NYT Bestseller Jane Leavy on Reforming Major League Baseball

In this week’s episode of The Learning Curve, co-hosts U-Arkansas Prof. Albert Cheng and Pioneer Senior Fellow Charlie Chieppo interview award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jane Leavy. Ms. Leavy discusses her lifelong love of baseball, and her forthcoming book, Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It, which comes out in September. She reflects on the magic of the Cape Cod Baseball League, contrasting it with today’s Major League Baseball, and explores the commissioner’s role since the tenure of Bart Giamatti in the 1980s. Leavy examines how labor disputes, steroid scandals, and the rise of Big Data have reshaped the game, fueling declining popularity, unprecedented pitcher injuries, and frustration among fans and Hall of Famers alike. At the same time, she highlights ways in which analytics have boosted performance at cutting-edge training centers like Driveline in Washington State. She shares candid insights on MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred’s media ambitions, the sport’s future, and her vision for restoring baseball’s timeless beauty. In closing, Ms. Leavy reads a passage from her book, Make Me Commissioner: I Know What’s Wrong with Baseball and How to Fix It.