TV ratings

[mojmann]

I just saw a report that said the NLCS was the lowest-rated post-season series in history. It got a 2.2 average, which -- as one commentator pointed out -- is about the same as the World Series of Poker a few years ago. There are reasons: the late starts of the games, the move to TBS.

But you really have to wonder what's going on here. The easy answer is to say that baseball isn't as popular as it used to be.

Maybe. But how do you explain the record attendance at the major league and minor league level? At the major-league level, only five teams drew less than 2 million fans -- an unbelievable showing when you put it into a historical context.

More people went to minor league baseball games last year than in the late 40s or early 50s.

What's going on? Thoughts?

[ricowiz]

I think the timing of the games killed it for me. They started some of the games at 10pm...thats my bedtime!! Yeah yeah, go ahead with the old man jokes...but seriously, I TRIED to stay up for them, made it to about 10:30 and couldnt stay awake.

Also, how do they figure these ratings out? I mean, does anyone know anyone with one of those boxes they use?

And in all reality, as long as the stadiums are packed, who cares about ratings. If Baltimore ever made the playoffs again I am sure that would not be a big draw as well ratings wise, but it would be huge in our market!

[BaltimoreTerp]

I don't have a problem with start times, as long as they are appropriate for their region. Like a 10pm start in Denver or Phoenix.

However, when the games on the East Coast start at 8:30, that's just nuts.

Personally, I think that focusing on TV ratings is stupid anyway. What's the point in having a team in Denver or Cleveland if it is considered a disaster when they reach the World Series?

[Leitch]

Perhaps if baseball exposed the nation to the Rockies and the Diamondbacks more often instead of cramming Red Sox/Yankees down our throats, the nation would be more interested in what the Rockies and the Diamondbacks are doing.

Perhaps if Fox's broadcasts had more baseball and less Scooter, people wouldn't find them virtually unwatchable.

[mojmann]

I wonder if we're just coming to an evolutionary point where people realize that baseball is not a very good TV sport. It's great at the park and it's great on the radio.

I've listened to most of the games in the post-season on my XM on my porch, smoking a cigar.

[ricowiz]

Perhaps if baseball exposed the nation to the Rockies and the Diamondbacks more often instead of cramming Red Sox/Yankees down our throats, the nation would be more interested in what the Rockies and the Diamondbacks are doing.

Perhaps if Fox's broadcasts had more baseball and less Scooter, people wouldn't find them virtually unwatchable.

Very good points, I cant even watch Baseball tonight or ESPN anymore because of this...

And I actually like TBS broadcast over Fox...not sure why but I do, it seems like there is less distractions with the TBS broadcast...although I do not like Chip Caray in the booth! But he beats McCarver and Buck!

[NewMarketSean]

It was the Rockies and Diamondbacks. That had a lot to do with it. Not many people on the East Coast knows much about these teams. Plus the late starts and the move to TBS probably had a lot to do with it too.

[Leitch]

It was the Rockies and Diamondbacks. That had a lot to do with it. Not many people on the East Coast knows much about these teams. Plus the late starts and the move to TBS probably had a lot to do with it too.

Also, so far the Rockies have pretty much rolled over the competition. The Diamondbacks scored like 5 runs in the series. There wasn't a game in either series that was all that dramatic or great or anything like that.

[GeorgiaBird]

I wonder if we're just coming to an evolutionary point where people realize that baseball is not a very good TV sport. It's great at the park and it's great on the radio.

I've listened to most of the games in the post-season on my XM on my porch, smoking a cigar.

I think that is a factor, and a factor that baseball fans who hang out on message boards like these don't fully take into account.

However, the 10p start times really hurt. I understand making the gametimes appropriate for the local market, and I understand I have an East Coast bias, but 10p all but eliminates any temptation for many of us east coasters to stay up. I usually go to sleep sometime around 10:30. If the start time was 9, the game at that point would be in the mid-innings and there would be some temptation to make it through. With it starting at 10 it was typically only the second inning at 10:30, if that, and it was an easy decision to just turn it off.

[YardBirds13]

No Mets. No Phillies. No Cubs. No Cardinals. No Dodgers.

Those are the teams that the average fan knows about, and they are in the big markets. I gurantee if it was Cubs-Phillies the ratings would have been fine.

I go back to the point already made in this thread too. If ESPN would stop talking about nothing but the Yanks and Sox all the time, and focused on some other teams, people would start to get to know them and learn them and then watch them in the postseason. How it goes now, if Boston, one of the NY teams or one of the Cubs don't make it, most people dont care.

[Maverick2143]

Very good points, I cant even watch Baseball tonight or ESPN anymore because of this...

And I actually like TBS broadcast over Fox...not sure why but I do, it seems like there is less distractions with the TBS broadcast...although I do not like Chip Caray in the booth! But he beats McCarver and Buck!

A trained monkey that burps and farts for 3 hours is better listening than Tim McCarver.

And it is probably a insult to monkeys.

[Maverick2143]

Realisitically it is probably a combination of a 10:30 start time and the lack of any big name teams.

I would be interested to see what TBS's ratings were during the Division Series, because their coverage was quite good. I really enjoyed listening to Tony Gywnn and I thought he brought alot of quality insight to the broadcast.

[GeorgiaBird]

It saddens me that both TBS and FOX designate what I think is their worst broadcaster teams to do the LCS. Carey, Brenly and Gwynn were not great, but despite his Boston-ness Don Orsolo is excellent, and made a great team with Joe Simpson.

[mweb]

The two teams have a lot to do with it, but in general, sports ratings are going down, there's a lot more to watch on tv, and there's just a lot more entertainment options in general these days.

[RShack]

although I do not like Chip Caray in the booth! But he beats McCarver and Buck!

Personally, I can't tell any difference whatsoever between the Chip Caray and Buck. The think they're both there only because of their family. I think neither one has a personality or says anything useful about baseball. I think they're both content-free baseball hypesters. I think they are the same Ken-doll robot. Different serial numbers, but the same part number.

IMO, McCarver is different. Every once in a while, he'll actually point out some good baseball stuff. Of course, then he drives me nuts by harping on it for 20 minutes. But at least he's not the same robot the other two are. His personality might get on my nerves, but at least he has one.