How can the World Series be as big as the Super Bowl?

[adamb100]

Was reading this article on ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com...&page=rumblings090129 which offered up suggestions on making the world series more exciting, almost as exciting as the Super Bowl. Was wondering what you would do to boost up excitement for the World Series.

 

While I think the series part is the biggest hurdle, I wouldnt get rid of it. However I would maybe book a major performance that plays @ the 7th inning stretch of each game, kinda like the half time show. Maybe also add some events surrounding the series like how the all star game is.

[bigredrobbo]

It's bigger than the Superbowl in this house!

[DuWayne Steurer]

I think maybe starting the games (and therefore ending) at a reasonable hour is the first and biggest step that needs to be taken.

[logan82]

They end at a reasonable hour on the west coast. I am not sure they can start much earlier without alienating much of the west coast. Maybe start earlier and play them on a tape delay on the west coast. Maybe play them earlier and everybody on the west coast can go out and buy DVR's.

[berniebrewer4life]

They end at a reasonable hour on the west coast. I am not sure they can start much earlier without alienating much of the west coast.

Well, they have alienated most of the East Coast and Midwest, so really it's 6 one hand, 1/2 dozen the other.

[DuWayne Steurer]

If it's 2 east coast teams, I have to wonder how much too many people in California would actually care. When 9 inning games are ending at 1 am or later local, that's just nonsense.

[Invader3K]

Well, if they could just have the games start at like 7 PM CST, instead of 7:45 or whatever after all the hoopla, that would be a decent start.

 

I do think adding a "halftime act" during the 7th inning stretch could be a great idea. I wouldn't be that excited about it personally, but it could pull in a lot of casual people. I'm sure a lot of non-football fans are tuning into the Super Bowl tonight to hear the Boss, for example.

[razzzorsharp]

I think the only way for it to happen within the next 50 years is fot football to really screw up and not by baseball catching up.

[Invader3K]

Well, you have to accept that the World Series will never be as big as the Super Bowl, at least any time soon. It's just the difference of only having to promote one game versus a Best of 7 series. But they can certainly do better with it than they have been.

[RyDogg66]

The hardest part is that at the end of the SuperBowl, there will be a definite winner and so people can get invested in that way. With the World Series you dont have that unless it is game 7, and then if game 7 is on a Wednesday night (or any other night Monday-Thursday) then people have to work the next morning.

 

The next problem with the Series is that from game to game you do not know how long the series will last - 4 games, 5 games, 6? 7?, whereas the Superbowl is scheduled years in advance and once the two teams are in it, there are two weeks of hoopla. Toss in that it is always in a warm (exception Detroit), neutral site and that the 2 weeks prior and the party are as big as the game and you have created an atmosphere you cannot recreate with baseball.

[Ennder]

Cut the baseball season in half at least, make the playoffs all one game events. Basically ruin baseball.

 

I bet at least half the viewers of the super bowl don't even care about the game itself, they just watch it for the event. I know we have a party every year and only a couple of people really watch the game at all.

[Invader3K]

Well, personally, I would fall in that category...I am a very casual football fan. I watch the Packers games and that's about it. I know the names of the quarterbacks playing tonight, and that is about it. I will follow the game and enjoy it, but I'm not going to pretend I know everything about either team. While I am leaning toward cheering for the Steelers, do I ultimately care about which team wins? No, not at all.

[owbc]

I'm planning on turning the game off after the halftime show tonight...and I wore my Brewers stuff today to celebrate the end of football season.

 

Back to the topic...I agree with the basic premise of the article that MLB could do more to promote the World Series. Maybe they should play game 1 at a neutral site with all the hoopla and then go 2-2-1-1 after that. That would get rid of the home field advantage controversy as well.

[Invader3K]

I think trying to choose a neutral site would lead to a lot of problems in and of itself. How do you go about "awarding" the site? What would the criteria be? Would it have to a dome stadium of some kind to guarantee the game is played? Would MLB look to areas outside the US as possible host sites (like the Boras' idea of going to Tokyo or something)? Personally I would hate the idea of Game 1 being anywhere but in the US or Toronto.

