In this day and age, sports simulation games are available for just about every sport.
But baseball still reigns supreme in this area. While other games utilize strategy, nothing can match the analysis and data-driven strategy that makes baseball so compelling on the field as well as in sports simulation games.
The sheer magnitude of available data makes designing realistic games that much easier. Also, data exists as far back as the late 1800s, making it possible to design games where players can pit modern teams against past champions. Or play entire seasons from 1955 or any other year.
There’s no real argument that baseball makes for the best simulation games. That’s especially true when you consider the fact that Tom Tippett, who designed Diamond Mind Baseball, went on to work for the Boston Red Sox. His sports simulation programs became a tool for the Red Sox to prepare for teams.
However, facts such as that often give rise to an age-old question: Is baseball the sport for the thinking man? Or, as those who dislike it argue, is it just slow and boring?
First, the Man Thing
Yes, sports continue to be more popular with men than women. However, many may not know that Major League Baseball has a huge female fan base. A 2014 study on social media postings found 45.4 percent of all social media postings about the Texas Rangers were made by women. In fact, here are the teams that the study found have the biggest fan base among women:
- Texas Rangers
- Los Angeles Angels
- San Francisco Giants
- Minnesota Twins
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Tampa Bay Rays
- Atlanta Braves
- Houston Astros
- Colorado Rockies
- Philadelphia Phillies
So, enough with the thinking man thing. Baseball is the thinking person’s game.
Slow? Not Really
Baseball is designed to allow players, managers and fans to think about matchups as the game unfolds. Every at-bat can have many different outcomes. That’s especially true with runners on base and in late inning situations when the game is on the line. Of course, the game can also be on the line in the first inning. That’s one of the beauties of the game.
Boring? Not If You Understand It
So, yes, the game moves slowly. But it’s not boring. Baseball is one of those sports where the more you know about the game, the better it gets. Understanding the possible outcomes of dozens of situations makes the game much more interesting.
Big Picture
Baseball becomes even more interesting when looking at the larger picture. Some teams deserve attention because they compete while spending far fewer dollars. Major League Baseball remains one of the only sports where that is the case. While the big-spending teams can dominate, frugal-but-smart teams can rise up and win pennants, such as the Kansas City Royals and Pittsburgh Pirates in recent years. In the case of the Royals, they won the World Series.
Baseball players don’t tackle each other. They don’t go coast-to-coast and slam bunk a ball through a hoop. But the game is actually built around a tension and excitement that mounts as the game progresses unlike any other sport.
A thinking person’s game? Yes. But it can be anyone’s game who takes the time to learn the intricacies of the game. That’s why it continues to be one of the most popular sports in the United States.
Baseball is very, very, very boring. Did I say boring already? This the extent of what the coach says to the players as strategy. Pitcher you trow and try to strike out the opponent, the rest of the players catch the ball and trow it to the base. The opponent’s team coach says to his players. Hit the ball wtht the bat and run to each base. That’s it! what else is there to coach in this boring sport. My six year old could coach that. I know that there are a lot of people who love Baseball and all I have to say to all of you is this. You are very, very boring!
Obviously, you are oblivious to the coordination it takes to play baseball. Your six year old could coach this game? Then why do you think it takes people such a long time to get good at the sport? Why do you think they make millions of dollars a year? You probably haven’t even tried hitting a baseball, let alone one coming in at 90 mph or more. If the ball is coming in at 90 mph for example, the hitter has a quarter of a second to identify the pitch, decide to swing or not, and actually carry out the process. (But please, this sport is so easy) Don’t go hating on something until you tried it or because you’re just not good at it.
“Slow? Not Really” then “So, yes, the game moves slowly”. This is peak baseball people being completely oblivious.
I think I know quite a bit about these “nuances” of baseball. I folllowed it religiously until I was about 15…and played it a lot. But, frankly, the older I got, the more I realized how truly boring and excrutiatingly slow that it really is. The fault is really nothing more than the nature of the game. It’s just not an active sport, and really just can’t ever be. It’s not horrible, but it’s much more like watching a chess match that has a time limit for moves. Sort of interesting, but too slow to hold your attention and importantly, to be worth the time investment when current society offers so many more interesting and less time-consuming diversions. I’m stunned that the audience is still growing, but whatever. I haven’t watched a game for about 50 years, and will never watch another one.
Baseball suffers because most games lack excitement. Usually the team that leads early, wins. There’s very little suspense. Not enough lead changes.