Baseball’s viewers are older than any other sport. What can the Boston Red Sox do to continue to attract our next generation to continue to grow the sport?
As the Boston Red Sox continue to get younger with the likes of Rafael Devers and Andrew Benintendi, the struggle continues to reach a younger fan base. What can the Red Sox do to continue to attract our next generation to a sport with the oldest viewers?
The average age of a baseball viewer today is 53 years old, compared to the average age of NFL viewers being 47 and the NBA being 37.
Though the Red Sox have the sixth youngest team in baseball in terms of average age, it has not translated to younger viewers. This has been a common theme throughout the sport, though it continues to not be addressed other than through social media and new “streaming options” through MLB TV.
Until recently by the Baltimore Orioles.
The Orioles may not seem to be in contention with the Red Sox or any other AL East team this year, but they are doing their best to improve their program in ways other than the wins and loss columns.
•Kids Cheer Free at Oriole Park!•
— Baltimore Orioles (@Orioles) March 12, 2018
🎉Introducing an unprecedented initiative that invites fans ages nine and younger to attend games at Oriole Park at Camden Yards free of charge. Learn more at https://t.co/qtxWSAGUrC pic.twitter.com/m3S40lgGBa
This revolutionary idea that the Orioles have come up with I believe is exactly what the sport of baseball needs in order to bring the average age of baseball viewers down, and introduce the new generation to such an amazing sport. People love free, and I believe many families will jump at the opportunity to take advantage of this deal, whether they are fans of the sport or not.
The Red Sox should definitely consider this going forward, as the rich history of Fenway Park and the Red Sox is something I believe is special about this game. We go to sports games for the experience, and the experience at Fenway Park is unlike any other, and a huge reason as to why I fell in love with the game myself.
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Going to Fenway Park as a kid opened my mind to a whole new sport, a new passion, and a brand new atmosphere that I wanted to be a part of for the rest of my life. There is nothing comparable to going to a baseball game. The atmosphere puts people in a good mood. Maybe because it’s the middle of the summer, or the feeling of instant connection to everyone around you just because you have the same “B” on your hats. Baseball brings people together, and this atmosphere cannot be emulated by any other sport.
It is great that the Orioles have realized that getting people to the ballpark is the main way to gain new fans, to have them experience the awesomeness that is baseball. Many normal sports fans do not want to go to a baseball game because they have watched it on TV, and assume the sport is boring, slow, and doesn’t have enough action. Most of these people just have never had the opportunity to experience the ballpark atmosphere, the passion that surrounds the game.
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Camden Yards is a great place to watch a baseball game, and I do believe that their viewer’s age will begin to creep down because of this “unprecedented initiative”, even if over a longer period of time. If larger market teams such as the Boston Red Sox or the New York Yankees also adopt this technique and implement it at their own ballparks, I believe the sport will begin to appeal to our next generation of fans. Once you experience the beauty and passion of the atmosphere at Fenway Park, it’s hard to leave without loving this amazing game.