Baseball is a different spectator sport. You don't have to pay attention to it 90% of the time. If you're looking for a game to pay attention to constantly, then yeah baseball's not ideal. But if you're looking for a game to put on in the background, or go to a ballpark and have a picnic, then baseball's the perfect sport. Also, regarding your last sentence, the new pitch clock rules in 2023 have helped a lot, bringing average game time from ~3 hours to ~2.5 hours, which seems like a small difference but has helped a surprising amount
I like to say that baseball goes perfectly with radio: it can be enjoyed as a low bitrate entertainment.
That said there’s actually a fair amount going on during any one play; who’s warming up in the pen? Where are fielders shifting to? What’s the lead off look like? television and radio both edit most of this out to focus on the pitcher or the hitter, which I think makes baseball less interesting to watch or listen to than to attend. Of course you might want to bring some extra entertainment to the park, just in case
My favorite thread here. In essence making the case for baseball in that you don’t have to pay attention and it’s even better when you can’t see it, only hear about it. But it’s all true. Having a game on the radio outside with a group of friends having a good time not really paying it too much mind and then everyone alert during a moment of built up tension and release is what summers are all about.
