Major League Baseball: Changing the Rules of America's Pastime

This case describes the efforts of Major League Baseball (MLB) to make meaningful changes in the rules affecting the ways the game is played. These changes are intended to speed the pace of the game and make it more appealing to younger fans. The principal changes affect the ways in which infielders take their positions on the field (two on each side of second base and all on the infield dirt) and the amount of time that pitchers and batters have between pitches. The case describes the pre-season efforts in 2023 by senior MLB executives to institute these changes. Prior to these changes infielders could be positioned anywhere on the infield and on the grass behind the infield to make it more difficult for batters to hit safely. The case includes numerous exhibits. These show MLB attendance over 30 years, the length of games, revenue estimates for major U.S. sports leagues, fan research results, ages of fans for principal American sports leagues, etc., and results of testing the rules changes in baseball’s minor leagues.