If teens losing interest in American pastime, teen Twins fan says it's a shame

By Mariah Crabb

The first pitch ever is thrown in Target Field, March 27, 2010. Photo courtesy of Jon Marthaler

“Teenagers are often consumed with friends, activities, school and work. Finding time to watch a three-hour baseball game can be a challenge." -- Patrick Klinger, VP of marketing for the Twins.

The crack of the bat. The booming echo of the loudspeakers. Bright lights and the smell of grass and hot dogs. I honestly couldn’t think of a better way to spend a slow Saturday afternoon than just watching and getting lost in the game.

As I’m sure you can tell by now, I’m huge a Minnesota Twins fan. Two walls of my room are devoted to memorabilia — Homer Hankies, a windsock from the ’87 World Series, an article about our chances in the playoffs and a huge Twins flag adorning my door.

I just can’t figure out how anyone could not like America’s favorite pastime. But it is slowly becoming less popular among teens and young adults.

Patrick Klinger, the vice president of marketing for the Twins, has thought a lot about why. “Teenagers are often consumed with friends, activities, school and work. Finding time to watch a three-hour baseball game can be a challenge, ” Klinger said in an email.

It’s not just teens who find watching baseball a challenge, according to Klinger.

“Baseball is a deliberate sport that has plenty of periods with little action. The increasingly short attention spans of all fans are an issue for a game that does not move as quickly as basketball, football, hockey and soccer,” he wrote.

It’s hard for me to understand how teens couldn’t like baseball since I have had such long exposure to it. When I was little girl, I remember playing baseball in the backyard with my parents. I was good, too. I was a good hitter and have only gotten better. With some practice with control, I would have a killer arm.

Then in fifth grade, for some reason, I suddenly wanted to learn as much as I could about baseball. When we listened to games on the radio during car rides up to the cabin, I would ask my dad questions:

“What’s an RBI?”

“What made that an error?”

“Why was he out?”

Dad would always respond patiently and make sure I understood. It really kindled my love for baseball.

I asked a few friends and friends of friends whether they liked baseball and their reasons. Surprisingly, four of the six people I asked actually did like baseball.

But Ricardo Fjelstad De Santiago, a 18-year-old from St. Paul, said, “It’s too slow, and I lose interest really fast.”

Samantha Timmerman, 18, of St. Louis Park, said she doesn’t like baseball “because as a child I never really understood it. I focused more on soccer and hockey.”

Libby Johnson, a 14-year-old from Stoughton, Wisc., does like baseball because “it’s exciting” and “it’s fast-paced and uses a lot of coordination.”

The difference between those who love baseball and those who don’t really became clear when Twins catcher Joe Mauer won the MVP award in November.

At school the next day, we baseball fan were high-fiving and pumped up with giant smiles on our faces. The people who don’t like baseball looked at us like we were crazy. “Wow,” they said, “Really?” in a tone that made clear they thought we were lame.

I suppose I would do the same if they were to talk about celebrities or something. It’s just a matter of opinion.