Baseball - If You Speed It Up, Will They Come?

In an effort to speed up baseball games and attract more fans, Major League Baseball has unveiled a new set of rules during Spring Training. The rules include a 30-second clock between batters, 15-seconds for pitchers to start their motion, players must be in the batter’s box with eight seconds left on the clock before running to their larger bases.

Research by Goizueta Sports Marketing Professor Mike Lewis finds that sports fandom is down and attracting Gen Z could be the key to attracting new fans. Lewis’ research shows younger people like sports with continuous action like soccer and esports. The pitch by baseball to make the game faster is an effort to attract a younger fan.