Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Hi, today we explore: Why baseball is re-writing its rulebook in a bid for reinvention. TOGETHER WITH Today's Topics Hello! With the final days of summer upon us, football fans will once again find themselves planning their Sundays around the NFL schedule, with the regular season of America’s biggest sports league now underway. But, with football talk getting louder, we’re taking a nostalgia-fueled look at modern America’s first sporting love affair — baseball — a game that in recent years has been busy reinventing itself. Today's Chartr is sponsored by our friends at [Domain Money](. They’re democratizing access to financial advice — investments, taxes, budgeting, insurance, and more. Book a [free 30-min advisor call]( to see if it’s for you.** [Read this on the web instead]( America’s pastime Baseball remains deeply ingrained in American history, establishing itself with a national league before basketball was even invented, and celebrating nearly half a century of home runs and strikes before the NFL's inception. So “American” was baseball, that advertising execs, like those that came up with [this memorable jingle]( at Chevrolet in the 1970s, were keen to associate their products with the game in any way possible. Indeed, [Gallup research]( reveals that baseball was America’s favorite spectator sport from its debut survey in 1937 until deep into the 1960s when football wrestled the number one spot away — a position it has held ever since. Gamification Why baseball doesn’t hold the place in American culture that it once did is a complicated question — but the relentless schedule of the sport is certainly a factor. Major League Baseball teams play a staggering 162 regular season games per year, making it a challenge for casual sports fans to stay engaged. From a product perspective, the NFL's 17 regular game season is, frankly, much more marketable, and it’s reflected in the latest Forbes list of the [most valuable sports teams]( which is dominated by football teams. Ticket sales, merchandise and sponsorships all drive huge revenues for NFL teams — but it’s the TV deals that are truly game changing. Indeed, the sport itself is well-suited for modern marketing, with advertisements easily insertable between plays, helping the league secure the most lucrative TV sports deal to date — a whopping $112 billion, 11-year contract that has come into effect [this season]( — a deal that filters through to the coffers of every team in the league. 30 out of the 50 most valuable sports teams in the world are NFL franchises, with the Dallas Cowboys topping the list with a $9bn valuation. The biggest in baseball — the iconic New York Yankees — notched up a $7.1bn valuation, ahead of the LA Dodgers ($4.8bn) and Boston Red Sox ($4.5bn). The number of MLB teams on Forbes' list has remained at a record low level, with only 5 making the cut this year, down from 12 in 2015. Pitching a change With a game as storied as baseball, where strategies have been honed and optimized over many years (see: [Moneyball]( any rule-changes are a big deal. Indeed, the sport has often been renowned for its reluctance to change. Some of the biggest teams of the day — the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers — once feared the impact of radio on attendance, clubbing together for a five-year ban on live play-by-play [broadcasts]( in the 1930s. Fans erupted in protest when the Chicago Cubs [introduced lights]( at Wrigley Field in 1988, shattering the tradition of exclusively daytime games, and even the [adoption of electronic balls]( and strike calls by umpires has been met with resistance. But, seeing dwindling attendance and viewer figures — only 11.8 million people tuned in to watch the Houston Astros triumph over the Philadelphia Phillies in last year's [World Series]( down from a peak of 44 million in the 70s — has spurred the powers that be to make some changes. The data is the problem Although we love data here at Chartr, in baseball’s case, its use has arguably made the game more dull — as analysis found that defensive, safer plays were generally the optimal move. So, in a bid to reinvigorate the sport in an era of shrinking attention spans, Major League Baseball has implemented three [major changes]( reduced time allotted to pitchers, bigger base sizes and an outright ban on the “dullest” defensive plays. [Sponsored by Domain Money]( DIY-ing money management? You’re in good company. Most of us don’t have Bezos-level bucks to hire a full-time finance team, but handling your finances can end up feeling like a full-time job. Leave it to [Domain Money](. They’re shaking up the personal finance industry with accessible money management — from filing your taxes to family planning. [Domain]( personally matches you with a dedicated financial advisor who takes care of it all. Instead of shelling out thousands for awkward meetings in a stuffy office, [your advisor]( is available on your terms — via text, video or phone for just $79 per month. Get a financial advisor who gets you. Chartr subscribers skip the waitlist with this [exclusive link]( [Book your free session with a Domain advisor now]( Speedy pitches These changes have, so far, yielded promising results on the field. Game durations are now on par with those from the 1980s, harking back to the days of brisk, action-packed matches, with the average game length shrinking to 2 hours and 41 minutes, down from the over 3+ hour affairs of the previous season. The risky practice of "base stealing" has surged, whether due to batters feeling emboldened, or the time constraints making risk-taking more appealing — either way, the games seem more unpredictable for viewers. Old dog new tricks On a commercial level, the changes seem to be working as well. The league’s average attendance per game has risen, up 9% on last year, and many fans — and [even most players]( — seem happy with the rule changes. Although, one noticeable casualty of the changes has been [beer sales](. Shorter games and more action on the field means less time for fans to indulge in a cold one. But, by April of this year, four teams had already extended alcohol sales through the eighth inning to counter the time crunch. With stiff competition from basketball, football, and increasingly soccer — thanks to the star signings of players like Lionel Messi — baseball may never regain its spot as America’s favorite sport to watch. But, with the professional side of the game embracing change, America’s pastime looks far from past its time. [Sponsored by Domain Money]( Money matters — and so does peace of mind. [Domain Money]( is making financial advice accessible, without a $3k+ price tag. [Domain’s advisors]( meet you where you are. You’ll be personally matched with a dedicated financial advisor who is available when you need, via text, video or phone. Traditional advisors and tax services set you back ~$3,000 a year. A Domain membership is $828 annually — and Chartr readers can [skip the waitlist]( Like this Deep Dive? We will accept tickets to the World Series as a thank you — nice emails and replies also welcome, have a wonderful Sunday! [Read or share this story on the web]( **Sponsored content from Domain Money. See important [disclosures here](. Thanks for reading. See you tomorrow, when we return to our regular scheduled programming! 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