ANGEL STADIUM in Anaheim (Flickr/Ray LAC).

As I wrote in Saturday’s column, the world of sports is undergoing a sea change. Among the developments are:
• Women are becoming sports officials at the major league level and rising in management, as well. Quite overdue.
• Women may be able to penetrate the ranks of the male leagues. Can we say with a straight face that there’s not one woman in all of the U.S. who couldn’t play a bit better than the sub-200 hitters who ride the bench on many teams (including especially the Angels)?
• The days when all the major sports events were televised on the major networks – ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox – is starting to fade. Streaming services are spinning off from the networks and we may see a day when you have to pay extra to see the Super Bowl, World Series, etc.
• The useful life of big league stadiums is shortening dramatically. Stadia built in the 90s are being leveled for new, more spectacular structures. Angel Stadium is the fourth-oldest park in MLB, younger only than Fenway Park (Boston), Wrigley Field (Chicago) and Dodger Stadium. Built in 1966, the Big A is showing its age and will likely not survive into the next decade.
• Flag football is hot now; the NFL is behind it and pushing hard. We may eventually see a pro FFL.
But anxious parents wanting to have their kid(s) play flag instead of tackle will soon discover that there’s a heck of a lot of contact in this supposedly non-contact sport.
• Electronic assists to officiating are certain to expand. Baseball managers – for example – will be allowed to challenge a certain number of calls as they can in pro football.