A lot of people can’t stand baseball because it is “too boring,” or because there are “too many games [in a season],” or because the sport “never changes.” While those can all be valid concerns, the reality is that baseball is indubitably America’s pastime, and watching baseball is a relaxing daily endeavor that puts most of the nation on its heels for more than seven months out of every year. And the notion that baseball doesn’t change? Try telling that to Rob Manfred, the current Commissioner of Baseball.
Manfred succeeded Bud Selig as the Commissioner of Baseball just over a year ago, and his first 365 days leading the baseball world have not seen the sport itself change, but have witnessed huge leaps in the way it is viewed, interpreted, and more, with technology being the chief proponent of change.
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With regards to baseball in the tech industry, Manfred has arguably made his biggest goal to bring the sport to as many people as possible in a variety of ways. During an interview with ESPN at the conclusion of his first year as commish, Manfred referred to all the new developments in baseball viewing “not [as] a baseball change… [but as] a media landscape change.” In that same interview, Manfred stated that the biggest piece of “unfinished business” from his first year was not reaching a deal with every FOX Regional Sports Network to broadcast the most local team to anyone with access to the FOX Sports.
But Manfred still did his due diligence in ensuring that no one would miss out on their favorite team, as single-team diehards can now purchase MLB.tv — baseball’s live-game streaming service — for one MLB squad for $85, as opposed to buying it for every team for $110. And Manfred didn’t stop there in expanding baseball’s accessibility, as a deal between MLB and China’s Le Sports was announced at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) which will now allow China’s citizens to stream certain games.
.@MLB, Le Sports announce agreement to live stream games in China: https://t.co/nIFNg9R34T pic.twitter.com/LDNJmwbf1F
— MLB (@MLB) January 7, 2016
Alas, one would be shortchanging Manfred and baseball’s recent technological advances if they were to speak of solely developments in watching the sport. The baseball media world in general has entered into a stage that allows high levels of access across all devices. At CES 2016, Manfred verbalized this by stating that “while [fans are] watching [baseball], they probably have some other device going. That other device is suited to provide access beyond the game that they’re seeing on the screen.”
On top of that, baseball analysis has reached an astronomical level, with programs such as Statcast keeping meticulous track of home run distance, exit velocity of a ball off of a bat, pitch velocity and rotation, and much more. This data has even led to the creation of an All-Statcast team, which highlights players at each position who “stood out in new, interesting ways.”
A curve spinning at 2,305 RPM? @MStrooo6 can break one off. http://t.co/42mvJKHKCc #Statcast pic.twitter.com/KevaWM9tBu
— #Statcast (@statcast) October 9, 2015
None of this even touches on technical improvements for products that will alter baseball during the infancy of Manfred’s reign. Athalonz has developed a cleat that maximizes G-Force of an athlete, allowing them to generate more power behind either a swing or a pitch. Combat, on the other hand, has enhanced its bat so that it has 40% more surface area, allowing for easier contact, but still sits at the same weight that hitters love. (Granted, this is a metal bat, and thus cannot be used in MLB.)
Since taking the reigns as baseball’s king, Rob Manfred has overseen advances in the sport that satisfy players, coaches, front offices, and fans. And if Manfred’s next years are anything like his first, baseball will continue to impress its fans.