People immediately associate America with apple pie, freedom, and, of course, baseball. This favorite pastime experienced positive trends in popularity over the last few years, thus accounting for the higher salaries and the increasingly grandiose home runs. However, the big world of professional baseball is about to be put under a microscope that will rob it of some of the ball-park flavor.

Instant replay made its official debut at Tropicana field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in 2008. When it was first introduced, it was used exclusively for home run calls. Commissioner of baseball Bud Selig stated: “I believe that the extraordinary technology that we now have merits the use of instant replay on a very limited basis”.  Personally, I wholeheartedly agree with Selig. Baseball dates back to the mid-1800’s and has been fondly referred to as America’s pastime ever since. Human error has been a big part of the game from the start and has become a defining factor.  Back when replay wasn’t an option, it never crippled the game. Also, the factor of human error adds variety and excitement to the game of baseball.

Instant replay is a very common feature in various sports leagues. Football, racing, hockey, basketball, and MMA all use instant replay to its full extent–so why not baseball?  Many critics argue that it would change baseball forever. Baseball is played by people, not machines. Shouldn’t humans officiate other humans? Adding replay would take the human aspect away from the game. Replacing peoples’ jobs with machines is an ongoing issue that the world, especially the U.S, will face for a very long time. A workplace managed by machines and technology rather than actual people tends to be less friendly and benevolent. Umpires work hard to become great at their jobs and should not be replaced by a camera.  Bud Selig should make the right decision to leave baseball’s roots unscathed and instant replay free.

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “If its not broken, don’t fix it.”  Baseball isn’t called America’s Favorite Pastime for nothing.  It has been loved by loyal fans for over 100 years.  The lack of instant replay did not hinder the game back in the 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s because in those early years, computers were considered new technology and instant replay never would have crossed anyone’s mind.  And guess what? People still loved the game back then. Think of how close players have come to breaking records and milestones.  In 1977, Rod Carew fell just short of hitting the infamous .400 batting average, batting .388.  Had a few more calls that were corrected by instant replay gone his way, Carew would have gone down in baseball history as a legend.  But doesn’t that seem unfair to the players who came before him who wouldn’t have the benefit of instant replay.  Strangely, instant replay could harm the game as much as steroids have in the past years by altering the history book of baseball.

If you have ever seen a manager storm out of the dugout and argue with the umpire until he is ejected, you know it is a lot of fun to watch.  With instant replay, the manager can only stroll out of the dugout and politely request that they look at the play again. Where is the excitement in that? Additionally, many critics of baseball claim the sport is “too slow-paced”.  Although instant replay can help get the call right, it could take anywhere up to ten minutes.  This drags out the game even more and disrupts the players’ concentration.

In theory instant replay in baseball sounds beneficial, but there are a plethora of blatant issues. Baseball is an old-fashioned game in a modern society, and this unique, historical quality is what makes baseball special.  Baseball is not  appreciated by millions of people because it is futuristic, but because baseball stayed true to itself and its past traditions.