Baseball is not for everyone. When non-baseball fans question the appeal of baseball, a response is hard to come by. It has a long season, games are slow and players change teams frequently. With the lack of parity, teams can go decades without making the playoffs and giving fans a glimmer of hope.
This is why it takes a lifetime to be a fan of a team.
As Terence Mann said from Field of Dreams, “The one constant through all the years has been baseball. America…has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time.”
Even if your team is in the middle of the worst season in history, it is easy to believe that “There is always next year.”
This allows baseball to be a more rewarding experience for the diehards. Many fans use the terms “we” and “us” when referring to their favorite team. They do this because they are a vital part of the team. True fans have been around earlier and will stick around longer than any players and they are more invested in the long-term success of the franchise.
This is why it is so hard to be a just a casual fan, and it takes a certain level of dedication to make baseball a rewarding experience.
Here are three reasons why: