[Giants]

The #1 driver of sports consumption is uncertainty of outcome. This is why the NFL is the richest league in North America by pursuing parity, and gambling is such a gigantic and growing part of the games. And based on some data I heard yesterday from a sports media and gambling executive, I actually think the reason the pitch clock was introduced in MLB has as much to do with gambling as it does anything else. It was shocking to hear the numbers of bets people are making on things like "will the next pitch be a ball, strike, or be put in play, and will it be o/u x MPH." To keep an audience engaged and betting, you need a certain pace of play like the NFL and NBA have with the play clock and shot clock.

I always thought it was locality that drove people to sports. People who live in and around Philly, watch the Phillies and the Eagles, and become attached to them. Same with other areas around the country. People in Alabama watch Alabama or Auburn, whether they attended those schools or not (attending does add to it). Little did I know it's been uncertainty of outcome all along.

As for gambling, one would think that added time between pitches would allow gamblers to get those prop bets it, guess not. Anyway, I thought that shortening the game was to make it more watchable, especially for the youngest generations. Guess it's to entice and enable more gambling. 

Always great to be enlightened. . . .

You nailed it CC.  Creating more action throughout a shorter game is all about developing a product that fits the attention span of the next generation.  Of course, some of us will miss the languid pace of the game.  C’est la vie….

[Giants]

The #1 driver of sports consumption is uncertainty of outcome. This is why the NFL is the richest league in North America by pursuing parity, and gambling is such a gigantic and growing part of the games. And based on some data I heard yesterday from a sports media and gambling executive, I actually think the reason the pitch clock was introduced in MLB has as much to do with gambling as it does anything else. It was shocking to hear the numbers of bets people are making on things like "will the next pitch be a ball, strike, or be put in play, and will it be o/u x MPH." To keep an audience engaged and betting, you need a certain pace of play like the NFL and NBA have with the play clock and shot clock.

I always thought it was locality that drove people to sports. People who live in and around Philly, watch the Phillies and the Eagles, and become attached to them. Same with other areas around the country. People in Alabama watch Alabama or Auburn, whether they attended those schools or not (attending does add to it). Little did I know it's been uncertainty of outcome all along.

As for gambling, one would think that added time between pitches would allow gamblers to get those prop bets it, guess not. Anyway, I thought that shortening the game was to make it more watchable, especially for the youngest generations. Guess it's to entice and enable more gambling. 

Always great to be enlightened. . . .

You nailed it CC.  Creating more action throughout a shorter game is all about developing a product that fits the attention span of the next generation.  Of course, some of us will miss the languid pace of the game.  C’est la vie….