Baseball has long been known for its unwritten rules and authentic traditions that shaped the original game. Nonetheless, a new generation of players entering the MLB are bringing a massive culture shift into the sport. In a league where breaking archival routine was once met with consequences, many players are now being glorified for shifting the long-set customs.
In the past, baseball players have been largely penalized for efforts to fragment the unwritten rules of the game. Although the tacit rule book is simply not a physical object, its constraints on baseball’s culture can be observed throughout the game’s history. From Rougned Odor’s clobbering of Jose Bautista, to Nolan Ryan using Robin Ventura as a punching bag, players’ fragility over customary regulation has been well documented.
Extensive baseball history would likely show you that showing up a pitcher, stealing when up big in a game, and slowly jogging around the base paths would get you plunked in the head by a 97 mph fastball. However, with a new adolescence in the league, baseball’s foundation is shifting. A fresh generation of revolutionary players are entering the sport’s highest level.
Newfound stimulating energy can be felt from young stars such as Ronald Acuna Jr and Elly De La Cruz. With their ability to play the game at a high level while maintaining a sense of cultural influence, fans are enticed. Not only is the league’s youth talent showing to be extremely skilled and impactful on the field, but they’re also pillaging through the sport’s rulebook.
In a game-changing instance that occurred during the 2020 MLB season, Fernando Tatis Jr. smacked a grand slam on a 3-0 count, enraging the opposing manager. After Tatis was forced to apologize for his “mishap”, this event caused many sports fans to begin questioning baseball’s fragile unwritten rules, a turning point in the game’s culture. From then on, bat flips and trash talk that was once looked down upon, are now setting up to be a staple of the game thanks to revolting fans and outspoken players that stood up for Tatis in 2020.
Moreover, the MLB’s youth is bringing change to the game’s fashion as well. In a league previously companioned by players in casual wear and oversized suits, new players are trying to make baseball prominent within the fashion world. With the help of players like Fernando Tatis, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Julio Rodriguez, a sense of fashion is beginning to materialize. The emergence of jewelry, accessories, and modern attire, are beginning to renovate a once unfashionable sport.
Baseball’s culture has long been known for its solidified traditions and verbal rules that shaped the original game. Nevertheless, the MLB’s youth is shifting the sports culture in massive waves. From fashion, to skills, and even down to celebrations, the young stars of the game are normalizing a modern culture in baseball. In a sport where they would once reap the consequences of emotional actions, players are now stepping outside of the box to shape baseball’s future for the better.
