Are you going to continue to watch the playoffs? (poll)

[Edskin]

Baseball is wrapped in its history, the other leagues in the now, that has a lot to do with casual baseball conversation. Because of its connection to history every generation will have an attachment to items ( like the BRM) more than the now

No one ever wants to discuss Art Monk with you I bet, not Xavier McDaniel, but a baseball fan will always return to Johnny Bench or Willie Mays

Problem being WOY is that MLB is not progressing or building new fans... At least not at the rate of the other leagues. I'm a nostalgic guy, which is one reason I love baseball. I love the history and the nuance and the tension. And those names you mentioned are forever ingrained in our history.... And not just sporting history. But MLB also seems stuck in that history.

It's cool that people still want to chat about the BRM, but those same people have no idea who Joey Votto is... And that is a problem for the sport. The incredible decline in African American participation is also an issue.

There are two issues here.....

1. The game of baseball itself
2. The "product" of MLB

I think #1 is still beautiful. The game, the pace, the history, are all so unique and to me, eternally inviting. But #2 needs a lot of work. It has spent years and years banking soley on #1 while avoiding it's obvious weaknesses. As a society, we have a shorter attention span and no amount of marketing or PR will allow MLB to compete with the NFL or even the NBA when its at a high point in popularity like now. But things can be done that aren't being done.

[westofyou]

MLB isn't the nfl yep

It destroys the NBA as far as interest and revenue

[Reds/Flyers Fan]

I don't know about ratings but no matter what bar, airport or restaurant or hotel I was in the last two weeks on the West coast they all had the games on and there were lots of cheers and high fives from Giants and A's fans.

Cities/regions that have teams playing in the games will be watching, but that's about it. Take tonight: I was in two bars in the Dayton area that had OSU on the majority of TVs and the few that weren't on the Buckeyes had LSU/USC and even NASCAR ... NASCAR! Amazingly, no one asked for baseball.

If it weren't for my iPhone I'd have had no idea what the Yankees score was.

[Edskin]

MLB isn't the nfl yep

It destroys the NBA as far as interest and revenue

Not sure how you base interest.... First of all, the NBA is much more popular internationally and they make a killing in places like China, etc where their stars are mega celebrities.

Secondary, TV ratings.... They are generally better than MLB here in the states. That isn't the only gauge of "interest" of course but it is one you can measure.

The NBA is definitely very cyclical and has peaks and valleys in terms of interest. Right now it is near an all time high. I beleive it is the best product in sports right now all things considered. I have followed the league closely all my life and this is as strong, competitive, and compelling as it has ever been... And that is clearly reflected in the ratings.

And I'm not an apologist for it... I actually think the league was very overrated in the Jordan years as his competition was "eh" at best. He was just a strong enough star to carry the league for nearly a decade. Late 90's into early 2000's was a horrible period for the league. Boring teams and stars that weren't stars at all.

Then, in the mid 2000's the league got an influx of legitimate superstars and extremely good teams and it is at a crescendo right now.

[cumberlandreds]

I voted no but I will watch a little. Not much for me to watch for now since the Reds and Nats got knocked out. Until I saw this morning that Jeter broke his ankle I felt like it was destined for a Yankee/Cardinal WS. That probably won't happen now but it probably makes the Cards the favorites to win it all. I know I'm not staying up late to watch any of the rest of the games in the post season. So in effect baseball season is over for me.

[HokieRed]

I'll be watching and rooting for the Giants over the Cardinals. In the AL I don't care who wins. I think the second wild card is a sham, and I'd say this even if it were the Reds in the place of the Cards now. For a team that finished 10 games (or whatever the final number was) out in a mediocre division to still be in it is very undermining of the regular season.

[Brutus]

Not sure how you base interest.... First of all, the NBA is much more popular internationally and they make a killing in places like China, etc where their stars are mega celebrities.

Secondary, TV ratings.... They are generally better than MLB here in the states. That isn't the only gauge of "interest" of course but it is one you can measure.

The NBA is definitely very cyclical and has peaks and valleys in terms of interest. Right now it is near an all time high. I beleive it is the best product in sports right now all things considered. I have followed the league closely all my life and this is as strong, competitive, and compelling as it has ever been... And that is clearly reflected in the ratings.

