It’s that time of year again, Baseball is back. The season takes off next week seeing defending champions Los Angeles Dodgers take on the Chicago Cubs in a two game series hosted in Tokyo through the dates of March 18-19. For other teams like the Yankees and the Mets their season kicks off Thursday, March 27.
The LA Dodgers took down the Yankees four games to one last October in the World Series, securing the title and bringing it back to LA for the first time in only four years. During the offseason a lot of moves were made for all 30 teams hoping to strengthen their team in hopes of boosting their odds of winning the World Series.
One of the biggest signings of this offseason saw Juan Soto go from one New York team to another, the Yankees to the Mets. This blockbuster deal saw Soto earn an enormous 15 year/765 million, the largest contract in MLB history. Kevin Meyers, a senior economics teacher, said, “I think the contract is a bit of an overpay…., The money spent on Soto could have been used to address other issues, but Soto is a phenomenal hitter.” Mr. Meyers added that the hefty contract has upsides like him being a great player and all the money he may pool in from things outside of playing. However, the downside you are taking a risk with the contract being that long and the money being that much.
With teams such as Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Phillies, Braves and prominent players such as Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, and Juan Soto, it’s bound to be one of the bigger MLB seasons of the past several years. Last year, a year of growth for the sport saw World Series viewership around 14 million (according to baseball almanac), the highest viewership in 7 years and with physical attendance of 71 million people attending games last year, with big names shifted all around the league during the offseason.
Although baseball can be seen as a less popular sport, We asked Jason Tlatelpa, a senior at John Dewey, also a Yankees fan, if he will attend any games this season.”Yeah, I’m taking my sister on the 29th of March to Yankee Stadium to watch the game vs the Brewers. I hope to go to more games this season.” Tlatepla explained further in the interview that he tries to attend games at least annually and enjoys going with friends and family.
Baseball is a fun sport and no matter who you are you can find enjoyment in watching and playing. Tlatelpa expressed that, “Baseball means a lot to me, most of my family really enjoys playing and watching baseball. Often on summer days we all go to a field and play games together.” This quote expresses how Tlatelpa and his family is a representation of how people feel about Baseball- that baseball is bigger than just a sport.
We hope this article gave you clarity and further information if you were potentially looking into watching the sport this season.
If you are looking to catch a game this season, you can attend a Mets or Yankees game for as little as 7 per ticket. The affordability of baseball is a huge reason why the sport gains so many fans/attendees as the years progress.
