By GAVIN MENDOZA
Strike one, strike two, strike three?
Major League Baseball for many years was America’s favorite pastime, helping shape the country into how it is today.
However, the question most people ask is: Is baseball still the national pastime or have other sports taken its place?
Ryan Bowen, the head baseball coach at Northwestern, thinks baseball is a beautiful game, but does not know if it is the nation’s favorite pastime.
“In America, I would say it’s probably not,” Bowen said. “I would say most people pay attention to football a little bit more, but I do think that there is something with the game that better draws people. It connects people more than football or basketball.”
Baseball has a deep and rich history that dates all the way back to the spring of 1876. It existed long before any other major sports league, but that does not mean it has remained the most popular.
Football is the most popular sport in America because of the dominance in viewership in television. Although, like Bowen, many believe the history of baseball is one of the best things about it.
“I think the way the history, and the way the game is played, has a beauty to it,” Bowen said. “It is such a field-driven sport that you have to work really hard at the skill to be able to play it at a high level. It takes all different body types.
Anyone can play, and I think there is a ton of areas in the country that is it growing in popularity.”
Some people across the country still believe baseball is the national pastime, and because of its history and the way the game is, it will forever be the pastime. In 2020, the MLB had a shortened season because of the pandemic.
Viewership was skewed, and many teams saw increases and decreases. In 2021, baseball had its first full season since 2019, and the viewership compared to the last full season dropped dramatically.
Baseball viewership for the whole league may have decreased, but for big-name teams such as the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers, viewership rose and brought baseball fans together during tough times.
Bowen said baseball is a great way to bring communities together.
“Just like here in Alva, it can be a rallying point for a community,” Bowen said. “It is a beautiful game, and when it is played right at a high level, there is good pace, and there is a lot of action. You can have players from anywhere, and it does not matter what body structure you are. If you work hard enough, you can be a high-level baseball player.”
Baseball receives criticism for its slower pace of play, and people may lack patience when watching a baseball game.
Bowen said it is a game that requires lots of skills, some of which are not as appreciated by spectators.
“I think that the defense, how hard it is to play defense at a high level, is not appreciated enough,” Bowen said. “I also think running the bases, there is a kind of art to running the bases that is not as appreciated.”
Bowen said he thinks the timing and athleticism in baseball is overlooked. Along with that, little things that go unnoticed that speak to the sports connections to its history and the nation mean a big deal.
“The history and tradition of our uniforms have not really changed,” Bowen said. “You know, it’s the flag flying above center field. I mean, there are a lot of cool things that could be appreciated about our game that most people either do not see or take for granted.”