NEWSLETTER
Bryce Harper is one of the most identifiable stars of Major League Baseball. He’s vocal, he’s visible, he’s talented, he won the MVP, and, perhaps as importantly, he’s young. At just 23, Harper is among the youngest players in MLB, and is right in the heart of a demographic that is increasingly turning away from the sport in favor of other diversions – and other sports.
Harper was profiled by ESPN the Magazine, and, within the lengthy and fascinating read, offered some striking thoughts about the way baseball markets itself to fans. His points are well-taken not only because of his standing in the game, but also because, as I said, he’s within the age range of the very people to whom the spirit of his comments will speak.
A sampling of those remarks:
“Baseball’s tired,” he says. “It’s a tired sport, because you can’t express yourself. You can’t do what people in other sports do. I’m not saying baseball is, you know, boring or anything like that, but it’s the excitement of the young guys who are coming into the game now who have flair. If that’s Matt Harvey or Jacob deGrom or Manny Machado or Joc Pederson or Andrew McCutchen or Yasiel Puig – there’s so many guys in the game now who are so much fun.
“Jose Fernandez is a great example. Jose Fernandez will strike you out and stare you down into the dugout and pump his fist. And if you hit a homer and pimp it? He doesn’t care. Because you got him. That’s part of the game ….
“If a guy pumps his fist at me on the mound, I’m going to go, ‘Yeah, you got me. Good for you. Hopefully I get you next time.’ That’s what makes the game fun. You want kids to play the game, right? What are kids playing these days? Football, basketball. Look at those players – Steph Curry, LeBron James. It’s exciting to see those players in those sports. Cam Newton – I love the way Cam goes about it. He smiles, he laughs. It’s that flair. The dramatic.”
Although I do think the sport is coming around a bit – see the general lauding of Jose Bautista’s emphatic bat flip in the playoffs last year, or the silly fun emanating from Cubs camp on a daily basis – there’s a long road ahead before baseball, and the core of its fanbase, really embraces the kind of “flair” Harper is espousing.
Myself, I’m into it. Way into it. The game of baseball is supposed to be fun. You’ll be unsurprised to learn that this very sentiment is what animated me starting this website in the first place. I love baseball, and I wanted to have a place to highlight the joy that lives within the game. Moreover, I wanted an opportunity to underscore that the kinds of excitement and drama that Harper references are there to be enjoyed on an almost daily basis if we just relax, let the players be themselves, and all have a little fun with it.
So, enjoy the ESPN profile on Harper. And then enjoy him crushing the ball this year, and let him enjoy himself doing it, too.
