If you grew up playing baseball, you probably have a love for the game
If you live in Boston or New York, you probably have a love for the game
If you are old enough to remember the golden age, you probably have a love for the game
Everyone else is probably a casual fan. Ya, I'll support my home team, but that's just because nothing else is on in the spring. It's too early for football, and soccer is really the only other sport being played at the moment. If MLB isn't careful, they will find themselves the fourth most popular league in the nation. So what's wrong with the system? Let's take a look-
1) Payroll...If you aren't the Yankees or the Red Sox, you are already at a huge disadvantage. No team from the AL West or Central will get the wild card. The fact that Tampa got it this year is an oddity, not a norm. However, the majority of the US population does not live in Boston or NY. Yes a fair number of people do, but there are other markets too. As of now, its' whoever can afford the payroll. If there was a salary cap, smaller venues could actually compete. I find myself rooting for the Brewers this season...why? Because they don't have the payroll of the Yankees or Rangers or Phillies, but are still finding a way to be successful. Introducing a salary cap would allow other AL markets to get excited about baseball and that their team might one day make the playoffs.
2) expand the playoffs...MLB has 30 teams in the league right now. Only 8 teams are in the playoffs. The NFL has a 32 team league and 12 teams in the playoffs. NBA or NHL? Try 16 teams of the 30. I think 16 is excessive. No way should a team that finished in the bottom half of the league be playing for a title. But 12 is a pretty good number. It's enough teams to have increased interest, but not too many teams to make the regular season lose relevance. Speaking of that regular season...
3) Shorten it...This is probably the biggest flaw of MLB. The season should not be 162 games + postseason. There is no way any fan can catch every single game. If you are in a struggling market like Seattle, the season just becomes torture after a while. Supporting the 0-16 Lions is easier because despite the ineptitude, it is only 16 games. Even a casual fan can watch their team 16 times and pray for a miracle. But when you start being 20 games down, there is no hope. No light at the end of the tunnel. And for some teams, they are in this hole with 60 games left to play. They may get on a streak, but the probability the cards land correctly to make the comeback? Highly unlikely. I could actually follow the Astros if the season was only 80 games. By the time my team has proved their ineptitude, there's only about 20-40 games left. I don't have to recognize that we aren't even halfway to the end of the season. Besides, who has time to follow their team every single night for 3 months? Not very many people. For those of us who want to become supporters of our team, please help us out by shortening the season.
In addition...the postseason started just this last week. The ALDS and NLDS had game 1 Friday/Saturday nights. It is currently October. With no offense to baseball, I am more inclined to watch #7 Wisconsin taking on #8 Nebraska than I am to watch the Yankees play the Tigers. Why? Because football is the dominant sport in the country. In August, NFL preseason starts. I would probably watch championship caliber baseball instead of NFL preseason. I may even watch it in the beginning of September when the only college football games on are Florida vs Florida Atlantic University. But when the marquee matchups start happening, you can bet baseball is taking a backseat. I know I am not the only one who feels that way. Perhaps if baseball played their playoff games on non-football nights, it might get better followings. But with Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday all having games, that only leaves a few nights available. If you finish up the World Series in September, I won't have to choose between McNeese St.-Michigan or Phillies-Yankees. It's better for the MLB, and it's better for the casual fan. Because let's face it, if you can't appeal to a casual sports fan, your league will continue to decline. There are only so many die-hards, and MLB already makes it difficult to be a true die-hard. So help me follow baseball more. Me and the rest of the nation. Because what's happening now just isn't working.
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