I stopped watching regularly about 20 years ago, when the games started closing in on three hours on average. That was about the time they lengthened the between-inning breaks and started running commercials during every pitching change.
I also pretty much stopped going to games. I used to go to maybe 5-10 per year. It's been ten years since I've gone at all.
For me, it is absolutely the television experience. If I don't watch regularly, I don't have the bug to see the games in person. Then I stop following the standings. Which means I pretty much only pay attention if my team makes the World Series. Even the playoffs are longer than they were when I was a kid and fell in love with the game.
So, there are two problems. One is the length of the game. But, really, why is 2:30 acceptable and 3:00 not acceptable? It's the television experience as well.
This is what I'd do if I were baseball czar:
1. Change the commercials. Commercials haven't changed much from the big transition in the '50s when they were finally able to film them elsewhere and splice them into the broadcast. But viewing has changed considerably. We're no longer a captive audience. We have internet and devices and, for those of us who still watch television (my viewing is less than half of what it was in the past) there are hundreds of channels. Yet commercials remain repetitive and in long blocks.
Viewership continues to decline, and what do they do? They add commercials (I don't think baseball has in the last ten years, but they haven't reduced them) and make commercials even more annoying. They're louder than regular television (the new law on that remains completely unenforced) and now they're starting to add tricks to draw your eye - like shaking the camera.
It's actually quite an unpleasant experience to wait through a commercial break. I've stopped "live" watching all television except for sports. My 400 channels exist solely to channel-flick during commercial breaks during games.
So I'd reduce the number of commercials (yeah, they won't, but they need to). I think many of us DVR everything but sports. Fewer commercials still works for soccer. I'd charge an arm and a leg for this commercial time. What's Coca Cola going to do? Max out on the 50th new ripoff of Naked and Afraid? Signage at the ballpark should make up a higher percentage of ad revenue.
I'd also enforce a code of conduct for advertisers. Basically, don't annoy me. Don't force me to change the channel.
2. Yes, I would enforce the no leaving the batter's box rule and the pitching clock. I know they tried it in the minors and it didn't go over well. It will take a long time to phase in.
3. In the 1990s, some sports producer at Fox came up with a new idea - one that forever screwed up televised baseball. Rather than long shots that seemed repetitive and boring, he added cameras and decided that between each pitch, the cameras should go in for closeups on faces. People in the crowd. Managers. The pitcher looking for the sign. He'd "tell a story" by following someone at the game.
It was new and different and everybody copied it. It also coincided with longer delays between pitches. And it was really annoying. I don't want to watch Ron Washington's open-mouth gum-chewing between every pitch. Every single pitch. Chomp chomp chomp chomp chomp. Players spit a lot. In close-up, this is rather disgusting. In long shot, doesn't matter. No more extended fan shots. All they do is stuff their faces or play with their cell phones anyway.
I'd bring back the long shot between pitches. Save the close-ups for when something interesting happens.
4. No mound visits. Take the uniforms off of the coaches and managers. Signal your pitching changes from the top step of the dugout.
5. No leaving the dugout except to take your position. Anyone who interrupts the game to argue is automatically ejected. Expand the challenge system, but managers have to signal that challenge immediately. Use a national service, as the NFL is doing this year.
6. Since everyone has these smart devices these days, engage them more. Game-long contests where you guess what the next pitch will be. Guess the score. Guess the winner of the sausage race. This will require a team of tech people at every game to run these contests. Open to both people at the game and at home. This will give you some material for your long-shots now that the manager is no longer chomping gum in extreme close-up between every pitch.