Opinion: Is High School Baseball A Dying Sport?

Trent Whipple
eSomethin staff

According to B. Colin Smith, President of the National Amateur Fall Baseball federation, baseball has seen a rapid decline in attendance in the past fifteen years. He said that high schools are having a hard time recruiting players, and over fifty percent of all baseball viewers, not just for high school, are over the age of fifty. What is causing this sharp decline?

In the 1950s and ’60s, baseball was at its most popular. Because of the new technology, and with more and more people having TVs in their homes, more games were shown, and more people would watch the sport.

However, since then, baseball popularity has been declining, and football’s popularity has been on the rise. Today, football is the most popular sport at Perrysburg High School, with baseball being closer to the bottom.

Freshman Preston Mclain in his Dream Park uniform. He wears the number seven in the late spring of 2024. Photo Courtesy of Preston Mclain

A big problem with baseball, according to B. Collin Smith, is the pacing.

Freshman Jack Kollman can agree. “It makes the game very boring,” he said. “It definitely hinders the enjoyment of the game.”

Even avid fans of baseball, whether it be high school or of the major leagues, think that baseball games are too long and slow. About fifty-four percent of fans think games should be shorter and faster paced, according to a test done at Seton Hall University.

“I think the pacing also hinders the action and intensity of the game. It’s what makes football way more fun to watch and play,” Kollman added. Football has much faster paced games, making every play more exciting. While baseball can occasionally have exciting moments, like home runs, it can take a while for it to happen, especially at a high school game.”

Cost also comes into play. The website “Team Sports Planet” says that the average cost of baseball jerseys is between $30 to $75, and a full uniform set can cost anywhere between $85 to $165. Combined with needing a bat, a helmet, a mitt, and batting gloves, (although batting gloves are optional), can cost up to $550. With Perrysburg requiring a minimum fee of $150 for high school sports, that bumps up the total to $700.

Also, many students who play high school baseball also play travel ball, for a better chance to win scholarships.

Nathan Zechman, a head coach for the Dream Park Buzz 12U Team, says “Paying for travel baseball is super expensive. Last year, there was about fifteen hundred dollars spent per kid, just to be on the team. That doesn’t even include travel and hotel rooms, which can cost hundreds of dollars. The prices can be a little ridiculous sometimes, and can be off putting with some parents.”

With all this being said, how can baseball get out of its slump to become a top sport again?

Preston Mclain, a freshman at Perrysburg High School, and a veteran player for the baseball team Dream Park Buzz, says “I think lowering the number of strikes and balls for every batter would be a good start. However, I think the best thing for baseball to regain popularity is for people to follow the sport in some way. For example, if there’s one player you really like, follow that player. This would get people more invested in the game.”

According to the MLB, the average time changing between batters is from fifteen to thirty seconds, with a minimum of three batters per team. The average pitch takes about one second, and about twenty-five pitches are thrown per inning. This doubled since there are two teams, adding up to 2.3 to 3.8 minutes of wasted time per inning.

Even though this may not be much, it counts for about ten to twenty percent of the game. This counts for about thirteen to twenty-two percent in high school games, since there’s less innings.

Changing the number of balls and strikes from four and three, to three and three would at least lower the average number of pitches, a huge contributing factor in wasted time. Timers would also help, limiting the amount of time players have to change and pitchers have to throw. If batters had ten seconds to switch, it would lower to about one minute of wasted time.

Persuading the audience to root for a player is also a way for baseball to regain popularity without changing anything about the sport. This would give the audience something to be invested in. Some players on the varsity team for Perrysburg High School Baseball are Sawyer Wilson, (senior) Brayden Heitmeyer, (junior) and Asher Lattimore (junior).

While baseball may be struggling, it is not a dying sport. It’s merely at a standstill. With some tweaks and fixing, baseball can be more enjoyable for audiences, and come back as one of the most popular sports.

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