Website design By BotEap.comLast year’s National League MVP Bryce Harper ruffled a few feathers this week when he said ESPN the magazine that baseball needs style to appeal to young people. The Washington outfielder defended actions like swinging the bat and raising a fist, emotional reactions that have traditionally been seen as arrogant and contrary to baseball’s unwritten rules of etiquette.

Website design By BotEap.comMany retired baseball veterans have taken issue with Harper’s comments, arguing that professionals in their sport should behave with more chivalry and maintain a competitive spirit without being arrogant. However, several current players, the most famous of whom is Toronto slugger José Bautista, have defended Harper’s comments. They agree that baseball needs more excitement, such as is often seen in the National Football League or the National Basketball Association.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile the occasional bat toss or fist bump adds a necessary display of excitement to the game, baseball is in no danger of losing its appeal in American society. On the contrary, several factors about the country’s pastime almost guarantee that its popularity will outlast soccer or basketball.

Website design By BotEap.comFirst of all, baseball is an ideal sport for techies. As technology continues to dominate our daily lives, the population of baseball fans will grow. The pace of the game is easy to follow on an electronic device and at the same time attend to other tasks. Soccer is almost impossible to enjoy from a device, and basketball is almost impossible to follow electronically.

Website design By BotEap.comThe fastest growing minority in the country is the Latin American population, a group that is already well represented in baseball. Currently, thirty percent of all Major League Baseball rosters are made up of Latin American players, almost guaranteeing that the sport will grow at a rate equal to that of the Latino population.

Website design By BotEap.comAnother important minority that finds baseball the most attractive sport is the female population. Women accounted for 47% of the attendance at minor league baseball games in 2013, according to the Sport Business Research Network. At major league games, women made up more than forty percent of the fans, ten percentage points more than football or basketball.

Website design By BotEap.comThose three factors indicate that baseball will endure as America’s pastime whether or not Bryce Harper and his teammates manage to add more flair to the game. The female and Latin American populations will strengthen the appeal of baseball, as will the statistical data that lends itself to our tech-obsessed society.