Where Do Sports Go From Here

I was going to call this post "How Baseball will Lose Generations of Fans" because that's what seems to be happening.

Consider that both the NBA and NHL will have playoff games scheduled in July and August - normally the dog days of summer that usually belonged solely to MLB. As a sports viewer what would you rather watch - an NBA or NHL playoff game or a regular season baseball game? I think the ratings will show the clear answer (that is of course if baseball ever comes back).

Sports bettors will show their clear preference too and it won't be for baseball.

What about fantasy baseball players? Well many fantasy leagues have already cancelled their seasons so the number of players will be minuscule compared to years past. The average guy tuning in to see how one of their players is doing may not exist this season. And many fantasy leagues may not recover and return next year. I'm not sure if my primary league will return. There's a number of guys who feel that fantasy baseball has run it's course for them (and I may be included in that number).

What about support for baseball from rural areas that are home to minor league teams? Well MLB is trying to shut down many of those same teams so how do you think that's going to translate into support? Many residents will say - "Screw my minor league team over? Well screw baseball then!" Huge self-inflected wound by MLB. Kids who may have grown up taking school trips to the local minor league affiliate will now never have that exposure and their fandom of the major league parent team will never happen.

And next year and potentially for years to come the sports calendar will be changed - and not in ways that favor MLB. The NBA and NHL will probably be forced to push back their next season's opening for a month or two to accommodate this year's messed up schedule. That means NBA and NHL playoffs next year will also overshadow baseball. Who is going to care about Spring Training exhibition games that are up against playoff NBA and NHL games? That could be the new normal.

That would in effect give baseball just a couple of weeks of having the sports calendar to itself before college and pro football returns in August. That exclusive couple of weeks may not be enough to sustain baseball. And this isn't even taking into account that MLB games have been priced out of the range for an average family of four to attend in person.

Baseball is heading for a reckoning. And it ain't going to be pretty.