As the 2025 MLB All-Star Game kicks off Tuesday night, Major League Baseball has more to celebrate than just its brightest stars. For the first time in years, the game feels alive again. Stadiums are fuller. Viewership is climbing. Revenue is hitting all-time highs. After decades of worrying about baseball becoming a niche sport in a fast-paced digital world, MLB is suddenly relevant—and even cool—again.
But with growth comes new challenges, and baseball’s newfound momentum could be tested sooner than fans might expect.
Why the Game Is Booming Again
1. New Rules, New Rhythm
Baseball’s resurgence hasn’t happened by accident. It’s the product of deliberate rule changes designed to modernize the game’s pace and inject more action into every inning. The introduction of the pitch clock, banning the defensive shift, and larger bases has trimmed dead time and created a more dynamic viewing experience. Games are shorter, more entertaining, and no longer feel like a slog.
Fans and players alike are buying in. Next on the agenda? The Automated Ball-Strike challenge system, which will get a showcase during the All-Star Game. It's a potential game-changer—if MLB gets it right.
Three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw sees the potential but cautions that execution is key:
“I’m okay with it. I think it works. I just don’t understand how they’re doing the box, you know, for the hitters... Aaron Judge and Jose Altuve should have different-sized boxes.”
2. Star Power and Young Talent
Resurgences need faces—and MLB now has plenty of them.
Rising stars like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Paul Skenes, James Wood, and Ely De La Cruz are giving fans reasons to tune in nightly. Cal Raleigh—nicknamed “Big Dumper”—is fresh off a Home Run Derby win and will start at catcher for the American League on Tuesday. He and others are making baseball feel young and exciting again.
As Raleigh put it after his Derby victory:
“It means the world. I could have hit zero home runs, and I would have had just as much fun... It’s unbelievable.”
3. Major Markets, Major Buzz
It helps when the biggest cities are invested.
The Dodgers-Yankees World Series in 2024 gave the sport its most-watched October in years, and the success of teams like the Cubs, Mets, and Phillies has kept the momentum going. Now, Boston, Detroit, and Houston are eyeing deep playoff runs of their own.
This surge of competitiveness in large markets has reinvigorated local fan bases—and boosted national interest. As Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong put it:
“Cubbies fans seem to follow us wherever we go... You can feel the buzz.”
What Could Derail Baseball’s Comeback
Despite the current high, baseball’s long-term growth is far from guaranteed. Two looming issues threaten to knock the league off its upward trajectory:
1. Media Rights Uncertainty
MLB’s long-standing broadcast deal with ESPN is set to expire in October 2025, and a new media partner has yet to be secured. Without a solid national broadcast agreement, the league risks limiting exposure—especially among younger fans who expect accessibility.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has signaled interest in airing more national games rather than relying on regional broadcasts, but that shift raises a big question:
Will those games be on traditional networks or behind streaming paywalls?
The wrong move could shrink MLB’s visibility just as it’s starting to grow.
2. Labor Peace in Peril
Perhaps the biggest potential disruption lies in the upcoming collective bargaining negotiations.
The current deal with the players union expires in December 2026, and the elephant in the room is a long-standing debate over implementing a salary cap—something owners want, but players are resisting. Manfred has hinted at a need for “large-scale change,” while MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark warns against derailing progress:
“The game is in a great place... You’d think there’d be an opportunity about how to build instead of how to go backwards.”
The concern is real. A lockout or strike could quickly reverse all the goodwill MLB has earned since 2023. After years of decline, baseball finally has momentum—and both sides know what’s at stake.
A Moment Worth Savoring – But Handle with Care
As the brightest stars take the field at the All-Star Game, MLB finds itself in rare territory: both profitable and popular, with a pipeline of talent and engaged fans in the biggest cities. The league has done much to earn this moment, shedding some of its stubborn traditions in favor of a more modern, accessible game.
But sustaining success will require more than just tweaks on the field. The league must navigate its media future smartly and avoid the kind of labor disputes that have derailed growth in the past.
For now, though, fans can enjoy what feels like a renaissance for America’s pastime. Baseball is back.
