I loved playing baseball. I was a collegiate player and was offered an opportunity to play professionally. However, pro basketball intervened. Even so, a couple of innings on TV and I am falling asleep.

Way too much time between the action.

I am sure someone has this stat as stat-crazy as baseball has become. Here are my questions:

  • What percentage of game attendance is filled by people from areas that do not have a major league team?
  • How many of those people regularly watch TV broadcasts longer than a couple of innings?
  • How many kids grow up watching their favorite teams on TV?

In the sports world, TV runs the show. Who has time to watch 3-5 hour game, especially when you can watch Sportscenter on ESPN for an hour and see all the great plays of the day along with the results of the day’s play? Baseball and soccer are the two games that get the kids the youngest. Baseball is the American Pastime. So, what is it that prevents the best young athletes from sticking with baseball? I know this—practicing baseball was a chore compared to practicing basketball. The sport of basketball was fun rather than an endurance test. Maybe changes are in order.

Here are some possibilities and I am sure you can all come up with more. What I do know is doing what you usually do gets you what it usually does. So, here we go.

  1. Reduce the number of games, so that the majority of games are played in good weather. Maybe 140 would work. Maybe Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday would work. Start in May and end the regular season around Labor Day. World Series could be played no later than the first week in October.
  2. Reduce the game to seven innings so maybe the starting pitcher could complete the game.
  3. 2 ½ hour time limit. No innings start after that time limit.
  4. 3 minutes between half innings
  5. My wild card—3 balls, 2 strikes.

My only intent here is to encourage people to see that something else is possible and would attract a universe full of “how fast does it happen’’ folks. All the “dyed in the wool” baseball fans will be dead soon anyway.

What’s possible in your life?

Check out the Coaching Bookstore for some resources to author change in your world.