Despite declining ratings, MLB All-Star Game still must-see TV

Parched soil and no oasis in sight, the second week of July is typically a rough one for your average sports fan.

Another Wimbledon fortnight has come to a close, with a pair of deserving champions in Andy Murray and Serena Williams standing tall at the All-England Club. Also concluding this past weekend was soccer’s month-long European Championship, with a new king of the continent crowned in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.

With very few other things on the sports schedule, baseball comes into full focus – and its “Midsummer Classic” serving as the main dish.

The 87th MLB All-Star Game will take place Tuesday night at San Diego’s Petco Park. American League all-stars will seek to extend a nearly 20-year run of dominance over their National League counterparts in the game, having lost only three times since 1997.

At stake? To the winning side goes the perk of home-field advantage in the World Series.

As a baseball fan, I’ll almost certainly be locked in to the game. With events such as this, there’s a one-of-a-kind type of charm built into the contest in part due to little change to the game over the decades.

In the same vein, such could also be cited as a reason for the MLB All-Star Game’s diminishing viewership.

Once an afternoon arrangement, an estimated 25 percent of the U.S. population tuned into to see what side could claim a year’s worth of bragging rights over the other. As if the rare opportunity to see colors mesh that typically never would wasn’t enough, the chance to see matchups such as Roberto Clemente against Whitey Ford, or Brooks Robinson trying to figure out Sandy Koufax.

Unfortunately, the introduction of interleague play has done away with that, along with a societal shift in opinion that has created an increasing angst and disinterest in “America’s Pastime.”

Approximately 9 million households watched last year’s MLB All-Star Game – a number representing 7 percent of the U.S. population. Even more alarming may be that the average age of those watching baseball is 55 years of age – a troubling notion in comparison to the gains the NFL and NBA continue to make in terms of their respective sport’s popularity at large.

What can be done? Honestly, I don’t have the answer.

But considering a game whose charm has been its ability to harken to its past, any revision without compromising the game’s integrity may just be in vain.

Round of applause

Heartily cheering every victory and crying with every defeat, fans tend to take a great ownership in the team with which they root for.

Particularly in today’s society, where a team and its players’ every move is able to be seen and dissected by way of social media.

As the events of last week began to play out for all to see, a number of high-profile athletes lent their voice on the matter. Among those who did so including the Cleveland Cavaliers’ LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, as well as LSU star running back Leonard Fournette.

While celebrating every slam dunk, 3-pointer or long run, a great many of these same fans feel they can also dictate how someone perceives the world with which they live.

Just like you and I, once we leave our respective workplaces, we step into a huge world with more than its share of problems – among them how people of different races and creeds recognize the differences between us, and find some sort of middle ground. Telling a man – or anyone, for that matter – what issues they should voice their concerns on is not helpful, but is troubling.

The fact they chose to offer insight as to what they were feeling is refreshing, letting us know they are in fact human, and not mere idols we choose to live through for their respective sport’s seasons. If only we as fans could choose not to use our voices to run them away.

On deck …

Prior to the MLB All-Star Game, baseball’s top sluggers will take aim at cavernous Petco Park in the annual Home Run Derby. All-Star Week’s secondary event, it is slated to begin at 8 p.m. Monday and televised on ESPN. … The world’s top athletes will gather for a night to celebrate a year’s worth of moments and memories on Wednesday, gathering for The ESPY Awards. Being held in Los Angeles, the broadcast will begin at 8 p.m. … Arguably the most cherished championship in the sport, the world’s top golfers will take aim at Scotland’s Royal Troon Golf Club in an effort to claim The Open Championship. First-round play begins Thursday. … After a week on the road, the Myrtle Beach Pelicans return home Wednesday for a three-game set with the Frederick Keys. Following that series, the team takes back to the road for a four-game set with Winston-Salem.

This story was originally published July 11, 2016 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Despite declining ratings, MLB All-Star Game still must-see TV."