Is Baseball Still "America's Favorite Past Time"? Ratings Say "NO"

Last night while flipping between an NBA game and Monday Night Football I almost forgot that the San Francisco Giants were on the verge of a World Series clinching victory over the Texas Rangers. You would think that with the amount of my time that is spent on espn, yardbarker, etc. that there was no way I would miss this. But alas, I almost did. And I began to wonder if more of America felt the same way...

So when I got the chance today I decided to look up rating for last night. Here's what I found. World Series Game 5 had a national rating of 10.6, beating the Indianapolis Colts vs. the Houston Texans ratings of 8.6, but slightly lower than the 10.8 rating drawn by ABC's Dancing With The Stars. That means that more people were interested in watching Bristol Palin waltz than the Giants win their first championship on 56 years. Ouch.

There has been a many a water cooler discussions regarding whether baseball still holds true as "America's Favorite Pastime". Yes, baseball is indeed the longest running professional sports league in America. But in recent years baseball's popularity has been taking a major hit for a number of reasons. There was the strike back in 1994 (which was MLB's 8th work stoppage). You have the whole steroid era, which tainted many of the most recognizable figures in baseball at the time. As mentioned, there could be a number of reasons.

I think you can gauge a sport's popularity based on one major thing: money. Which sport has the highest ticket prices? The average baseball ticket would run you about $26.75, an NBA game would cost you about $48.90 and a trip to see your favorite NFL team would set you back on average a whopping $76 and some change. For the fans who don't particularly like to attend live sports events, NFL games also kill the game in TV ratings and their ad spots are perennially highest to purchase (for a 30 sec spot. Trust me on this). Hmmm...

So does that mean the NFL is replacing Major League Baseball as America's favorite sport? Tough to call but as the saying goes, "men lie, women lie; numbers don't."

-ALR

The Best Team Money Can Buy

Watching baseball early this AM, I had an epiphany... The Yankees have a boat load of money.

Amazing what a few billion dollars can buy you. Like the best team (on paper) in Major League Baseball. As yesterday's trade deadline passed, the "Evil Empire" NY Yankees again flexed their formidable financial muscles by acquiring 1B Lance Berkman, who in his prime was a perennial all-star and one of the top hitters in the league, reliever Kerry Wood & OF Austin Kearns, who at one time was considered a top prospect before injuries slowed his career.

How do the Yankees continue to stockpile such high-profile players, you ask? Could be the ire of playing for the storied NY Yankee franchise who have amassed more championships than any team in history, in any sport. Could be that the Yankees can offer top dollar to free agents with no regard for the dreaded MLB luxury tax. Rarely are they outbid. Smaller market franchises just can't compete with NY's buying power. Just 2 off-seasons ago, the Yanks added the best pitcher (CC Sabathia), top free agent bat (Mark Teixeira) and another top-tier pitcher in AJ Burnett. Those signings alone equaled a whopping $423 million combined. Put this into perspective: just the salaries of these 3 players is more than seven teams total payroll! Add in A-Rod, "Mr. Yankee" Derek Jeter, closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera, Robinson Cano, and a circus monkey just for kicks, and you have the favorites to win the world series almost every year.

I can't fault the Steinbrenners for abandoning the traditional strategy of building your team through the farm system. They go out & repeated get players that have already established themselves as top players and worry about chemistry later. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes its a failed experiment (see Gary Sheffield). It definitely makes them mighty easy to root against.

Time will tell if this season's trade acquisitions will be enough to vault the Yankees to their second championship in as many years. Tampa Bay has been strong this season and will continue to present a challenge in the loaded AL East. But one thing is for sure; Money Talks.

-ALR