MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has spent much of his time in charge trying to unlock one seemingly impossible riddle: how can baseball attract new fans, specifically a younger market seemingly uninterested in the game?
The reason the answer to this riddle as eluded Manfred so long, is that he does not seem to grasp that the game itself is not what needs to change, but rather the approach to bringing in fans. Rather than eliminating blackouts, suggesting free games for kids, or reducing overall ticket prices, Manfred continues to tinker with the rules governing relief pitcher use and making suggestions for shortening extra innings with runners on base.