field. Ruth and Berra are possibly the most quoted athletes in baseball. Ozzie Smith nicknamed "The Wizard", is remembered for his amazing defensive skills and his iconic back flip each time he took the field. Baseball legends are viewed as heroes in the eyes of the fans. Baseball is an old sport with many legendary moments of the past.

Baseball's legacy as the American pastime is secure. Its traditions are rich, and its legacy is cemented in great moments from the past. Yet, very few sports fans will testify that baseball their favorite sport. However, baseball is not dying. Baseball's traditions prove that, though small in number, baseball fans are passionate and dedicated to the sport. They ensure that great players are remembered. They ensure that great moments are still to be had. Baseball fans are some of the most enthusiastic in sports. It might not be a big deal that baseball is declining in popularity. It is better to have a small group of dedicated and passionate fans than a large fan base of bandwagon fans only cheering because its popular. Baseball will not die soon. It will live on. It will always live on through American tradition. It will live through children playing little league baseball games. It will live through college students on an intramural baseball diamond. It will live in Cooperstown, New York, where plaques and names and faces of the greatest to play the sport reside in the Hall of Fame. It will live on as long as there are fathers and sons who play catch in a backyard.