Why do people think baseball games are too long? - Page 3

mfw13 · 04-15-2021, 10:48 AM

For me, the problem with baseball isn't really the length of the game...it's the amount of dead time in which nothing is actually happening.

As has been noted elsewhere, the average baseball game only contains 11-12 minutes of actual action (i.e. all times when the ball is in play). And with much of that "action" consisting of strikeouts, there isn't really much to watch.

Although I still listen to baseball on the radio while doing something else, I rarely plop my butt down on the couch to actually watch an entire game.

smapdi · 04-15-2021, 10:53 AM

Football has 60 minutes of game time by rule, and probably only a quarter of that is actual play. You have about 120 plays a game, and each play takes about 7 seconds on average from snap to whistle, 14 minutes of "play time." The bureaucratic stuff makes it take 3 hours. But the play clock makes it actually a fairly leisurely game that moves along at regular intervals. Drives are a palatable length, somewhere between 3 and 10 minutes of "real" time, so on a human level you can watch your team with the ball then go do something else when they don't, and be able to make a good guess when they'll get it back.

Baseball has no time by rule, only a goal of 27 outs to be reached. I have no idea how much actual time in a game is actual play, from pitch to resolution of a play, though the game is almost always "live." Having a goal-based game rather than clock-based makes it sort of ripe for abuse both by bureaucractic and economic forces, and also by the players and managers themselves. There are a multitude of reasons why games are taking so much longer these days than they did even in the 70s and 80s. They can't all be fixed by rules changes and additions to the artifice of the game, it just needs to evolve back to where it was. Get the ball, throw it, get it back, throw it again. Widen the strikezone. Deemphasize power and bring stealing back. More movement is more outs, which reaches the game's goal faster.

mvp · 04-15-2021, 11:04 AM

I've said it before, but baseball could learn from what cricket has done over the past 50 years. A lot of the problems baseball has also exist in cricket. We talk about games being too long, or have not having enough action etc. Well, test match cricket is played over five days for nearly eight hours a day.

But new formats have emerged. They didn't replace the original format, they complemented it. They expanded access. One day cricket with limited overs was introduced in the 70's, and then an even shorter version called T20 cricket with more inventive rules came out in the early 2000's.

Test match cricket is a game of patience, finesse, strategy. One day and T20 cricket place more emphasis on action, creativity, and explosiveness. Some players have become specialists in one format or another, but the best players will play in all competitions.

The kids first get excited about the shorter formats, with the flashy colours, fireworks, and non-stop action. Families can sit together and watch a game in the evening. The shorter formats also open up a lot of branding and marketing opportunities. But everyone knows the real prestige is making it in test match cricket, which persists as the true soul of the game and has hardly been changed since the early 1800's. The different formats / competitions offer "something for everyone."

I don't know exactly how something like this would work in baseball, but all I know is one sport is growing and one sport is struggling.

SethMurphy · 04-15-2021, 11:18 AM

average minutes of action in a football game, 18 minutes

average minutes of action in a baseball game, 18 minutes

Vinny1984 · 04-15-2021, 11:27 AM

Soccer has by far the best viewing experience. If you like the sport, that is. Running clock and no commercials. I, for one, am not a soccer fan but it sure is nice to tune in every couple years when the US has a meaningful game.

coachnip13 · 04-15-2021, 11:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny1984

Soccer has by far the best viewing experience. If you like the sport, that is. Running clock and no commercials. I, for one, am not a soccer fan but it sure is nice to tune in every couple years when the US has a meaningful game.

I like it once every six years or so when I actually see a goal while I am watching a live game. That is a rare experience.

no10pin · 04-15-2021, 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SethMurphy

average minutes of action in a football game, 18 minutes

average minutes of action in a baseball game, 18 minutes

This is true, but I think the aforementioned volume of games makes it feel different. I'm a baseball fan, so I'm fine with it, but selling someone who isn't on doing it almost every day for six months is going to be tough.

