Climate change is also disrupting the world of sports! You would never think that the air temperature could affect the outcome of a baseball game, would you? Yet, as Focus reports, a study published in the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society has shown that climate change is having a significant effect on the game of baseball in the United States.
The link between sport and climatic effect: the case of baseball
By analyzing more than 100,000 major league baseball games played between 1962 and 2019 and more than 220,000 individual hits from 2015 to 2019, the researchers found that the home run percentage has been steadily increasing. And do you know what is the main factor responsible for this trend? The air temperature during the game!
It’s amazing to think that the air temperature on the field can affect the power of players to hit home runs. But it just seems to be so! The other factors that might have an effect appear to have only a marginal influence.
It is not the first time that this topic has been discussed. In 2012, television baseball commentator Tim McCarver was mocked when he suggested that the thinner air contributed to the home runs in the game he was commenting on. But now, thanks to this study, he is being proven right!
Countermeasures to balance the air temperature
Baseball teams are realizing this problem and are starting to take steps to address it. Some are installing special covers in stadiums to keep the air temperature constant on the pitch. It’s an innovative solution that could completely change the way baseball is played and could even disrupt teams’ tactics.
Ultimately, climate change is challenging every aspect of our lives, even the sport we love so much. We have to pay attention to it and adapt to these changes. Baseball games may never be the same again, and athletes will have to learn to play under different conditions.
2023-07-18 13:04:53
#Sport #climate #change #sensational #effects #game #baseball
