Pittsburgh Pirates slugger Andrew McCutchen, with 16 years in the big leagues, has witnessed a lot in the game.
The current stars and rookies in Major League Baseball seem to handle their debuts well. The sport has seen three record-breaking free-agent contracts in the last three offseasons, showing its growth.
Former NFL star Cam Newton expressed his belief that baseball is declining during his podcast “4th and 1 with Cam Newton,” stating that the sport is fading away as not being played by Americans anymore.
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“Baseball is like a dying sport. I think baseball will be surpassed by the WNBA in 20 years. Baseball isn’t even being played by Americans anymore” said Newton.
McCutchen responded on social media, disagreeing with Newton’s views on baseball.
“He talks about baseball like a person who has never been around baseball talks about baseball” said McCutchen.
McCutchen argued that the viewership of the World Series shows the sport’s global appeal, with Game 2 attracting 15.9 million viewers in Japan alone.
Comparing baseball’s schedule to the NFL and college football, baseball’s format allows more viewership as the majority of games are played on Sundays.
This is not the first time Andrew McCutchen has heard the sport is dying
While some believe baseball is losing its charm as “America’s Pastime,” rule changes and the emergence of stars like Shohei Ohtani have brought renewed interest in the sport.
McCutchen acknowledges the rise of the WNBA but believes that both baseball and basketball can thrive in their own ways.
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Edited by Jared “Bloomy” Bloom