That said, shortening the game by 10 minutes doesn't really help anything either.

rman112 · 04-15-2021, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cardsin47

They complain because they don’t like / love the game. Compared to other Sports, the Ball itself has a lot of down time

Not realy.

Compare how long a game takes now vs. how long games used to take. It's a bad thing for baseball.

JRX · 04-15-2021, 11:42 AM

I think its also a matter of when the games are. A lot of people complain about how late Sunday night and Monday night football games go, but its not an issue since most games are day games on a Sunday when people want to relax. With baseball it doesn't help that the game is ending after 10 every night.

FT35 · 04-15-2021, 11:45 AM

The people who like baseball are forced to change the game into something that the people who don’t like baseball could like more.

no10pin · 04-15-2021, 12:00 PM

The thing that irritates me is that MLB has decided they need to shorten the games with all sorts of tricks and rule changes, but they are obviously not going to give up the real root cause of games being longer, which is commercial time.

50 years ago, the average game was 2:37 vs 3:05 in 2019, which was the last 'normal' season.

In 2019, there was an average of 76.8 plate appearances per game. In 1961, there was an average of 76.6 per game. So we are seeing roughly the same number of batters per game, but it takes 30 minutes longer now.

There are more pitchers per game now, so that extends things a bit, but the bulk of the change is simply the time spent at commercial either between innings or during pitching changes. If they are serious about making games shorter, they would need to address that, but they won't of course.

1000 Sport Zonk · 04-15-2021, 12:30 PM

Baseball also has the unique problem where if there is too much offensive scoring the game takes longer and longer. But, I think people would probably complain less in the general public if the games were taking this long but with lots more scoring.

SupermanBrandon · 04-15-2021, 12:34 PM

There’s no clock! The other major sports live and die by a clock.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

fulltritty · 04-15-2021, 12:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vinny1984

Soccer has by far the best viewing experience. If you like the sport, that is. Running clock and no commercials. I, for one, am not a soccer fan but it sure is nice to tune in every couple years when the US has a meaningful game.

Soccer has to be one of the most boring sports in the world to watch and yet it is so popular overseas. I mean 85 minutes of them passing the ball back and forth and penalties/injuries and 5 minutes of shots on goal.

JRX · 04-15-2021, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fulltritty

Soccer has to be one of the most boring sports in the world to watch and yet it is so popular overseas. I mean 85 minutes of them passing the ball back and forth and penalties/injuries and 5 minutes of shots on goal.

I thought it was just an excuse to get wasted and start fights?

RW3FAN · 04-15-2021, 01:14 PM

I live on the West Coast.
Do East Coast fans even watch their games when they are playing on the West Coast and the game starts at 10:00PM for them?

coachnip13 · 04-15-2021, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RW3FAN

I live on the West Coast.
Do East Coast fans even watch their games when they are playing on the West Coast and the game starts at 10:00PM for them?

Absolutely not. I can barely stay up long enough for their home games. There's no chance of watching a west coast game.

phandelay · 04-15-2021, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RW3FAN

I live on the West Coast.
Do East Coast fans even watch their games when they are playing on the West Coast and the game starts at 10:00PM for them?

No...

phandelay · 04-15-2021, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fulltritty

Soccer has to be one of the most boring sports in the world to watch and yet it is so popular overseas. I mean 85 minutes of them passing the ball back and forth and penalties/injuries and 5 minutes of shots on goal.

2018 World Series, Game 3. No soccer game in the history of soccer has been that boring. At least soccer ends

EastonElite · 04-15-2021, 01:44 PM

I would say that most people who find baseball boring or think that the game is too long, just doesn't understand OR appreciate, the little intricacies of the game. Most, are there for the "end result" of each AB, inning etc.....and maybe just a beer and a dog, but really have no appreciation for the strategy of the game on either offense or defense, no love for the game within the game. Unfortunately there seems to be more of that type of fan than not.

RW3FAN · 04-15-2021, 01:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coachnip13

Absolutely not. I can barely stay up long enough for their home games. There's no chance of watching a west coast game.

