The Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA) and industry leaders have worked closely with the NCAA in establishing and testing the standards for baseball bats. Concern was expressed that aluminum bats had become so powerful that they threatened the safety of pitchers, but the industry insists that the NCAA’s own statistics demonstrated there was no safety problem. The NCAA, concerned that increasingly powerful aluminum baseball bats were tipping the balance of the game toward the offense, issued new specifications for the 2000 season, then announced in the summer that the standards would remain in place for at least another season. In 1990, about 3.4 million youngsters played baseball at least 52 times a year; in 1999, the figure was 3.2 million. The National Federation of State High School Associations announced that it would adopt identical specifications for its bats beginning in 2001. NCAA studies showed that scoring during the season with the new bats dropped back to historical levels, lessening the chances of any further significant rules changes in the near term. The result was an unleashing of pent-up demand that buoyed bat sales late in the year. The positive effects are expected to carry over into 2001. As a result, even though softball participation is declining, manufacturers’ sales of baseball and softball equipment are estimated to have risen 1% to $430 million in 2000 and are projected to rise another 2.3% this year to $440 million. While the new standards – by removing uncertainty and confusion from the marketplace – created a welcome spike in bat sales, baseball, like most other team sports, has been facing a steady decline in participation, especially among casual players. The number of baseball players declined 23%, from 15.5 to 12.1 million, between 1990 and 1999, according to American Sports Data. However, despite those numbers, the core of the sport, represented by its frequent players, showed greater strength. In 1990, about 3.4 million youngsters played baseball at least 52 times a year; in 1999, the figure was 3.2 million. This indicates that baseball may have lost its attraction as a pick-up game. Another troubling statistic is that participation in the major youth leagues, where play now can start as young as five with T-ball, declined in participants during the late ’90s. This loss of players is explained by a variety of factors, ranging from the growth of soccer to the rise of electronic entertainment to the Major League Baseball (MLB) strike in 1994 to the fact that baseball is a relatively slow-paced game requiring considerable skill. Major League Baseball, meanwhile, has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity, and it’s hoped that this may attract more young players to the game. MLB attendance hit an all-time high in 2000, and surveys by ESPN Sports Poll show a steady rise in consumer interest since 1995. Hanging over the future of the sport is the fact that the bargaining agreement between the MLB players and the owners expires this year. Another interrupted season could prove devastating to fan loyalty. Furthermore, the competitive nature of the game is being threatened by the huge contracts given by large-market owners to superstars, which hurts the interest of fans in smaller city markets. Softball is a sport with a split personality. The traditional, slow-pitch game played at picnics and in leagues by men who have grown too old for baseball is in serious decline. Participation trends earlier than 1997 were lost when American Sports Data redefined the game to better track its dual nature. But between 1997 and 1999, the number of slow-pitch players declined 15%, from 20.5 million to 17.9 million. It’s possible that there were 10 – 15 million more players in 1990 than there are today. But the new, fast-pitch game played mostly by girls in colleges, high schools and community leagues is growing rapidly. Fast-pitch softball, however, is clearly a growth sport. Play on high school teams by girls increased 56% between 1990 and 1999. Play in youth leagues sponsored by Little League, Dixie, PONY and Babe Ruth increased 41% between 1992 and 1999. A small percentage of boys are included in the youth league totals. Overall, according to American Sports Data, about 3.2 million people played fast-pitch softball in 1999, 64% of them female. The back-to-back gold medals won at the last two Olympics by the U.S. women’s team have given fast-pitch softball credibility and excitement. A six-team women’s professional league will begin its fourth season in 2001. Source: Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association (SGMA)
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