[BrewCrewForever]

To me it is what it is. The Super Bowl is one game, that is why it is bigger. Baseball is a series and it has to stay that way. I watch the Super Bowl every year, but I'm always more excited for the World Series.

[GAME05]

I think maybe starting the games (and therefore ending) at a reasonable hour is the first and biggest step that needs to be taken.

i remember there was some talk about having a couple day games, but Selig said it was odd that the later a game went into the night, the better ratings it got.

although i'm an East-coaster and i always choose sleep. but to be fair, i don't finish watching a Packers game when those are on Monday night, either.

 

The Superbowl is the only sport going right now (hockey barely counts), so all the playoff buildup isn't interrupted by people jumping to other sports. plus the football season is relatively short, so there's still some fan energy remaining when the Superbowl comes. The baseball season lasts way too long and i think people get tired of it--probably also doesn't help that the summer sport finishes up when it's nearing winter.

[BREWCREW5]

The super bowl is one day.

 

I love that the baseball season is so long.

[sheetskout]

To me it is what it is. The Super Bowl is one game, that is why it is bigger. Baseball is a series and it has to stay that way. I watch the Super Bowl every year, but I'm always more excited for the World Series.

I agree. This is like comparing apples to oranges. The SuperBowl is just more market-friendly as it's a rather compact event which occurs solely on a weekend. I don't really see a solution for Baseball without ruining the integrity of the champion.

[brewerguy71]

Easy question to answer, very difficult to pull off...

 

World Series becomes as popular as the Super Bowl when the collective intelligence level of the country rises by about 50 points. Baseball is a thinking mans game. It takes intelligence and patience to enjoy and understand. Americans love football because it doesnt take a lot of thought to like it.

[razzzorsharp]

I would disagree with you brewerguy as baseball seems like a more simple game than football. The patience aspect I can get on board with.

[NYChez]

The harder they try to simulate a Super Bowl-type setting, the more they'll fail. They need to not change anything, except tweaking some game times (maybe make the odd-numbered games East Coast friendly and even-numbered games West Coast friendly), and let the game be the main event - not hype, concerts, commercials, and wardrobe malfunctions.

[orca1963]

The biggest and best thing about the Super Bowl is that the end of it signals the beginning of baseball season.

 

I am not sure that I agree that the Superbowl is bigger. It is--as has been said--one game. The world series is 4 minimum and possibly seven. I could be wrong, but I would be suprised if the total viewership of the entire series is less than the Super bowl. Hype--the bowl has--in spades, but how many times does the game itself live up to that hype? As has been said there are a lot of people who "watch" the SB that aren't even fans...so what? They are probably also not going to be supporters throughout the year. The best thing baseball can do is clean up its image (in which I believe they are making headway) and not stoop to the gimmick. You see it this year with the economy the way it is...sales are down, advertising--though sold out--has some very key players missing.

 

I guess the main point I am so feebly trying to make is that I don't think baseball needs to imitate football. I just don't see that as a need for the game.

 

Of course if you truly want to make baseball the best it can be you could get rid of that silly little DH thing that keeps messing up the game. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

 

 

[Fatter than Joey]

World Series becomes as popular as the Super Bowl when the collective intelligence level of the country rises by about 50 points. Baseball is a thinking mans game. It takes intelligence and patience to enjoy and understand. Americans love football because it doesnt take a lot of thought to like it.

 

I would absolutely disagree with this. Football is a much more complicated sport. Understanding what is happening in a FB game is probably harder to do for any fan dumb or smart. Let's not pretend that baseball doesn't have its "casual fans", as this site rips on them throughout the year -- football just happens to have a lot more of them.

 

For a lot of people it takes beer to enjoy baseball.

 

Football is more entertaining to more people. It is as simple as that.

[PeaveyFury]

I would absolutely disagree with this. Football is a much more complicated sport.

 

I agree completely, and don't think it's really all that close. I don't see how the country's IQ has to rise to appreciate 'throw ball, hit ball where defenders aren't' over running a 4 wide set with a man in motion to try and negate the bump and run coverage in the man to man defense with a blitzing middle linebacker between the stunting defensive tackles....

[Tbadder]

The World Series will never be as popular as the SUPER BORE. A bunch of male erotic testastrone touching braniacs trumps skill and beauty every time.