I think there are multiple factors.

 

One is the changest deomgraphics of baseball. In the 50's through the 90's, there large number of baseball stars that were black. Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Ozzie Smith, Ken Griffey, Barry Bonds, Frank Thomas just to name a few. Nowadays, you just don't see many young black baseball players. Most of them play basketball and football exclusively. Which is another problem. Because also happening now is alot of young athletes are focusing on one sport only. Most are not choosing baseball.

 

Baseball is also a regional sport. Teams make huge money on their regional sports deals. A team like the Texas Rangers gets good TV ratings in their local market. Same with the Tigers. But do many people outside of those markets want to watch?

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