Note: The essays in this book are readable online!
Baseball in 2021 is far from perfect. Some argue that technology and over-analysis have led to the fly-ball revolution, infield shifting, and other strategies that have taken the joy out of the game. But if you think the game’s evolution is complete, or that it is heading in a direction that will lead to natural talent and instinct to shine again, think again.
The Society for American Baseball Research (SABR) has produced a collection of essays that prognosticate what the game could look like in twenty years’ time. Many of these essays are well-imagined and bring up interesting points about how the game will need to change. Some of the writings are highly plausible and give me hope for what the game will look like when I am entering my own “golden age” if you will.
Some examples of those essays include:
- How uniforms will evolve to better protect players from the elements but also improve their performances
- How climate change will necessitate changes in ballpark construction, fan experiences and even the liveliness of the ball
- A proposed global league that would have four major divisions, each of which would have 16 teams on its continent
- The effect of augmented reality and virtual reality will have on the game
- A far more interactive fan experience that would allow people to have all sorts of data and stadium viewpoints available to them instantly from their sofas
- How Hall of Fame voting and inductions might further evolve in the decades to come
Not every chapter or essay was a knock-out, however. And it’s not that the writing was poor. It’s just that every possible angle was explored, including the future of baseball card collecting, baseball in outer space, time travel, and the possibility of fans being able to face players past and present, robotics and player augmentation becoming an accepted part of baseball…
There are simply parts of the book I struggled to read, and was not particularly interested in. That said, it was still an interesting quick read that opened my mind to the fact that the evolution of this game is only going to precipitate “progress” at a pace that will be too rapid for my aging mind to properly absorb or appreciate.