Drew Pasteur, professor of mathematics at The College of Wooster, was featured on WalletHub, a personal finance website, ahead of Major League Baseball’s World Series between the Houston Astros and Philadelphia Phillies.
Pasteur, who serves as a faculty athletic representative for the College’s 23 varsity athletic teams, was asked for insight on how healthy the state of professional baseball is. The College’s Mathematics and Computational Sciences co-chair noted “finding ways to build a younger and more diverse fan base, especially among Gen Z, will be crucial to baseball’s economic future.”
“Today’s fans are less likely to watch the on-field action for 3-4 hours straight,” summed up Pasteur. He proposed appealing to young adults and families through “digital and social engagement” and “fun ballpark experiences.”
Big-market teams – specifically the New York Yankees, New York Mets, and Los Angeles Dodgers – making this year’s playoffs, plus Aaron Judge’s historic home run chase that ended with him breaking Roger Maris’ 61-year-old American League record, gave baseball an increased buzz entering October’s postseason. However, Pasteur noted “the NFL continues to be the dominant force in sports television” in a market “increasingly fragmented by streaming.”
Baseball has long been billed as “America’s pastime,” something Pasteur feels football surpassed from a spectator standpoint 50 years ago. More recently, the NBA surpassed MLB in terms of overall popularity, per Pasteur, due to having the “youngest and most diverse fan base among the major pro sports leagues” in the United States, and it continues to close the gap with the NFL each year.
As to who Pasteur predicted to win the Fall Classic? Well, he struck out, as the Los Angeles Dodgers were eliminated in the National League Division Series.
Original source can be found here.
