Baseball became slower, less exciting, and less popular as athletes shifted to faster-paced sports like football and basketball.
They introduced the pitch clock to speed up the game and reduce dead time, making it more engaging.
The World Series ratings improved but were still not as high as hoped, indicating ongoing challenges.
Baseball stars don't have the same impact on their teams' success as stars in other sports like football, making individual marketing harder.
Further rule changes to address the underlying issues that made the pitch clock necessary, such as the role of starting pitchers.
It's deeply ingrained in family traditions and summer activities, providing a nostalgic connection.
*Dodger Blue Dream *podcast host Richard Parks III looks back on a cinematic season. The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond explains whether it was enough to revive ratings.
This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen and Eliza Dennis, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and Matt Collette, engineered by Andrea Kristinsdottir and Rob Byers, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.
Transcript at vox.com/today-explained-podcast)
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Fans celebrate the Los Angeles Dodgers' win over the New York Yankees in East L.A. Photo by Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images.
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