Alex Rodriguez Says MLB Needs to Follow NFL, NBA Models to Grow Popularity

As Alex Rodriguez continues to work on a bid to purchase the New York Mets with fiancee Jennifer Lopez, the former New York Yankees star gave his potential fellow team owners a glimpse of his mindset when it comes to growing the game. 

During an appearance on ESPN's First Take on Friday, Rodriguez was asked about how baseball could solve its marketability problems and attract a larger swath of fans from younger generations.    

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"You're going to do it by mic'ing players, access," Rodriguez said. "The Kardashians have taught us more is more, less is not more, not in 2020, not in the future. You have to open up the floodgates and clone what the NBA and the NFL has done so well. Major League Baseball this year has an opportunity to start doing that." 

Rodriguez also preached harmony between owners and players—something that has seemed more and more elusive following this summer's breakdown of return-to-play negotiations. MLB's collective bargaining agreement is set to expire after the 2021 campaign. 

"Seven hundred and fifty players have to work with the 30 owners, and you have to think about how do we take this industry from $10 billion to $15 [billion] to $20 [billion]," Rodriguez said. "The only way you do that is by working together, getting along and saying, 'How do we make it better?'"

The longtime shortstop and third baseman pointed out that baseball is at a much larger disadvantage now than when it last faced a popularity crisis following the 1994 players strike. 

In 2020, there are more entertainment options than ever. From Netflix, to social media platforms to podcasts and online gaming, MLB is no longer only fighting the NBA, NFL and NHL in terms of eyeballs. 

Rodriguez also praised the NBA's and NFL's global outreach programs. 

Whether he'll get a chance to enact these types of changes as one of the league's 30 owners remains to be seen.