Baseball is Dead, Part 2...

The man has a solid point. I wanted to flesh out why it is that it seems our youth seem to have stopped playing as much baseball.

Soccer is a simple game. It's easy to learn. There are few rules. Anyone can learn it in little time, and be halfway decent at it. There is constant action. So, as a player, it's hard to get bored.

Baseball is kind of the opposite. Rules can be a little bit complicated. A fair amount of hand-eye coordination is necessary. There are breaks between every action. Outfielders tend to begin picking dandelions.

So why did 8-year-olds of the fifties love it while 8-year-olds of today complain and play soccer?

I blame the media. It's easy to blame the media. OK, it's not really the media. It's all of society's fault. We all have much shorter attention spans. You skip songs on an iPod with a touch. Before, you had to get the needle in that correct spot... it was easier to just listen to the record. And no, you couldn't carry it with you.

Kids today seem to have shorter and shorter time spans. Back then... no/little tv, no electronics, no instant gratification. They stayed outside, and baseball diamonds were always busy.

You also need a largish group to play baseball, kids don't flock like that anymore. Parents set play dates. Kids play indoors or only in supervised activities, they don't run around downtown all day. Soccer requires two people to play, one ball, not much other equipment. Why work at something?

Kids reflect their parents. And adults these days only want the instant gratification. This is how it works with soccer and baseball. They are instantly competent at soccer, while baseball takes a bit of time to learn. They're used to watching DragonBall with images and action constantly flashing at them. The strolling pace of baseball doesn't always agree.

Do us a favor America. Appreciate baseball. It's the national pastime. It's beautiful.

Soccer is not a bad game. It's actually pretty fun. I understand it's popularity. I'm glad it is at the university. It's just a sad day when a sport like baseball, with it's rich American history, is pushed out, when soccer remains.