2014 Brewers interest level?

[mw1785678]

As a few of you have touched on; I think the perceived lack of interest in the Brewer's has to do with the media and how they cover sports. Where I work we have TV in the break and lunch rooms and are only allowed Sports or News channels. I go straight to where the sports channels are and it is rare indeed that there is any mention of baseball, much less talk of the Brewers. Granted the NBA and NHL playoffs are stories but many times it is indeed the NFL taking up the airtime. There is the draft, Manziel, Michael Sam, OTA's...blah, blah, blah. I'm not saying these are not valid stories, fact is they are, but my guess is it's the advertising dollars driving the bus. Apparently baseball is just not as sexy as the other sports that have all been mentioned.

 

The reason I followed this site for some time now, and finally actually signed up, is that trying to get a baseball fix is simply not easy to do either with sport shows or even with the general public.

[pretendastronaut]

I spent the day at Mauthe Lake and the groups on both sides of us had the game on the radio and people walking past were frequently stopping to ask the score of the game and the details.

[yoshii8]

I think now that Brewers fans has seen some success, it takes more to pump them up. We have a good team, w/ a few obvious holes. I think if DM does a good job of filling those holes, and we continue to stay in first place we will see fan interest rise.

[Pugger]

Yet the talk right now for many seems to be on Packers practices

 

And whose fault is that? That's all that entire radio station talks about. Don't get me wrong, I love the Packers but when you're constantly talking about friggin' OTAs, I'm changing the station because that is not interesting at all.

 

Not to go way off topic, but I find that 540 ESPN is the main culprit for really over-blowing the Packers talk (Jason Wilde being on constantly, etc). I think WSSP is a bit more rounded in their sports coverage.

 

WDUZ in Green Bay is almost all Packer talk 365. They do talk a little about the Crew but not as much as the Pack during baseball season.

 

What can be frustrating for me when I'm back home in FL is finding any info on the Crew on ESPN. I haven't looked yet this morning but I'll wager there isn't a peep about us on their MLB page on that site and hardly any mention to speak of on air on SC. The Cards get all the pub with those guys. The MLB Network does a better job reporting on the Brewers seeing we are actually leading the division.

[JimH5]

I think there is some residual effect from the Braun suspension. Maybe people still feel burned by him, and so they aren't willing to let themselves get too emotionally invested yet. Like a cheating girlfriend wants you back, and you're hesitant to say 'yes' right away.

 

Plus, the Brewers do lots of things to get people to the stadium that aren't much to do with the actual baseball. Group outings, Hank, Racing sausages, 50/50 Raffle, Beer. The games themselves are only part of the draw.

 

And, talk radio is fueled by negativity. This guy stinks, the manager stinks, etc. It's hard to get all riled up when things are going well.

[danzig6767]

Hey everyone. I heard an interesting topic on WSSP this morning that I thought would be worth discussing.

 

Chuck & Wickett were talking about how there doesn't seem to be a lot of "buzz" about the Brewers right now, even though they're a first place team and 12 games over .500 right now. First place most of the season, multiple players having great years, etc. Yet the talk right now for many seems to be on Packers practices and the Bucks' upcoming draft pick.

 

It does seem like the interest level is a bit more "muted" than in 2008 or 2011. Is it just "been there, done that" at this point, or are people still not buying into this team yet?

 

You gotta remember that in 2008, the team had been on a two decade run of mostly futility, so actually being good again and making the playoffs was a massive story, along with a big boost to baseball in Milwaukee. Then in 2011, being really good was still pretty new to the city and it was a 95 win team.

 

So having a first place team again this year is no longer a shock to the senses as it once was. Hell, for as incredibly popular as the Packers still are in Wisconsin, nothing again will ever rival the level of hype and excitement as when they made the back to back Super Bowls in 96 and 97. They were often the lead news story just for regular season games. Now there is still plenty of hype for the Packers, but not to that level. Fresh success after tons of losing is always the sweetest for many sports fans.

[MJLiverock]

 

And, talk radio is fueled by negativity. This guy stinks, the manager stinks, etc. It's hard to get all riled up when things are going well.

 

The baseball season is such a long grind I find it hard to get too riled up about any one game. Honestly what is there to talk about everyday? I listen to the podcast of Haudricourt on whatever the Milwaukee morning show is and his segment is only 15 minutes and most of it is digression or just rehashing what happened the night before. I listen because once in a while he gets some stories or has an interesting conversation to relate. Melvin doesn't talk all that much or when he does, doesn't give a whole lot of information.

 

I know there is now radio show dedicated to Milwaukee baseball on ESPN Milwaukee similar to Green and Gold Today but since the podcast doesn't seem to be available as a subscription I haven't listened to it.

 

I don't think I would want to listen to a show where it was nothing but callers complaining about trivial items like batting player x 6th vs. 7th, or screaming about strikeouts or outs on the bases as if the Brewers are the only team this happens too. The season is too long for me to get emotional about small samples good or bad. In a sport where going 6-4 every 10 games would amount to a great season, the urgency over any game or two is diminished. As fan of a great team you can expect to lose 40% of the time. As has been mentioned, fans also have the, "glad we're in first but lets wait until after the trade deadline or a bit later so see the real pennant race."

 

I paid attention to the draft for the first couple rounds but unless you are a real junkie the later rounds are completely uninteresting because most players are complete unknowns and likely will never see the ML roster, unlike Football where fans have seen them play in college and know they will likely be on the pro roster from day one.

[danzig6767]

 

PS. The media obsession with a football team 2 hours away over the local baseball team is why I hate that football team.

I am so unbelievably sick and tired of hearing about "that" team too. I am not a fan of "that" team, in fact, I have become an anti-fan.

 

My allegiance is to a different NFL team, so that sheds a little light as to why I am not a fan of "that" team.

 

The constant news and information gets so irritating. As a full fledged fan of MLB, I get increasingly annoyed with the coverage of the NFL every year as it seems to get worse and worse as the years pass by.

 

I opened up my fantasy baseball page the other day (yahoo) and was horrified to see the lead stories being based on the NFL. This is the middle of fantasy baseball season, and they can't help themselves, the NFL fantasy season takes top bill, even in June. Really angered me at the time. I wait all off season for fantasy baseball, and still, football gets top bill.

 

I digress....I am bitter.

Whether it's yahoo, local sports talk/TV, or national sports stations, they are all a profit driven business and football is by far the king when it comes to sports in America.

 

Just look at the ratings. You can even have two crappy teams matching up on say Monday Night Football and it will still draw better ratings than MLB playoff or World Series games. Locally, the Packers dominate sports fan interest in the state, mainly because even non-sports fans still follow the Packers. I know lots of people who watch every Packers game, but watch little to no other sports. Fantasy football is the clear king of fantasy sports.

 

So what do you expect profit driven media outlets or fantasy sites like yahoo to do, ignore the evidence of football's incredible popularity to their own detriment? Trust me, if baseball was the clear king in popularity, things would be reversed. Football is simply a ratings and interest monster.