An All Star Skills Contest Would Save the MLB
July 14, 2018
The MLB needs an All-Star Skills Contest to gain popularity and show people how talented their players are.
Professional baseball players are some of the most talented athletes on the planet and it’s time the MLB proves that to the common sports fan by making a baseball skills contest a part of the All-Star festivities.
Imagine Billy Hamilton and Dee Gordon racing across the bases to see who is the fastest player in MLB. What about Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes playing a baseball version of skee ball, throwing the ball to different targets to earn points? How about the same skee ball idea, but it’s Jose Altuve and Mookie Betts hitting the ball to different targets, showing their ability to hit the ball where they want it? That’s what I call entertainment.
Remember when baseball used to be America’s pastime? Well, it’s not anymore. Baseball is now less popular than both football and basketball as it is only nine percent of Americans’ favorite sport, according to a Gallup article by Jim Norman.
There are many reasons for this dip in popularity, but one of them is definitely that people don’t know the players or what they are capable of. An annual skills contest would show people a handful of athletic players doing incredible things, which would introduce people to players they otherwise never would’ve cared about.
The NBA has seen players, and their league in general gain popularity through its Slam Dunk Contest for years. Blake Griffin was virtually a nobody before he dunked over a car in Los Angeles in 2011. You see, people tune in to watch players show off their skills.
Just look at the Home Run Derby. In 2017, the Home Run Derby had more viewers than both the NBA All-Star Game and the NFL Pro Bowl, according to a Business Insider article by Cork Gaines and Skye Gould. As great as the Home Run Derby is, it shouldn’t be the only thing common sports fans can watch to see how talented MLB players are.
Baseball is not all about home runs. A home run is probably the most exciting play in baseball but stolen bases and throws to the plate also get the crowd on their feet.
If the MLB wants baseball to be America’s pastime again, they must figure out a way to show the world that their players are incredibly talented athletes capable of more than hitting a ball far.
Written by Cody O’Brien
