The best way to understand Mike Trout, the outfielder for baseball’s Los Angeles Angels, who on Tuesday reportedly agreed to the richest contract in North American sports, is as the perfect reflection of his sport. Little known to many Americans, including some sports fans, Trout, 27, is the best player in a game that has frequently been mocked as a fading form of entertainment with primarily regional audiences. Baseball is often dismissed as far less enticing than the N.F.L., which is believed to bring in more than $14 billion annually even with its health and safety issues. Baseball is also is called less dynamic than the N.B.A., which had about $2 billion less in revenue than M.L.B. So when Trout’s 12-year, $430 million contract was revealed, it prompted an obvious question: How could a sport that is struggling to attract a new generation of fans, and that is facing a potentially bruising labor fight with its players in two years, afford yet another nine-figure contract?

Source: New York Times March 21, 2019 00:56 UTC