One of the major complaints about MLB is that they do not know how to market their stars. Creating their own version of Hard Knocks could be a step towards changing that.
Over the years, there have been questions about how Major League Baseball can reach out to fans and better market the players. Those questions came to a head when Rob Manfred was crucified for his comments about Mike Trout, a player who is seemingly tailor made to be the face of the game. However, baseball, with its more team oriented approach, is a difficult sport to market in the case of individual players.
And yet, a solution could be staring MLB right in the face. Hard Knocks, the reality show that travels to Training Camp around the NFL, has become wildly popular. Players are given a more human look in the show, making it easier for fans to relate. It is a great way to get a look at the inner workings of a team, and to see what the day to day is like for those players as they battle for spots on the roster.
As the show is in the midst of its 13th season, it has helped the NFL become the juggernaut that the sport has become. We have an access that is simply unrivaled in any other sport, an additional way to make fans invested in the team and the players. It gives a chance for not only the biggest stars, but the biggest personalities on a team to shine.
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Creating a baseball version of Hard Knocks could have the same sort of impact. We could get to see MLB players, and those up and coming minor leaguers, as they prepare for the season. The fans could grow attached to those longshots to make the roster, the minor league journeymen who are getting a look as a thank you for their years of service in the minors, instead of any actual chance to make the roster.
This is a way to create fan favorites, or to give those superstars more air time. It allows teams to reach out to their fanbase, and potentially gain new fans. This would be a way to help bring people back to the game, by giving those human interest stories that fans can identify with. And, naturally, after becoming attached to those players during the show, fans will want to track their progress.
Creating such a program could be a natural boon for MLB. Those ratings and attendance concerns could go by the wayside, with fans willing to tune in to watch those players. Spring Training would not be as much a matter of mind numbing routine for the players. And, those teams would be able to get a boost in popularity and visibility.
It is time to create a Major League Baseball version of Hard Knocks. The future of the sport could depend on such a program becoming reality.