Cultural significance
Baseball is a uniquely American sport. And while other countries have great baseball teams and fans (e.g. Japan, Korea, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Cuba), the best baseball in the world is played in the United States. If you were traveling in Brazil, you’d consider watching a soccer game, so why not do teh same back home?
Pace of the game
We get that baseball on television isn’t exciting to many. But that deliberate pace feels different in a ballpark. It gives families time to talk and listen.
Activities
Because the game is slower, you can take younger kids for walks between (or during) innings. Show them how vantage points change. Most baseball parks have playgrounds open during the game, and things for kids to do beforehand. On Sundays, kids get to run the bases after Orioles games.
Food
Kids love ballpark food: popcorn, french fries, cotton candy. No matter what your age, a hot dog tastes better while watching baseball. Additionally, most ballparks are more lenient with outside food than other venues. Our hometown park, Camden Yards, allows outside food and non-alcoholic drinks in sealed plastic bottles. For opening day, we filled a backpack with sodas and old-school subs from Trinacria. Talking with my kids, sitting in the sun, watching a 150 year-old sport, while munching on a prosciutto and mozzarella sub? Sounds good to me.
Education
No, really. Baseball was our first chance to talk about basic statistics with the kids. What is a batting average? What does it mean? How do numbers help predict what happens next? It’s also a good education for life. Kids need to learn that even an amazing batter won’t get on base seven out of ten times.
Price
Baseball knows it needs to position itself as more family friendly. Without promotions, a left field bleacher seat for a Saturday day game is $15; about the same as a movie ticket. This year, kids under nine years of age sit for free, accompanied by their parents at an Orioles game. Most teams have family-friendly packages.
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What a great idea!
WE have quickly become in love with the fact that it brings all together for fun times.
We watch a baseball game but the high school kids game. My husband and I have never been to a pro game at all. We were talking about doing it.
Even minor league games are awesome.
Totally! My husband and I love hitting up a ballgame ! We look forward to bringing our little one this summer !!
What a great post! I love sporting events or big events like this. You feel like you are part of something larger than yourself which is so fun! I will be excited to go to things like this when my son gets a little older. Thanks for sharing.
The kids get so into it as well. It’s a feel good game!
My family hasn’t gone to a baseball game together, but we thought about going to one where we live this summer.
So fun!
Great post! I never even thought about bringing my kids to a baseball game until my neighbor took my older boys last year. We are a basketball and football family but they loved every second of it and couldn’t wait to go back.
It’s a different feeling than other sporting events and a bonding experience nonetheless.
Baseball games are very fun, though I find baseball super boring. 🙂 I took my son to a couple NFL games, and they were not even a little family friendly, unfortunately.
Yeah I find baseball to be super family friendly and the more I go the more I like them. I find football violent and encouraging of bad behavior. Others would disagree I guess.
I love how you broke this down. We haven’t been to a ball game in a very long time. Thanks for inspiring us to go again.
They are so fun! Hope you get back to one soon.
Yes, it does! I grew up on baseball many moons ago and fondly remember sitting on the bleachers at the old Memorial Stadium, many years before Camden Yards was even a thought.