Jacob Spiwak/ Asst. Sports Director
As teams around Major League Baseball begin their seasons during Opening Week, the same problem is evident in most ballparks; there are way too many empty seats. Whether it’s because of the freezing cold weather throughout the north or the apathy that many seem to have about baseball for some reason (I’m looking at you, Miami fans), the excitement that I have for baseball to be back seemingly hasn’t been shared by others.
Last week I wrote a column about Opening Day, and why the lack of a youth audience for the MLB is our generation’s fault rather than theirs. Current MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is following in the footsteps of his predecessor Bud Selig by making rule changes and helping establish MLB’s online presence in order to appeal more to a younger demographic.
In short, the product continues to be more marketed toward a younger audience, we’re just not paying enough attention.
As if baseball wasn’t doing enough to rejuvenate the current product, the Chicago White Sox are working on a unique deal that could bring in a whole new audience to a team that desperately needs better attendance numbers.
Chicago recording artist Chance The Rapper, who sports a Sox hat and represents his hometown wherever he goes, is being brought in as an ambassador for the team. He’s already thrown out the ceremonial first pitch for the team on two different occasions (including before their 2016 home opener on April 8) and designed a limited edition line of White Sox hats that sold out online in just three minutes.
Not only is he a diehard fan of the team, but Chance is somebody who connects with young people throughout Chicagoland. He’s a charitable celebrity that’s rooted in the community, and will be able to help the White Sox generate a lot more attention from kids who may not have been fans of the team before.
This huge step made by the White Sox is yet another sign that the MLB is marketing itself to attract a younger and larger demographic. More teams around the league should look into doing something similar to the Sox, as this unprecedented deal is already generating more nationwide attention that the team otherwise would have never gotten.
The digital age has given young people a desire for instant gratification, so a slower-paced and more statistics driven sport like baseball no longer gets the respect it deserves. But if teams reach out to millennial role models like Chance The Rapper to help promote the sport, it’s only a matter of time before more young people start to care.
I was raised to love baseball starting at a very early age, so it frustrates me that fewer and fewer young people have the attention span to enjoy a nine-inning game of baseball. Rather than getting mad at the problem, however, we should look for a solution, and I think the Chicago White Sox are onto one that could prove to be very effective at solidifying the future of baseball.
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