Friday 5 – Reasons to Love Baseball

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Well opening day of the MLB has come for some yesterday and others today. Baseball tends to be a love it or hate it sport that is hard to watch on TV but so enjoyable at the ball park. I want to give you this week 5 reasons to love the sport of baseball.

5. Individual Yet A Team Sport

Baseball is a unique sport in that it is a team sport but often comes down to individual performances whether it be a batter or a pitcher. You can hide a bad performance in a hockey, basketball, or football as those are very based on the team, but not in baseball. If you are a pitcher your mistakes are very evident as are the batters when they struggle. It is a sport where the individual can make the largest difference in a team dynamic. Biggest case in point is Shohei Ohtani.

 

4. True International Sport

Unlike most sports out there when it comes to international play there is no forgone conclusion on who will win or be in the finals. Baseball is one where you have so many top producing countries the winner could nearly anyone in the field, pun intended. So many small countries, notably in the Caribbean who don’t stand out in other sports show up big in baseball. A sport that you think the USA would dominate they actually could miss the top 4 it is so strong. For my money only soccer has more true international competition. I tune into the World Baseball classic so many possible outcomes, not that way with the World Junior Hockey Championships.

 

3. You Don’t Have To Be Athletic To Play 

Baseball is a sport that even if you are out of shape you can play it isn’t as physically demanding as sports like hockey or football are, and you aren’t running around as much as say basketball does. I have seen people with disabilities play even of they needed a runner for them. It is a sport that is very accepting and accommodating when some aren’t as designed for it.

 

2. The Atmosphere of a Ball Park

It is hard even for me to watch a baseball game on TV, not impossible but hard. It is so much different when you are present at the ball park itself, it has it’s own atmosphere that I’ve never traditionally felt at basketball games or some hockey/football games. It is hard to describe unless you experience it yourself. There is just something about sitting back taking in the action live with a hotdog in one hand and a beer/soda in the other.

 

1. Heckling 

Something I’m sure you didn’t expect to be on the list but I love a sport that embraces heckling and fan participation.  I enjoy good original heckling of players, not the cliché stuff or stuff that crosses the line but baseball is a sport known for it’s heckling. When you think of heckling you think of “Hey batter batter batter! Swing batter!” baseball like most sports is a very mental game  so getting into the headspace is always fun as an opposing fan.

 

– Everett