Rob Manfred is what wrong with Baseball
News broke over the past couple of days over Ken Rosenthal’s release as MLB network reporter. Ken is a respected reporter and analyst throughout the game. In my opinion, he’s the top 3 in baseball reporters. It was stunning to hear the news, but more when learning one of the key factors to why. He decided to criticize Rob Manfred, and he threw an absolute fit.
It is not a lie that baseball has hurt over the past ten years. A sport that was once the heart of the working class has seen better days. A dying sport with a man who doesn’t seem to care about the sport: he only can care about the revenue coming. For the 2021 world series, we have seen baseball viewership increase too, yet not enough to say that long-term, it is working.
Ever since taking the helm of the commissioner in 2015, it felt like a sharp decline from the glory days to this feeling of the changed game. Manfred tried to advance the game to a different format by implementing rules that didn’t make sense for the league. His idea of bullpen pitchers pitching for three straight batters ruins the point of fair playing. The whole Astros saga was a total disaster as the Astros weren’t indeed punished for the cheating they committed. He refused to show the integrity of baseball and ruined its reputation.
Baseball is becoming as regional as Hockey, only prevalent in areas suited for the weather, or has a long and passionate fanbase. You’re seeing teams who were even once the dominant franchise in MLB planning on moving like the Oakland A’s. Places like Tampa want to have a team but can’t figure out how to move their franchise to their city.
Manfred can even take any criticism, showing how immature he truly is to the game. He lies in his little bubble in New York City, and it’s ridiculous. He has done great things like the Field of Dreams game, the Little League game, and many more. However, how long will it take for baseball to hit its lowest point if Manfred figures out how to make baseball fun for everyone and do the right thing.
Photo by: Vita Walton
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Phillies