MLB Players' Weekend won't include nicknames, but athletes will still get chance to show off their personality

Major League Baseball is staging its Players' Weekend Friday, Aug. 15 through Sunday, Aug. 17 this season. It's a bit of a different format this season.

Right off the top, let's point out a major difference that fans will notice. A fixture of Players' Weekends in the past have been the player jerseys with nicknames on the back instead of their last names (who can forget "Not Justin" being on Shane Bieber's jersey or "Corey's Brother" on Kyle Seager's?). These aren't happening this time around.

"Not this year," Noah Garden, MLB deputy commissioner, told CBS Sports. "We went back and forth on it and this isn't to say we won't do it in the future but we kind of, like, we did it and we kind of wanted to try something different. That's where the bats came out and things like that.

"I love the nicknames, players love the nicknames, maybe you'll see it in the future."

Instead, as Garden noted, players will be dressing up their gear. From the league:

Some anticipated tributes include bats and cleats that pay homage to home countries/hometowns, alma maters, nicknames, favorite characters, family members and foundations. MLB and its clubs plan supporting content to further tell the stories behind some of the on-field acknowledgments that fans will see.

One of the more exciting aspects of the weekend will be seeing what the players come up with on their bats and cleats. The players will also be wearing team hats with their own numbers on the side, which is a new wrinkle.

"That's the first time we've ever done that on the field, so that's going to be great, too, and allow people to celebrate in a different way," Garden said.

Each of the three days that make up Players' Weekend will have their own theme:

o Fun (Friday, Aug. 16): Fun aspects of players' personalities, friendships and off-field interests will be featured.

o Causes (Saturday, Aug. 17): Focus will be on charitable and community initiatives that are important to players.

o Appreciation (Sunday, Aug. 18): Players will celebrate the people who helped them on their path to the Major Leagues.

The biggest goal for MLB with this weekend is to highlight the individuality of the players to fans who don't necessarily get to see that side of their favorite athletes.

"You can go anywhere to find out how many strikeouts [Paul] Skenes had last night or how many home runs [Aaron] Judge has. What you can't do, especially for our players, who play everyday for six months, people want to know what happens behind the scenes. Like, what kind of car does Judge drive, what does [Bryce] Harper eat for breakfast?" said Garden.

"Giving a platform for these players to express themselves in a way that they just don't get to do on a daily basis is fun for the fans, we think it's really fun for the players -- the feedback has always been great -- and it allows them to express themselves in a way that fans get closer to their favorite player in a different way and make different connections than just the everyday stats. If we can continue this event, and bring a different version of it to broaden people's understanding of their favorite players, that's the goal."

MLB has also launched an ad campaign, with the help of "Atlanta" star Brian Tyree Henry, in the hopes of attracting more eyes.

Despite the league's efforts, including the " let the kids play " campaign, Major League Baseball still faces criticism for failing to market its players like other sports are able to do.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say I heard the narrative," Garden told CBS Sports. "I feel the same way you do that it's not really true, but sometimes perception is reality and this was not really about answering that question. To me, we've got a very interesting crop of young players -- the first players who grew up with social media. They grew up when this was ingrained in them, part of their growing up, versus the last generation of players who kind of learned it along the way, like I did.

"The ability to connect and their willingness to engage in those platforms, I think, is important to make a successful weekend like this."

Also of note here is the attempt to reach the youngest of fans. This weekend concludes with an ESPN broadcast of the Little League Classic, featuring the Yankees and Tigers squaring off in Williamsport, Penn., in front of Little League World Series combatants.

Major League Baseball notes that, among many other efforts, Players' Weekend helps promote the game to a younger audience. Some of the information shared:

• The median age of ticket purchasers has dropped six years since 2019 from 51 to 45.
• The percentage of ticket buyers ages 18-35 has increased by 9.8% in the last four years.
• The average age of newly created accounts in MLB's fan database has decreased by more than seven years since 2019 from 43.4 to 36.2.
• In a 2023 survey, 86% of people ages 18-24 and 25-34 said they are more likely to watch MLB games due to the rules changes.
• In addition, 87% of people ages 25-34 and 79% of 18-24 year-olds said they are more likely to attend MLB games due to the rule changes.
• Since 2015 and the introduction of the PLAY BALL program, overall participation in baseball has increased by 13%.
• Baseball is the No. 1 team sport among boys aged 6-12.
• Baseball and softball combine to be the most played team sport among kids aged 6-12.

Naysayers and cynics love to point out how much more popular the NFL is than Major League Baseball, especially with the football season right around the corner. This isn't a competition. The NFL is a monster that, at this point in time, cannot be slayed anyway, but while the seasons overlap, this isn't direct competition.

"I think it's co-existing," Garden said of MLB's goal when it comes to other sports. "From my perspective, the more people watching sports, the better fans you become. Very rarely are you just a fan of one sport, you're a fan of all sports.

"Sports in general has been a cornerstone of media right now... And so you want to see sporting events succeed -- all of them, not just ours -- and when they all succeed it lifts all the boats, as they say. We look at it as complementary."

The frequency of MLB games and the length of the season, especially compared to other sports, keeps fans invested, but it also means the players are busy almost all year. When they're practicing, other non-baseball athletes are co-hosting podcasts or other ventures that show a different side of them.

"We're the one sport where you can't lose sight of the fact that these guys are playing, at the level they're playing, every day for six months," Garden said.

"They don't have the down time that some other athletes do in their sport to be active on social media, to express themselves as much as probably they would like, so anytime we can give them an opportunity like that, it not only makes them happy but it brings fans closer to the game. To me, it's a win-win, so this weekend is all about the players and I'm excited to see all their different expressions on the field."

Another difference here is that Major League Baseball is a regional sport, even with the ease of MLB.TV. Where the NFL only plays once a week and gets a national audience for any national broadcast, many MLB fans will only watch their favorite team. This is where creating favorite players for the young fans ties into Players' Weekend.

"We're always looking at ways to become more national and recently we have, whether it's Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani or Mookie Betts or Paul Skenes ," Garden said. "You're seeing these players break through in a way that is much broader than in the past and so you want to capitalize on it for their teams, for themselves. Again, there's all these players that are more than just home runs and strikeouts and they have many things that they're passionate about, charities that they work with, and giving them a platform to be able to bring that to their fans of the world also broadens their appeal more nationally.

"It's bringing fans closer to these players and once you start broadening their appeal, it's not just about strikeouts and home runs, people just connect with different people and when you do, you want to see them winning, you want to see them succeed."

In looking to reach as many people as possible with national broadcasts, from linear television to streaming, MLB is featuring broadcasts day and night throughout Players' Weekend, including Skenes' Friday start. Here's the lineup:

• Blue Jays at Cubs , 2:20 p.m. ET Friday on Apple TV+
• Mariners at Pirates , 6:40 p.m. ET Friday on Apple TV+
• Yankees at Tigers, 1 p.m. ET Saturday on MLB Network
  
• Dodgers at Cardinals , 1 p.m. ET Saturday on Fox
• Guardians at Brewers , 7:15 p.m. ET Saturday on Fox
• Marlins at Mets , 12:05 p.m. ET Sunday on Roku
• Yankees vs. Tigers, 7:10 p.m. ET Sunday in Williamsport on ESPN

MLB's goal is to put as many personalities on display for as many different kinds of fans as possible this coming weekend. Maybe they'll even pull in some new fans and get them interested in time to see the furious playoff races down the stretch. The AL East, AL West, NL West and several wild-card spots look like they'll be hotly contested while the AL Central and maybe even NL East aren't done yet.