Yeah, even on the West Coast, I don't always watch the entire game as I go to bed at 10:00PM and the games aren't always over.

If it wasn't for Griffey, I guess nobody would know any Mariner player.

Skipscards · 04-15-2021, 01:46 PM

Because people are stoopid.

mfw13 · 04-15-2021, 02:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SethMurphy

average minutes of action in a football game, 18 minutes

average minutes of action in a baseball game, 18 minutes

Average minutes of action in a soccer game: 90
Average minutes of action in a hockey game: 60
Average minutes of action in a basketball game: 48

anusinha · 04-15-2021, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mfw13

Average minutes of action in a soccer game: 90
Average minutes of action in a hockey game: 60
Average minutes of action in a basketball game: 48

The first 46 minutes of a basketball game dont matter, and the last 2 turns into a 15 minute free throw contest.

mfw13 · 04-15-2021, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by anusinha

The first 46 minutes of a basketball game dont matter, and the last 2 turns into a 15 minute free throw contest.

While I too find the last two minutes of many basketball games to be tedious free-throw shooting contests, the difference is that every possession in basketball is worth watching, because every possession has the potential to produce a jaw-dropping play.

04-15-2021, 11:04 AM	#53
mvp Member Join Date: Nov 2019 Posts: 783 diamond_d7	I've said it before, but baseball could learn from what cricket has done over the past 50 years. A lot of the problems baseball has also exist in cricket. We talk about games being too long, or have not having enough action etc. Well, test match cricket is played over five days for nearly eight hours a day. But new formats have emerged. They didn't replace the original format, they complemented it. They expanded access. One day cricket with limited overs was introduced in the 70's, and then an even shorter version called T20 cricket with more inventive rules came out in the early 2000's. Test match cricket is a game of patience, finesse, strategy. One day and T20 cricket place more emphasis on action, creativity, and explosiveness. Some players have become specialists in one format or another, but the best players will play in all competitions. The kids first get excited about the shorter formats, with the flashy colours, fireworks, and non-stop action. Families can sit together and watch a game in the evening. The shorter formats also open up a lot of branding and marketing opportunities. But everyone knows the real prestige is making it in test match cricket, which persists as the true soul of the game and has hardly been changed since the early 1800's. The different formats / competitions offer "something for everyone." I don't know exactly how something like this would work in baseball, but all I know is one sport is growing and one sport is struggling. __________________ Looking for Josh Green rookies

04-15-2021, 11:18 AM	#54
SethMurphy Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Centerville/Erie, PA Posts: 19,493 smurf_8 sethmurphy	average minutes of action in a football game, 18 minutes average minutes of action in a baseball game, 18 minutes __________________ Twitter - @seth_murphy8 PCs - Ryan Callahan, Reggie Lewis, Funko Pops (a little), a few other things that catch my eye

04-15-2021, 11:27 AM	#55
Vinny1984 Member Join Date: Mar 2020 Posts: 3,145 Admcm53	Soccer has by far the best viewing experience. If you like the sport, that is. Running clock and no commercials. I, for one, am not a soccer fan but it sure is nice to tune in every couple years when the US has a meaningful game. __________________ https://www.flickr.com/photos/187995295@N03/albums

04-15-2021, 11:45 AM	#60
FT35 Member Join Date: Mar 2017 Posts: 2,235	Why do people think baseball games are too long? The people who like baseball are forced to change the game into something that the people who don’t like baseball could like more.

04-15-2021, 12:00 PM	#61
no10pin Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 16,895 no10pin no10pin	The thing that irritates me is that MLB has decided they need to shorten the games with all sorts of tricks and rule changes, but they are obviously not going to give up the real root cause of games being longer, which is commercial time. 50 years ago, the average game was 2:37 vs 3:05 in 2019, which was the last 'normal' season. In 2019, there was an average of 76.8 plate appearances per game. In 1961, there was an average of 76.6 per game. So we are seeing roughly the same number of batters per game, but it takes 30 minutes longer now. There are more pitchers per game now, so that extends things a bit, but the bulk of the change is simply the time spent at commercial either between innings or during pitching changes. If they are serious about making games shorter, they would need to address that, but they won't of course. __________________ Always looking for more George Brett stuff. Need more rookies, low numbered inserts/parallels and on-card autos (no Panini).

