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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 29: Broadcaster and former MLB player Alex Rodriguez looks on from the field before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees at RingCentral Coliseum on August 29, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
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OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 29: Broadcaster and former MLB player Alex Rodriguez looks on from the field before the game between the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees at RingCentral Coliseum on August 29, 2021 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez is one of the best ambassadors of Major League Baseball. In a time when the NBA and NFL have taken over MLB, the New York Yankees legend still prioritize baseball as his first love.
Although his professional and personal lives have been full of controversies, no one can deny the fact that Alex Rodriguez has been the biggest face of the game for over 20-25 years. Over the past two-three decades, there has been a massive decline in the popularity of MLB games.
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The reason for this? The younger generation does not have enough time to watch a 3-4 hours long game. Instead, they prefer to watch fast-paced games such as NBA and NFL, such games do not take as much time as MLB games. However, A-Rod still thinks that there is no sport better than baseball.
Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez and his affair with baseball
Having played for over 20 years, who better than Alex ‘A-Rod’ Rodriguez to tell more about baseball? Ever since he retired, MLB is yet to find a player with such a huge fan base with global popularity. One may have their opinion about his controversies, but it is also true that MLB benefitted the most from his popularity.
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DETROIT – OCTOBER 07: Alex Rodriguez #13 of the New York Yankees warms up in the dugout in a game against the Detroit Tigers during Game Four of the 2006 American League Division Series on October 7, 2006 at Comerica Park in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers won the game 8 to 3 and won the series 3 games to 1.(Photo by Rob Tringali/Sportschrome/Getty Images)
In the NBA, when Michael Jordan retired, they got LeBron James, while MLB is yet to fill the void left by A-Rod. However, the Yankees legend still believes that there is nothing better than playing baseball.
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Talking about the same, A-Rod reflected his opinion on why baseball will always be superior.
“We don’t have Michael Jordan and LeBron James. But we do have our version of that. We are not spiking balls in like the NFL and all. But there is nothing like walking into a ballpark into a Major League Baseball park and seeing the green grass… There is a cadence and a romance to baseball that I think a second to none,” A-Rod said in an old interview.
The decline of MLB is completely visible. While in the same period, the NBA and NFL have gained immense growth.
What do you think are the reasons behind the sudden decline in baseball games?
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Written by
Edited by
Vibhanshu Kumar