As “America’s favorite pastime”, baseball has always been considered one of the most fun and interesting sports around. Whether you’re watching it, playing a baseball video game, playing real baseball, or participating in a fantasy baseball league, the fast-moving world of hardball is guaranteed to be a reliable source of entertainment for anyone who is a fan of the sport.
However, to take this even further, here are five ways any baseball enthusiast can have more fun with the national pastime:
1. Join a Fantasy Baseball League
Fantasy baseball leagues let you build and manage your team as you square off against other fantasy teams throughout a virtual season. Perhaps the most popular baseball simulation game would be Diamond Mind Online from Imagine Sports.
The game lets you assemble a team using a pool of 5,000 professional players from throughout the history of the sport. Fantasy baseball is not only a great way to keep the action alive when the season is over, but it can also help you become much more knowledgeable about the game overall.
2. Learn the History of the Sport
Baseball history documentaries and television series can be a lot of fun to watch, and they can make you an expert on the origins of the sport and how it has progressed over time. This is also a fun hobby to combine with fantasy baseball because you’ll become familiar with all the big names that are worthy of being drafted onto your team.
3. Pick a Team to Root for Throughout the Season
Any sport can be a lot more fun to watch if you’re passionate about cheering for a specific team throughout the season. Most people simply root for their home team, but if your city’s team isn’t that great, there’s no harm in choosing one or more other teams to follow.
After all, only the most loyal, long-term fans want to stick around and watch their team lose game after game.
4. Watch Highlight Roundups
Unless you’re watching every minute of every match, it’s impossible to catch all the action. You can stay in the loop and make sure you get to see all the best plays by watching a daily or weekly highlight recap on a major sports network like ESPN. Luckily, these shows are often repeated several times a day, and if you miss them, there’s always the option of scheduling a recording with your DVR.
5. Get a Television League Pass or Season Tickets
Keeping up with your favorite teams and players isn’t easy when you only get to see the games that are broadcasted on the major networks. Consider the advantages of subscribing to an MLB League Pass and purchasing season tickets so that you’ll have the comfort of knowing that you won’t miss a minute of the season’s action.
6. Play Some Ball in Your Spare Time
Finally, how can you claim to be a fan of baseball if you never take a swing at it? Head out to the park on the weekend and play catch with the kids, join a local baseball league, or visit the batting cages for a slugging session and you’ll find that watching the sport becomes even more enjoyable when you’re frequently playing it.