How to make Baseball More Fan-Centric

It's Opening Day for Major League Baseball and I couldn't care less.

It didn't use to be this way. As a kid, I counted down to this day and couldn't wait to see the Red Sox for the first time.

But something has changed over time. For me, the excitement is gone. We've all seen the same highlights just with different players. And more than anything, the games have gotten longer our attention spans have gotten shorter. The game is getting older and so are the fans.

The statistics back it up. According to Nielsen ratings, 50 percent of baseball viewers are 55 or older, up from 41 percent 10 years ago.

For the first time, the ESPN Sports Poll’s annual survey of young Americans’ 30 favorite sports figures finds no baseball players on the list.

Finally, Little League participation is down 20% from its all time peak in 2000.

Young people are running away from baseball at record numbers. If that doesn't scare Major League Baseball, I don't know what else does.

But there's hope. Baseball can change. New fans can be created. I've seen it happen. At the college summer baseball level, we've sold out 32 straight games by focusing 100% on the fans and the entertainment. Major League Baseball can do the same. If and only if they stop focusing on traditions and focus on the perfect experience for fans.

1.) Bring the players to the fans. At our games, the players are greeting fans as they walk in the stadium and handing out programs, and signing autographs and taking pictures. During the game, the players deliver roses to little girls in the crowd. They dance in the crowd and take selfies in the grandstand. The players come to the fans, not the other way around. This may sound crazy to Major League baseball players but what else could you do to get the players closer to the fans.

2.) Let the players celebrate and encourage it. When I played, I was always told by coaches "Act like you've done it before." I see it differently now. We need more celebrations. Fans love seeing the real emotion of the players. Bat Flips, Fist Pumps, Dances, Chants - Bring it on and encourage it.

3.) Speed up the game. Three hours is too long. The minor changes that are being made are not making a difference. What would it take to make the games two hours long? Start there and go backwards. What would it look like if players never stepped out of the batters box? Could each between inning be less than 75 seconds? This action alone would save 15 minutes.

All it takes is looking at the game 100% from the fans perspective. It's why our company is named Fans First. We are not focused on tradition, we are focused on reinventing. This is what Major League baseball needs to do. Reinvent the fan experience.

It's time for baseball to change. As Bryce Harper proudly proclaimed "Make Baseball Fun Again." When this happens, Opening Day will become the Opening Day I remember as a kid.