The results are filtering for Major League Baseball and they aren't good.
For those who are unaware, and judging by the numbers, it is most people, it is playoff season for MLB. This is when the stars shine.
Well at least they did in the past. The Fall Classic featuring Mr. October is long gone. Reggie retired decades ago and perhaps MLB should have also.
It does appear the fan base is doing just that.
For years I stated that MLB is on its way out. This is something many contested, pointing to ratings highlighted by the league.
In reality this is a dumpster fire that is simply going to fade away over time.
Playoff Ratings
So far, the numbers are off from the abysmal levels of the last few years.
For the Wild Card games, they took a double digit hit. This was followed up by a 15% decline in the divisional round. If it were not for the Phillies-Braves matchup, we might be discussing historic lows.
That round drew 2.8 million people. Keep in mind it was shown on broadcast television for the first time in almost 20 years.
And this is what they are pulling? This is awful.
Of course, it is no surprise. It is all in a longer term trend that has two factors in play.
Marketing
Major League Baseball does an awful job of marketing its players.
This is something that we do not see in other sports. When we look at the NBA and NFL, those stars are known to more than just the average fan. Much of America knows who Lebron James is. How many people can tell you who Ronald Acuna is? Were you aware that he just had one of the best seasons in major league history?
Unless you are a baseball fan, most likely not.
Here is baseball's first issue. Without star power, there is no attention. We live in the social media world where personality is everything. There is a fight for eyeballs and you best have something that stands out.
This will get some pushback from many baseball fans. However, go ask a non-fan who Mike Trout is? While there, ask who Otani plays for and what position?
It is very likely the person will have absolutely no clue.
Demographics
Here is the doomsday device for baseball.
It is fighting time. MLB is no different than the cable news. The audience is dying, literally.
Baseball is a boomer sport. That is the majority of the fan base. It makes sense since this was the largest demographic the United States ever say. Gen X was much smaller but there were a fair number of baseball fans there. The Millennials are where the train left the station and this is not good for baseball.
In spite of the obvious, most in baseball kept ignoring the fact it did not draw in the younger fan. That means that, as the Baby Boomers pass on, there goes the audience.
The NFL and NBA not only excel in the marketing of their stars, they also have attracted the younger viewers. This is especially true for the NBA.
Another way to look at this is to consider MLB like Japan. With each passing year, more people are dying off, leaving less behind.
Could this trend be reversed? Sure, for MLB at least. However, it does appear unlikely. It is trying to attract new fans. The problem is baseball, to the casual observer, does play well on television. Unfortunately for the league the networks know this.
Baseball is a dying entity, at least at the major league level. It will not disappear overnight but the trend is in place. Baseball draws decent playoff numbers when it has no competition, i.e. during the week. When the weekend rolls around, and it runs into football (both college and pro), it tends to be game over.
The ratings tank when viewers have the option of a quality college matchup versus the MLB playoffs.
It is a situation that should be raising some red flags.