Slowly and steadily, Major League Baseball is gaining back its reputation as America’s favorite pastime. And it becomes vividly apparent when a passionate fan venture to the ballpark, wholeheartedly rallying behind their beloved team. There might be many reasons for the same, including the teams playing better than before, new talent on the roster, and many more. However, one of the esteemed journalists of the sport seems to think that the reason for the growing popularity has nothing to do with the teams or the fans.

Taking to Twitter, MLB Network’s insider Jon Heyman recently brought up a rather interesting fact about the boom in ballparks. But the fans do not seem to agree with Heyman on this. 

Major League Baseball retaining interest; what could be the reason?

Before MLB’s 2023 season started, the management introduced some new rules to enhance the quality of the game while saving time at the same moment. MLB’s competition committee voted for the new rules in September last year. Players had spring training to understand how they work and get used to them. Two of the rules brought by MLB are the pitch clock and the shift. In the former, a pitcher has to throw a pitch within 15 seconds. Whereas, in the latter, fielders can change their sides on the field when an inning concludes. 

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It’s been three months since the season took off. And according to Heyman, there’s a rise of 7.8 percent in attendance in ballparks as compared to last year. Hence, Heyman tweeted, “MLB attendance is up 7.8 percent over last year. Gotta think new rules are a big help. Surprise contenders can’t hurt either.” 

Soon as the esteemed journalist shared his thoughts with the baseball world on Twitter, fans started showing resentment over the same. 

Fans have a different reason for the growth!

According to the fans, rules would not even be the last reason for more fans in the bleachers. They seem to think that one of the reasons behind the growth in popularity is that multiple teams are turning over a new leaf, showcasing talent on the diamond, resulting in winning over the fans. For the fans, another reason for the same can be no restrictions because of Covid.

Have a look at what the fans have to say about Heyman’s reason for increased attendance:

Do you agree with this?

Nobody seems to be agreeing with Heyman!

After having a brief look at what the fans and Heyman have to say about increasing attendance in ballparks, who do you think is right? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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