Major League Baseball - The National Pastime

The Major League Baseball Season is opening http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/03/mlb-opening-night-dodgers-padres-opening-day/.  The first opening games were the ones that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks played in Sydney, Australia.  I get it that MLB is trying to expand the appeal of Major League Baseball. They have done other opening games outside of the United States, such as in Mexico, (which makes a lot of sense to me) and Japan, which (as with the games in Australia) really screws up opening day because of the time differences.

Maybe we should just face it that Major League Baseball has reached its saturation point in the United States. 

I think MLB revived itself after 9/11, and really (hopefully sincerely) capitalized on its standing as "the national pastime" by all of the patriotic and commemorative activities it has done, including the singing of God Bless America during the 7th inning stretch during weekend games, special games, and I believe, all New York Yankee games.

Also, the Boston Red Sox tribute http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/21/us/massachusetts-fcc-ortiz/ after the Boston Marathon bombing last year was another act of solidarity with the nation.

Tonight I am watching the game between the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles Dodgers http://sandiego.padres.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20140330&content_id=70465642&notebook_id=70465648&vkey=notebook_sd&c_id=sd.  The Padres are wearing camouflage shirts with the American Flag patch sewn on the sleeve, and JC on the sleeve as a tribute to their now deceased but long time announcer, Jerry Coleman.  Jerry Coleman was a World War II veteran, and a Korean War veteran, and his rank was colonel, so the military aspect of the commemoration is an acknowledgement of his service to this country. This is fitting. 

I hope all the commemorative activities of Major League Baseball is sincere. It is good marketing, and I understand that. But I hope it is sincere.

Major League Baseball has a commemorative history: the National Baseball Hall of Fame, retiring numbers, honoring special players while they are still alive, Old Timer's Games, player days, All Star activities.  How much of this is sincere and how much of this is good marketing.

Yes, Major League  Baseball has some shrewd marketers.  I think an activity like the Boston Red Sox tribute after the Boston Marathon was as much sincerity as marketing.  But on a national level, I am skeptical.

Sorry.l  Iove baseball, but I am not naive.