The Bottom Line. Demographics do not determine the fate of economic growth, but they are certainly a key determinant for an economy's growth potential. An aging population coupled with a declining birth rate in the developed world points to a decline in future economic growth. Increases in productivity can lessen the impact of such population shifts, and technological advances are the ideal source of productivity boosts.
Mo Cheeks was a big star in the 1980's. Well, he was actually little by NBA standards, but he was big defensively for various winning teams, most notably the 1983 champs from Philly. Cheeks always stole the ball at the right time and he actually averaged 2.1 steals per game for his career!
Since then, the stolen base has experienced a slow decline. The low point came in the mid-2000s, when the team stolen-base average was a mere 86 for three years running. The numbers have picked up since, but just barely. The MLB average was 117 in 2011, and 108 in 2012. Baseball just isn't a sprinter's sport anymore.