Baseball is fondly known as America’s national pastime and is one of the most popular summer sports in the USA in terms of participation and viewership. Major League Baseball(MLB) was founded more than a century ago to organize the sport into a professional league that eventually grew to earn millions of dollars. However, in more recent times, Baseball’s popularity has dipped especially when compared to other American sports leagues such as the NBA and the NFL. According to data presented by Safe Betting Sites US, 56% of Americans belonging to Gen Z identified themselves as ‘not a fan’ of baseball.
Half of Gen Z Not a Fan of Baseball; Only A Third Consider Themselves ‘Casual Fans’
According to a survey conducted in April 2021 of over 2200 American adults, 56% of Gen Z (1997-2012) respondents identified themselves as ‘not a fan’ of baseball, the highest rate among any age group. Among the same age group, only 33% consider themselves as a ‘casual fan’ of the sport and an even smaller 11% consider themselves as an ‘avid fan.’
Only 38% of Baby Boomers (1946-1980) did not identify as baseball fans, the lowest rate out of any age group. Among the same group, 42% consider themselves casual baseball fans and 19% consider themselves as an ‘Avid Fan’ of the sport. Millennials (1981-1996) had the largest share of avid fans with 20% while Gen X (1965-1980) had the largest share of casual fans with 43%.
More than Half Of Females Do Not Identify As Baseball Fans
The same survey showed that 51% of over 1100 female survey respondents identified as ‘not a fan’ of the sport. Only 40% identified as casual fans while only 8% of female survey respondents considered themselves as avid fans of baseball.
In comparison, 27% of Male respondents identified as avid fans of baseball, and a further 42% identified as casual fans. Only 31% of men surveyed did not identify as baseball fans.
MLB Moved All-Star Game From Atlanta, Georgia After New Election Laws Amidst Mixed Opinions
Recently the MLB became indirectly involved in a political controversy that drew both support and criticism. In 2021, the state of Georgia enacted new election laws that many argue, unfairly hinders one’s ability to vote particularly for minority groups. After the new law was signed, MLB made the decision to move its July 13th scheduled All-Star game from Atlanta, Georgia. as
The move was a direct response to Georgia’s new election laws as noted by MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred: “Major League Baseball fundamentally supports voting rights for all Americans and opposes restrictions to the ballot box,” Mr Manfred said in a statement. “Fair access to voting continues to have our unwavering support.”
25% of survey respondents indicated that they strongly supported MLB’s decision to pull the All-Star game from Atlanta, Georgia while 20% said they strongly opposed it. 14% indicated they somewhat supported the move while only 8% said they somewhat opposed the move. 32% had no opinion on the matter.
