What's your thoughts on this: World Series

being played on a neutral field? There are some loud drums banging to make this happen. Before all baseball traditionalists write this off as poppycock, think what a week long World Series extravaganza would do for the popularity of the game. Also, with next year's WS being scheduled into November, do you really want the elements to play a role in determining the winner.

I could go on about other plusses of having a "Super Bowl" type event. There are so many extracurricular activities they could schedule at the same time; Winter GM meetings, HOF inductees, old timers game. But what it would mainly do is allow baseball to compete with football for a greater appeal and attention to the masses...and you must admit that MLB does a terrible job in marketing.

My initial thought was....are you crazy!?! But upon further review....what do you think?

 

Change the venue or stop the season a month earlier

Works fine with me. What a great vacation week as well all in one sunny place. I have been to both a Super Bowl and a full World Series and there is no comparison, the Super Bowl atmosphere is much better since you have almost an equal amount of fans rooting for each team all in one venue. AWESOME.....and during the day you can hang out at the pool bikini watching!!! Count on my vote.

 

I've been to a Super Bowl a couple of times and there is no comparison in it's electricity (except for the Braves' run in '90.) You have activities you can attend every day.....but one of the great things is you would have a game nearly every night. You go from Friday to the following Sunday and mixing in an Old Timer's Game on the one off day. You fill the week with the HOF selections, a Parade, etc,etc. It would be the biggest watched baseball event ever!!!!

...and Stretchy is right. During the day you could cruise South Beach, Cocoanut Grove-- Malibu, Disneyworld---or golf in Arizona. It becomes one solid week of vacation merged with equal fans from both teams. If you have never seen what that is like, attend a major Bowl game. It's the best!

I'm not saying this is the way to go. But it is interesting..and it would give MLB a shot in the arm.

 

....I agree with Braves. The world series being played at a warm site in Oct. and the party going on for a week!
This idea makes sense to me. Think about all of the festivities that could be associated with this event. I wonder if Bud as the cahuntas to make it happen? Fishman, a dissappointed Bball fan who thinks this years world series needed help.
13.4 TV viewership rating for the last 3ish innings last night shows that fans want more!

 

I'm in ... we also need to mix in a couple day games, it's a crime that we are in the process of losing another generation of young baseball fans because the WS games are on past their ( and mine, btw ) bed time !

 

Some good points...

but would it be fair to the fans of those teams that have waited a long time. Let's take Tampa it was their first time. Phili waiting the many years they had to. What would you say it you had to travel to say Calf. to see your team that you have supported this year and those many years before. Working it like football is just not the same. If that was the case it could be worked into tourney style game formats and the season would be from March to August. I think it would be best served if the number of games during the season was reduced to allow maybe A week near the end for an Allstar event that would last a week somewhere. The series left at seven games with a rotation of home fields and then the neutral. Say two games each, for the first four games then neutral fields. This way if a team was to win it in four the hometown fans would at least be able to see a couple of games. As for day games. Would have to be on a Sat-Sun. Giving a great number of people to see the games played. Just my opinion.

 

If there was going to be only one game, then maybe on a neutral site! But when you have the possibility of seven games, it has to be the way it is! To take away the excitement the city is enjoying during and after the series would be just wrong. When you support a team for years (like all us fans do) you deserve the right to have the games in your city! I have been fortunate and have attended a couple of World Series games
(1983 game 4 & 5) and it was (even though we lost) a thrill that I still carry to this day! And by the way, no one should have to wait 28 years for a Championship like I have, but it's worth it now!

 

Amen PhillyDave! I only wish I could be at Citizens Bank Park today when the parade arrives from Broad St. To me the fan relationship and reaction for the home team is a major momentum advantage - especially in a place like Philly!

 

The points that have been made about hometown fans are the most logical ones and the energy it produces is not found at a Super Bowl....But...we're only talking about 40,000 fans vs millions watching, plus half of those fans still can get tickets for those games at a Super Bowl type event.

Does anybody remember when pro football surpassed pro baseball as America's sport? Pete Rozelle was an excellent marketing executive. He realized the importance of marketing the Super Bowl as the greatest event in pro sports. It is not by coincidence that the popularity of the SB went hand in hand with the popularity of its sport and springboarded the interest of the sport to surpass all others in America.

So my reasoning is not to do what's best for the hometown fans, but what is best for Major League baseball. And to me what is best for Major League baseball is doing something that they have been terrible about in their history. Baseball always smugly stood aside from marketing believing they were THE sport (baseball, Chevrolet and apple pie). They don't have to market. Well, football has surpassed it in interest, Chevrolet is almost bankrupt and apple pie is no longer the favorite dessert.

If baseball wants to attract a bigger audience, it must do a better job with its public relations and promote the players past and present to that audience.

Personally, I can see how a World Series at a neutral site where all games are played in an 8 day window, rival fans having to party together for an entire week (just like rival football teams do)...making the WS the biggest event in all of sports where one game does not decide the outcome. With events scheduled throughout the week that promotes baseball and creates excitement: Having a week between the end of the playoffs and the start of the WS to allow fans time to make reservations and enjoy the atmosphere.

I understand the sentiments of hometown fans between the two teams, but it is nothing the fans have earned. The fans of Tampa Bay never came out for games during the season. They didn't earn anything. But the players deserve to play their games in the biggest, most hyped event in sports history in front of a packed crowd on a warm night at a reasonable time. That's what the team deserves. That's what professional baseball needs. And if it becomes so popular that they can start games earlier...then that's what the next generation of baseball kids deserve, too (to be able to stay up and watch the game.)

 

I just think that if you have it at one site then you take away from all that is baseball. I mean weather is a huge factor and not to mention home field advantage. But what about opening day at Wrigley and how cold it is there. I mean you can not change the site so that they don't get to cold, that is what makes the series so great.