“Tanking” is hitting the Major Leagues like never before.
Entire seasons are being essentially thrown away in favor of trying to build up a potential future contender through high draft picks and the development of players. On one hand, this sounds like a beautiful strategy for the avid, yet patient baseball fan, who really wants to see their small-market team succeed in the years to come.
For the rest of America (and the world, for that matter), it is just another reason to turn off October baseball in favor of a fresh NFL season.
Bottomline? The peak of MLB tanking could not have come at a worse time for the sport of baseball.
It’s no secret that the popularity of Major League Baseball in the United States has been capsizing in recent years. The World Series television ratings are dwindling lower and lower with each passing MLB season.
Ladies and gentlemen, let’s theorize for a moment!
Theory 1: The World Series ratings themselves have tanked ever since FOX took over the broadcasting privileges for the past 15 consecutive years. Joe Buck is at the helm. Coincidence?
Love our content? Check out the GoingFor2 Live Podcast Network!
(Not to worry, there will be plenty of criticisms of Joe Buck and FOX broadcasting to come in future columns. For now, let’s just throw it out there as a possibility for dwindling ratings)
Theory 2: A rise in NFL and NBA popularity, not only in the media, but across the globe. Does this mean that the MLB was destined for a free-fall? Perhaps…
Theory 3: Excess amounts of baseball? 162 regular season games, three hours of play per day could potentially be hard on any casual watcher. As is currently being tested, speeding up the game (and the season) could prove valuable.
And then we come to an emerging, yet powerful theory:
Tanking in baseball. Not games; entire seasons going to the toilet. Here’s a major problem: It’s a brilliant strategy! The way the rules are organized, there is no reason for teams to stop playing their young prospects and essentially forfeiting any chance at a World Series 2016 title. MLB organizations are not out to make baseball more popular, nor do they care if you choose not to tune in on a Tuesday afternoon. Their job is to win baseball games. This is how it’s done.
So how does that damage the overall popularity of baseball?
“Purposefully” losing is going to thin out division races to the point that it is overwhelmingly predictable to choose a victor. Let’s face it; no one expects the Philadelphia Phillies to be relevant any time soon. The worst part? This isn’t the NFL. Don’t expect any significantly quick franchise turnarounds or even the occasional Sunday upset.
Not to mention you’ll be watching young, inexperienced players every day, not just on afternoon games after the starters need to rest from a long extra-innings night.
Don’t get me wrong, folks. Getting to watch the potential future stars of your team? I personally find that to be thrilling! But I’m not most people. I’m not the audience that the MLB needs to lure in, and odds are good that you, the reader, aren’t either. These casual fans want to see the seasoned veterans, the current stars of the show. “Give me Miguel Cabrera or Albert Pujols, not none of this high school stuff! If I wanted to see minor league players day in, day out, I’d move out of New York and go to Winston-Salem, North Carolina!”
Winston-who? Is that some 19-year-old left fielder for the Rockies?
If the baseball is to truly make a comeback in terms of popularity in this country, these lenient rules surrounding tanking games need to change.
Oh, and Joe Buck’s gotta go, too. Seriously.
[wysija_form id=”1″]
ATTN Dynasty Commissioners: Do you want to do something cool for your league? How about a 1-hour live show dedicated to YOUR league? Team-by-team breakdowns, rankings, and more. For details and to book a show, visit: GoingFor2.com/plp.
The GoingFor2 Live Podcast
