Super Bowl LIV was still being celebrated on the field by the Kansas City Chiefs when MLB sent out the pic you see up above. Andy Reid was probably on the stage expounding his great love for the celebratory cheeseburger when they felt compelled to let everyone know that it's "Our turn." Really guys? This has been happening for the last few years. Similar tweets, similar timing, all the same message: it's time to pay attention to us now sports world. It's time someone sat MLB down and told them of their place in the pecking order.
Look at me guys!
The need to draw attention to one's self screams middle child syndrome. It's when the second of three kids feels left out with no defined role in the family because it's no longer the baby and not the first born. Why else would they feel the need to let the world know their season is about to start? People don't care enough about baseball and MLB is the reason why. They have a lot of work to do in order to bring organic attention to themselves. Tweets like this make them look thirsty.
Barely second
MLB, for now, is the second most popular sport in the country. If they're not careful, they'll fall to third behind basketball. There are a myriad of things they need to improve upon in order to stand firm in the two hole and fend off basketball, but that's another article for another day. Basketball, by some metrics, will appear to be third. But when you look at how modern the NBA is and how wildly popular the NCAA Tournament is, I don't see how baseball can rival that. Men literally plan vasectomies around the NCAA Tournament. When was the last time anyone planned anything around something baseball-related? Soccer is coming on strong with the youth movement and guys like Christian Pulisic are going to push it forward and could even surpass baseball if it isn't more careful.
It used to be the most popular
You ever sat around and talked about the good old days? If you're as old, or older, than I am, it's something you do quite often. Things that remind you of your youth when you're an old will give you some life, especially when the memories are good ones. MLB does this way too much. Its over-reliance on antiquated traditions are also what tends to hold the sport back. I love history so don't take this as a knock. But MLB needs to find a balance between honoring its traditions and coming into the 21st century. Don't be Al Bundy MLB.
If they aren't careful, MLB will wake up one day further towards the back of the line instead of the front. They're being pushed and challenged, but aren't fighting back much. This is like watching an MMA fight, but one fighter has on boxing gloves. The fans who once had baseball and MLB as the undisputed number one are literally dying off. The way we consume sports is changing. MLB has to continue to evolve or it will become a victim of it's middle child syndrome.
