How The MLB Could Spice-Up All Star weekend

By Zane Robidoux
Twitter: @zrobidoeee

One of the MLB's biggest question marks for the future is how it is going to draw interest from younger audiences.

A study by Magna Global in 2016 showed that the average age of an MLB fan is 57, and of that same fan base, only 7% of them were under the age of 18. In other words, it’s time to draw in some younger fans.

An easy and simple way to do this would be to utilize the amount of star power generated throughout All-Star weekend. Even though all the big names of the sport are in attendance, the only time you get to see the majority of the players in action is the actual All-Star game, and even then, that may only be for an inning or two.

Exposure of these players to a younger audience is what’s going to draw a younger crowd in, so the league should look for a way to better incorporate them into more activities throughout the weekend, rather than just the game. Yes, we do have the Home Run Derby, which is a great way to get a look at the best sluggers from all over the league. And their new format has done a great job speeding the whole thing up, which is what a lot of people wanted. But that’s eight players, and there are 34 on EACH roster. That’s just a small window of the talent on hand.

So, Rob Manfred, if you’re reading, here are a couple of ideas to help revitalize the youth’s viewership and make baseball, and especially All-Star weekend, a must-watch.

Get Rid of the Celebrity Softball Game

It’s not exciting. It’s not unique. Hell, it’s not very enjoyable either.

I think I speak for the vast majority here when I say I have zero interest in watching a group of random celebrities and retired MLB players run around laughing while the rest of us watch at home for six uncomfortable innings. The game has never drawn interest from any sort of large fan base and is kind of the laughing stock of the whole weekend. Just do away with it completely.

Incorporate more skill-based competitions

Here’s where the MLB could take a page out of the NBA and NHL’s book. Utilize what talents your All-Stars have! Do we all love the Home Run Derby? Of course. Who doesn’t love 500-foot home runs. But is that really all we get?

Imagine how fun it would be to watch Dee Gordon and Trea Turner compete to see who the fastest man in baseball is by competing in a timed sprint around the bases. Or how cool it would be to watch Joey Votto and José Altuve attempt to hit sporadically spaced targets throughout the field to determine who the more accurate hitter is?  And have an array of outfielders from Yasiel Puig to Yoenis Céspedes use their cannons of arms to find out who's more accurate. A carnival type game could even be set up, comparable to the NHL’s hardest slap shot, to determine if Chris Sale really can throw faster than Justin Verlander.

The idea of these skill-based competitions makes it simple and exciting to show off the incredible skills that all of these players possess, and might even allow a lesser-known player to gain more recognition. It also help players in smaller markets who are not necessarily playoff contenders and don't play on national TV to be put into the national spotlight for a bit.

Add a Sophomore vs Freshman game

Hey MLB, market your young players. Again, mimicking another sport (thanks NBA), this would be a great way to introduce some of the league's younger and lesser known talent to the rest of the fans across the country.

There are, of course, only two Rookie of the Year awards given out annually, and only three finalists for those two awards respectively. Six young players getting all that media attention is great, but it’s just not enough.

Making two rosters out of each league’s best rookies and second years and having them compete against each other for bragging rights would be something to behold. It would also help give these young guys a confidence boost. Putting them on a national stage like that early on will only make it easier to market themselves and increase their exposure.

There are a million ways to change the league's structure of All-Star weekend to draw more fans in. One of the biggest leaps that would have to be made would be simply just trying something different, but as we all know, that can be difficult for the MLB to do. In the coming years, we can all but hope that Rob Manfred and the rest of the league decides it's time for something new, and that new isn't actually all that bad.