Let’s talk about the World Series.
The World Series ended last week. Is it just me, or was the entire spectacle of this year’s World Series simply not as exciting as it was back in the day?
Now, it was certainly big for Texas and Georgia, but did it seem to lack the air of excitement that it did to YOU when you were younger? Maybe it was the teams -- the Braves and the tomahawk chop (a discussion we will save for another time) and the Astros only a few years removed from their cheating scandal and still viewed by many as unpunished cheaters. But in Texas, the ’Stros are kings, and in the South, the Braves are champions of the world with parades commencing as we speak.
Maybe it depends on where you live. Midwest fans tend to root for Midwest teams. East Coast fans tend to root for proximity to their homes – Yankees or Mets … or 'Sox in New England. West Cost fans seem to be in Dodgers or Giants camps. But those teams get there often. What about the teams that have never gotten there or who are in deep droughts? The Yankees haven’t won in 12 years and Pinstripe tears are genuine and run deep. But the 2021 Atlanta Braves won for first time since 1995 – good for them and their fan base for this year’s win. The Dodgers won last year for the first time since 1988 and the Washington Nats won in 2019 for their first time ever. That is good for the sport and exciting for their fans. This has been a good first 22 years of the century with 15 different winners and no back-back winner since the Yankees in 1998-2000.
Loyal fans deserve winners. The Cleveland Indians/Guardians haven’t won a World Series in 73 years. The Rangers, Brewers, Padres, Mariners and Rockies have NEVER won one. The Pirates, Orioles, Tigers, Mets, A’s, Reds and Twins have all gone 30 years or more without a world championship. Their fans need one … and it will sure be exciting for them when they get one.
The Yankees have won 27 of them, the Cardinals 11, the Red Sox 9, A’s 9, Giants 8 and Dodgers 7, but does the Series seem more exciting when THOSE teams are in it?
Maybe it is the players of yesterday who brought the excitement. This year Ronald Acuna was injured but we did have Freddie Freeman, Marcell Ozuna, Austin Riley, Dansby Swanson, Jose Altuve and Carlos Correa. Do we need Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Bob Gibson, Sandy Koufax, Reggie Jackson, David Ortiz, or the Golden Age players to kindle the excitement in the game?
Maybe the excitement comes from being a kid loving the game. Maybe in the old days there were only three national channels on TV and many listened to the games on radio and there wasn’t as much competition for our attention. Games were played during the day and some kids took off school or the schools had a TV set up in the gym for kids to watch the games. Now, there are more choices for entertainment and games last until midnight on the East Coast. Maybe baseball used to be an innocent sport for innocent minds and now there are cheating scandals, sticky stuff and pine tar and steroids and PEDs and analytics and shifts. Maybe it is uninspiring announcers. Actually, national viewership was UP this year, but still way down from the 36 million who watched the 1975 Reds-Red Sox series with 51.5 million watching game seven. This year, average viewership was 11.2 million per game.
Do fans in the stands and those sitting in front of their sets indicate excitement? Your call. To many of us the game just doesn’t have the excitement of World Series past … is our taste changing? Is our excitement factor higher? Do we need more of an adrenaline rush than we get from baseball? Again, your call. I love baseball and I always will, though I would rather play it than watch it. For me, this year was just not as exciting as the World Series from my youth. For me, if MY team gets in next year, I may be as excited as ever. What about you? Let me know how you feel about it. Contact me at mike.blake@advantageinformatics.com and let me know how YOU feel about baseball and the World Series … or any other topic.
See you next time.
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