As a religious follower of baseball, there was one man who I never wanted to see making headlines — MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. My issue with Manfred was how it seemed like every year, he wanted to change something about the game I loved.
Since becoming commissioner in 2015, Manfred has implemented a handful of rule changes, added a lottery system to the draft, expanded from 10 to 12 playoff teams and changed the Wild Card game to a three-game Wild Card series, according to Baseball Almanac.
During the first few years of Manfred’s tenure, I was annoyed with the constant rule changes as all I wanted to do was “keep baseball the way it is.”
The truth is, though, baseball and the MLB have underwent many changes throughout their long history to get to the league to the point it was at when I first started following the sport. The brand of baseball I would watch on a nightly basis was different from what previous generations had watched.
And 30 years from now, the baseball I’m watching will be different from what I’m watching now.
Change in sports is constant.
On the professional level, star players wear different uniforms throughout their career, teams move locations, new rules are implemented and dynasties rise and fall.
On the collegiate level, recent years have seen changes such as the creation of the transfer portal in 2018, athletes being able to earn money off their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and many schools realigning to different conferences, according to the NCAA.
Even Pepperdine Athletics is entering a new era with a new Athletic Director, new Head Coach for Men and Women’s Basketball, Baseball and the construction of a new sports arena, as a part of the Mountain at Mullin Park.
It is this new and emerging era of Pepperdine Athletics that inspired this special edition of the Graphic, as we highlight some of the recent developments in Pepperdine Athletics along with other recent changes seen in professional and collegiate sports.
Change can be scary, but it’s necessary and not going away, so rather than trying to prevent it — we should embrace it. Not all changes will work, but without at least attempting to do things differently, our favorite sports will never evolve.
After all, if everyone had the mindset of “keeping baseball the way it is”, then there would only be 16 teams in the MLB and there wouldn’t be a World Series, just as it was in 1901.
Without at least attempting change, we run the risk of letting the sports and leagues we’re passionate about grow stagnant. As you flip through this magazine and read the stories, my hope is you’ll understand the sports landscape is ever changing, and it is a privilege to be able to know the history of sports, appreciate them in the moment and be a part of their evolution.
Sincerely and Go Red Sox,
– Tony
__________________
Follow the Graphic on Twitter @PeppGraphic
Contact Tony Gleason on Twitter (@tony__gleason) or via email: anthony.gleason@pepperdine.edu
