The weekend initiative by baseball is an acknowledgment of — and an attempt to address — the notion that the sport does not engage young fans in the way that other sports, particularly the N.B.A., do. In an interview with ESPN The Magazine last year, the Washington Nationals star Bryce Harper said: “Baseball’s tired. It’s a tired sport because you can’t express yourself.”

The World Baseball Classic in March drew raves for the flair and passion that many countries besides the United States displayed — be it an audacious bat flip by Wladimir Balentien of the Netherlands, the dyed blond hair of the Puerto Rican players or the raucous Dominican Republic fans (and reliever Fernando Rodney’s good-luck golden plantain).

Sabathia, who often wears an Oakland Raiders cap or jersey to the ballpark and organizes trips to N.B.A. games with his teammates, says he is keenly aware of the criticisms of his sport, particularly compared with how well the N.B.A., via social media and other platforms, has connected with young fans.

“This is the first step in getting there,” said Sabathia, who is among 11 major leaguers who served on an advisory committee for the coming weekend. Among the others are the Chicago Cubs’ Javier Baez, Baltimore’s Manny Machado, Toronto’s Jose Bautista and Cleveland’s Francisco Lindor.

“It shows a different side of the players,” Sabathia added. “It allows you to show your personality a little bit, show what you would do if you had no rules. I think it will be fun to see that and to see the imagination that some guys have.”

Todd Radom, a graphic designer who has designed the logos for the Los Angeles Angels and the Nationals, and a patch honoring the inaugural season of the new Yankee Stadium, says he sees this move as following a greater trend in sports.