Games have been 9 innings for a long time, but our society has been evolving toward a 'McDonalds mentality' for a long time, so perhaps 9 innings is now too long for kids.
Older guys can think back on why they loved baseball as a kid, and then identify what is now missing or different: focus on steroids, corporate ticket prices, fewer heroes and more criminals among players. When I was a kid there was the feeling that anyone could be a baseball player, regardless of size, wealth or anything else. Now I don't sense that with kids.
Not sure how video games and other modern distractions play into this - when I was a kid we loved playing board games, but we also loved baseball. I also think baseball cards had a heavy influence - building sets, getting your Mantle or Mays, reading those stats and building teams out of your cards. Now they are just collectibles, and parents (like us) are into it.
I also remember running home from school every afternoon to catch the afternoon world series games between the Tigers and Cardinals in 1968. Now the games are all at 8pm+ Eastern, so a lot of kids can't even stay up to watch them. Every aspect of baseball is now geared toward making money for rich people, so there are fewer ways for a kid to identify with it on a personal level, other than when they are out in the sandlot actually playing.
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