Washington Nationals Bryce Harper makes ‘baseball fun again’

Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals most likely isn’t your grandpa’s favorite player. In fact, it might be safe to say your father isn’t a fan of Harper, either, as they are probably a fan of the “old school,” and though Harper plays like an “old school” player, maybe his attitude isn’t for certain generations.

That’s OK, because at 23 years old, he most likely doesn’t have the same likes and dislikes of those a generation or two older than him, and again, that’s fine.

This is all being brought up because of offseason comments made by Harper saying “baseball is a tired sport” during an ESPN the Magazine interview, and for a piece of headgear he wore following the Nationals’ 4-3, 10-inning win over the Atlanta Braves on Opening Day Monday afternoon, a game where he hit his fourth Opening Day home run of his career.

Here is the hat he wore following the game, as pictured in a tweet from @misterschafer:

Being less than a decade older than Harper myself, and after reading about how much work he puts into his craft from the lengthy ESPN the Magazine article, I can say without hesitation I don’t have a problem with his views on the game of baseball, and maybe he’s right in a way when compared to other sports.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the tradition of the game. I like how baseball has their “unwritten rules.” Baseball is full of superstitions and that’s great as well. Baseball is a game that has it’s own pace, no time clock and is played on a nightly basis, so I can also see how 162 games a season can get monotones for a young player as brash … and as good as Harper.

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Being that he was the 2015 National League Most Valuable Player, this is the time Harper believes he can speak his views on the game, and that’s what makes me respect Harper. That reason is the fact he doesn’t follow the status quo, and he wants players to show more individuality and not get bombarded with fastballs to the back or elsewhere.

He could easily go play a game, collect his paycheck and go home, but he wants to make some changes to the game while making his mark on the field as well. He backs up his attitude with his overall play.

Last season, Harper scored 118 runs, hit 42 home runs and batted .330. He also had an on-base percentage of 460, a slugging percentage of .649 and a WAR of 9.9 in just his fourth major league season, a career he began at just 19 years old.

On Opening Day this year, Harper was 1-for-3 with two walks, one hit (a home run) and one RBI against the Braves.

Speaking of “speaking his mind” and “being brash,” here is what Tim Keown of ESPN the Magazine quoted Harper saying in the infamous article:

"“Baseball’s tired,” he says. “It’s a tired sport, because you can’t express yourself. You can’t do what people in other sports do. I’m not saying baseball is, you know, boring or anything like that, but it’s the excitement of the young guys who are coming into the game now who have flair. If that’s Matt Harvey or Jacob deGrom or Manny Machado or Joc Pederson or Andrew McCutchen or Yasiel Puig — there’s so many guys in the game now who are so much fun.”"

It is tough to disagree with what Harper said in that interview at times. Something a little different, but still not completely over the top, can’t hurt the game. It might bring even more fans to the game, and the more fans who follow the game, the better.

Why can’t baseball change some with the times? Every other sport in the world changes. Though I don’t watch it, soccer seems to have players who are the faces of their game celebrating after a big moment. The NBA has individuality, and it has become a global phenomenon as well. The NFL is the most popular sport in the United States, and some of their players show some individuality, with most of them keeping it to a certain level.

But with Harper, it seems when he speaks his mind and says “baseball is tired,” he gets booed for it, and social media acts like he kicked Babe Ruth’s puppy. What is wrong with having an opinion different from others?

I don’t understand it. I’ve had many “passionate” conversations with friends who dislike Harper for one reason or another, and we’ll just say we agree to disagree.

Now, does that mean Harper or whomever needs to pound their chest after a base hit in the first inning? Nope, but when it is the right time, why is it so wrong for today’s players to want to change the game to their generation’s acceptance? Some folks lost their minds during the postseason last year when Joey Bautista flipped his bat after his game-winning home run for the Toronto Blue Jays. As some put down his actions, many welcomed the spark of excitement it brought to the game.

Many of us will never agree on this topic, as there are many “old school” fans, many “new school” fans, and those like me who respect both but have no problems with the “new school” way of thinking either.

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There has to be a happy medium, and with Harper, wearing that “Make Baseball Fun Again” hat is just one of his ways he expresses himself. I’m guessing he knows it will get under the skin of those who dislike the way he presents himself, as he is just doing that … being himself.

Harper is trying in his own way to “make baseball fun again.”