And I'm not an apologist for it... I actually think the league was very overrated in the Jordan years as his competition was "eh" at best. He was just a strong enough star to carry the league for nearly a decade. Late 90's into early 2000's was a horrible period for the league. Boring teams and stars that weren't stars at all.

Then, in the mid 2000's the league got an influx of legitimate superstars and extremely good teams and it is at a crescendo right now.

There are far more fans of baseball than the NBA based on almost every market survey I've ever seen. TV ratings are definitely misleading because baseball is such a marathon sport, people aren't inclined to tune-in 6-7 nights a week to watch their favorite team because that would be 18-20 hours a week to do so. It's much easier to watch 2-3 games a week (like the NBA) for 5-7 hours.

Nonetheless, I think that baseball teams can draw, on average, twice as many fans for a home baseball game despite having twice as many home games than NBA teams probably tells the story about total interest.

[Rojo]

Bear in mind that it will take a baseball team a minimum of 3 LDS wins, 4 LCS wins and 4 WS wins to take home the big prize.

That's 11 wins in the post-season. An NFL season is 16 games -- making one regular season NFL game nearly as crucial as MLB post-season game.

I'm not worried about the future of baseball. Yeah, lots of kids may ignore it. But once they get too old for clubs, have a few kids, get a day jobs, etc... they realize, hey, there's a ballgame on nearly every day. "Soccer is the game of future -- always has been" applies in reverse to baseball.

Having said all that, I think baseball could stand to make some in-game changes to speed it up.

[TOBTTReds]

If the Cards get knocked out, I'll watch the WS. I've watched a little bit od the ALCS, but I didn't even know who won game 1 of the NLCS til someone randomly told me in the morning.

[cumberlandreds]

I've not watched a pitch of the NLCS. Only watched the last few innings of game 2 of the ALCS. Probably will not watch much more. I have to get up at 4:30 am to get ready for work and no need in staying up late killing myself to watch these games since the Reds are out of it.

[marcshoe]

I've surprised myself by not watching so far. Somehow seeing the Cardinals still playing is what gets me the most.

[Chip R]

Problem being WOY is that MLB is not progressing or building new fans... At least not at the rate of the other leagues.

I don't think that's true. If it were true, baseball would have the popularity right now of field hockey because there would be no young fans watching the game. TV deals are skyrocketing. There has to be new fans out there because someone has to replace the older fans who are no longer with us.

[mth123]

Problem being WOY is that MLB is not progressing or building new fans... At least not at the rate of the other leagues. I'm a nostalgic guy, which is one reason I love baseball. I love the history and the nuance and the tension. And those names you mentioned are forever ingrained in our history.... And not just sporting history. But MLB also seems stuck in that history.

It's cool that people still want to chat about the BRM, but those same people have no idea who Joey Votto is... And that is a problem for the sport. The incredible decline in African American participation is also an issue.

There are two issues here.....

1. The game of baseball itself
2. The "product" of MLB

I think #1 is still beautiful. The game, the pace, the history, are all so unique and to me, eternally inviting. But #2 needs a lot of work. It has spent years and years banking soley on #1 while avoiding it's obvious weaknesses. As a society, we have a shorter attention span and no amount of marketing or PR will allow MLB to compete with the NFL or even the NBA when its at a high point in popularity like now. But things can be done that aren't being done.

I heard this 30 years ago, yet this board is filled with rabid fans in their 20's and teens.

[REDREAD]

I've surprised myself by not watching so far. Somehow seeing the Cardinals still playing is what gets me the most.

I know this isn't popular, but I think it would be hillarious if the Cardinals just squeeked into the playoffs again and won the whole thing.

I can understand people wanting the Cards to be eliminated though.. I get that.

[cumberlandreds]

I heard this 30 years ago, yet this board is filled with rabid fans in their 20's and teens.

I heard it 40 years ago and baseball keeps thriving. It survived a horrendous strike that wiped out the post season in 1994 and has bounced back with record numbers in attendance. It was here long before us and will be here long after we all are gone. No doubt football is number one. But baseball has its own special place for sports fans that will never be challenged.