04-15-2021, 10:48 AM	#51
mfw13 Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 17,556	For me, the problem with baseball isn't really the length of the game...it's the amount of dead time in which nothing is actually happening. As has been noted elsewhere, the average baseball game only contains 11-12 minutes of actual action (i.e. all times when the ball is in play). And with much of that "action" consisting of strikeouts, there isn't really much to watch. Although I still listen to baseball on the radio while doing something else, I rarely plop my butt down on the couch to actually watch an entire game.

04-15-2021, 10:53 AM	#52
smapdi Member Join Date: Mar 2014 Posts: 1,766 piledriver1	Football has 60 minutes of game time by rule, and probably only a quarter of that is actual play. You have about 120 plays a game, and each play takes about 7 seconds on average from snap to whistle, 14 minutes of "play time." The bureaucratic stuff makes it take 3 hours. But the play clock makes it actually a fairly leisurely game that moves along at regular intervals. Drives are a palatable length, somewhere between 3 and 10 minutes of "real" time, so on a human level you can watch your team with the ball then go do something else when they don't, and be able to make a good guess when they'll get it back. Baseball has no time by rule, only a goal of 27 outs to be reached. I have no idea how much actual time in a game is actual play, from pitch to resolution of a play, though the game is almost always "live." Having a goal-based game rather than clock-based makes it sort of ripe for abuse both by bureaucractic and economic forces, and also by the players and managers themselves. There are a multitude of reasons why games are taking so much longer these days than they did even in the 70s and 80s. They can't all be fixed by rules changes and additions to the artifice of the game, it just needs to evolve back to where it was. Get the ball, throw it, get it back, throw it again. Widen the strikezone. Deemphasize power and bring stealing back. More movement is more outs, which reaches the game's goal faster.

04-15-2021, 11:42 AM	#59
JRX Member Join Date: May 2020 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 15,905	I think its also a matter of when the games are. A lot of people complain about how late Sunday night and Monday night football games go, but its not an issue since most games are day games on a Sunday when people want to relax. With baseball it doesn't help that the game is ending after 10 every night.

04-15-2021, 12:30 PM	#62
1000 Sport Zonk Member Join Date: Aug 2020 Posts: 1,368	Baseball also has the unique problem where if there is too much offensive scoring the game takes longer and longer. But, I think people would probably complain less in the general public if the games were taking this long but with lots more scoring.

04-15-2021, 12:34 PM	#63
SupermanBrandon Banned Join Date: Dec 2018 Location: TN Posts: 15,843	There’s no clock! The other major sports live and die by a clock. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

04-15-2021, 01:14 PM	#66
RW3FAN Member Join Date: Mar 2015 Posts: 3,659	I live on the West Coast. Do East Coast fans even watch their games when they are playing on the West Coast and the game starts at 10:00PM for them?

04-15-2021, 01:44 PM	#70
EastonElite Member Join Date: Nov 2018 Posts: 490	I would say that most people who find baseball boring or think that the game is too long, just doesn't understand OR appreciate, the little intricacies of the game. Most, are there for the "end result" of each AB, inning etc.....and maybe just a beer and a dog, but really have no appreciation for the strategy of the game on either offense or defense, no love for the game within the game. Unfortunately there seems to be more of that type of fan than not.

04-15-2021, 01:46 PM	#72
Skipscards Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: In Tribute To The Great Ryno Posts: 30,195 jlankf2 jmp4	Because people are stoopid. __________________ Go Royals!! #RoyalsIn2015 <---It Happened!! #TEAMZinck Sometimes it is astounding that we are able to persist in a world so full of morons.