Loud and clear
Am I the only one baffled by the fact that the 2002 World Series television ratings were down this year compared to seasons past?
In the past 11 years the ratings for the series has dropped by 50 percent. That is a very significant and alarming decrease.
The World Series averaged only one-third the rating of the most recent Super Bowl and was less than this year’s NCAA basketball championship game between Maryland and Indiana. The series was also less watched than Miami’s national football championship-winning Rose Bowl victory over Nebraska. I am not saying that the aforementioned events were not as exciting as the World Series, but I am surprised that they beat out America’s pastime.
On a positive note the ratings were higher than this year’s Daytona 500, the NBA finals and the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. These events will likely catch up to Major League Baseball in years to come, as they all have a very loyal fan base, especially Nascar.
The obsession with money is something that is slowly killing Major League Baseball. The fact that it can cost up around $110 to take your family to the ballpark is ridiculous to many. Players that whine about making eight million dollars a year doesn’t help much either. To the average man who won’t make close to that in a lifetime, it’s a major turnoff. Fans would love to make it out to the ballpark more often and support the team, but the truth is that most die-hards just can’t foot the bill.
Baseball needs to focus on the fans and start realizing that it’s the fans who are paying the teams multi-million dollar tabs, not some imaginary money fairy.
There has been a lot of controversy in years past, including this one, with strikes, and salary arguments. Many fans see Major League Baseball as more of a business nowadays than the game it once was. Owners are much more concerned with turning a profit than making the game enjoyable and realistic for the common fan.
Baseball is too important of an American tradition to be lost to insignificant money matters. Although there is little chance that the players salaries will decrease, players and owners need to think more about the fans that come out to see them, and continue to watch them on TV.
Could these financial scuffles and strikes eventually bring an end to America’s favorite pastime? If Major League Baseball isn’t careful it just might.
Posted by Colonnade Archives
on Oct 30 2002. Filed under Opinion.
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