My premise is that Football has clearly defined who and what they are; and as such now are a dominate force in American culture. Whether it is high school, college or professional football; it is at the center of our culture. High school football dominates many communities; it is not unheard of for entire towns to come out and support the local team (we have all heard the stories of Texas high school football and their massive stadiums). With the students returning to colleges; football is at the center of attention for a good portion of the country.
I look at youth sports as a vehicle to learn important life lessons (teamwork, commitment, failure and sportsmanship). I also believe that we as Americans have a social contract to develop productive citizens, support our communities and provide for our common welfare. At the same time; one should recognize that we are living in a global society where we must be able to compete and excel.
We as a forum constantly talk about the inequity in the allocation of scholarships. We go on and on about how the collegiate game is hurt by the lack of scholarships. We also spend hours discussing the inequity of many of the rule placed on collegiate baseball by the NCAA. Yet we do not focus on the relationship between the game and those that benefit from it. Shouldn’t those that ultimately benefit from collegiate baseball be leading the charge advocating for the game? From my prospective; MLB has created its system with its product in mind; HS and Latin players are available and can be run through a training program which is both cost effective and self-sufficient.
Football realizes that it is an American institution and has created a social contract with American universities and media for the development of a product which is strictly American. Football is strictly a North American phenomenon. Our society has embraced it and supports it at every level; from Friday night lights to Sunday night football. It has become the essence of American culture.
If we look at Baseball historically we can see a gradual shift from it being an American sport to an international sport. Basketball has also made the shift; but in my opinion have done a much better job as the world has embraced Basketball with successful professional leagues operating throughout the world (Hockey has also been successful and S0ccer is making a reverse inroads). Baseball has utilized the economic disparity between the US and Latin America for its benefit and not that of the game. Do they need collegiate baseball? Do they care if they are losing prospects to other sports?
If baseball had the leadership with vision; baseball would be a true international sport. Yet we see a relationship in baseball which looks to the rest of the world as the low cost provider of talent. Baseball thrives in Japan, Korea and Taiwan where they have created a culture of baseball which is unique to their societies. Does MLB see the rest of the world as a low cost supplier of talent or is their mission to grow the game?
As a result; I see America moving away from baseball. Our culture embraces football and basketball; however, the physical and talent requirements of these sports have help generate increased popularity at the youth level of other sports which have different athletic requirements. However, the economic incentives of these sports have led to a shift in American culture which in my opinion will ultimately hurt baseball as an American institution.
My premise is baseball needs leadership; the logical group should be MLB. However, I believe that their bottom line dictates their actions which may not be in the best interest of the game or American culture.