You know...I'm sure a lot of this forthcoming rant has to do with the fact that interleague play has not been too kind on my bankroll (for yet, another year) and therefore I'm just in a plain ol' foul mood. But then again, maybe some of it speaks from the heart of fan who once revered the major league game of baseball of years gone by and all that it at one time represented.
Hate to admit it, but I?m old enough to remember when winning your league?s pennant really meant something. When playing another team outside your league meant you were in the World Series. When teachers brought radios and TVs to class so you could tune in to the game. When it seemed so odd to watch the strategies and play of a team from ?the other? league playing a team from ?your league?. Where?s the drama in that now?
Now, part of me realizes, of course, that Major League Baseball is a business; and from a business perspective, interleague play has probably done what it was intended to do?boost revenue and ratings. And maybe the real source of my angst about baseball (and all professional sport in general for that matter) is generated by that clash of business goals and the purity of the heart of the game itself.
But I don?t know?I still don?t like it. To me, it smacks of marketing smarminess rather than the heat of competition. To this fan, it tarnishes the historical legacy of baseball and the special place the game has held in the hearts of so many. I almost want to ask, what?s next?cheerleaders? (I can see the MLB business exec?s wheels turning now??say, bet we could pick up the contracts of a few XFL babes for a song?.)
But then, I?m sure there are others who don?t hold this point of view. I?m sure there are baseball historians that can point to several changes that the game has gone through and make the argument that this is just another part of the natural progression of the game.
Whatever view others may hold?I?d be interested in hearing them. And again, I?m not talking from the handicapping perspective (although, that?s cool if you want to throw that in too), but more from the perspective of being a fan of the game itself.
If you?ve got a minute, I?d love to hear what you think.
Thanks,
-dc
Hate to admit it, but I?m old enough to remember when winning your league?s pennant really meant something. When playing another team outside your league meant you were in the World Series. When teachers brought radios and TVs to class so you could tune in to the game. When it seemed so odd to watch the strategies and play of a team from ?the other? league playing a team from ?your league?. Where?s the drama in that now?
Now, part of me realizes, of course, that Major League Baseball is a business; and from a business perspective, interleague play has probably done what it was intended to do?boost revenue and ratings. And maybe the real source of my angst about baseball (and all professional sport in general for that matter) is generated by that clash of business goals and the purity of the heart of the game itself.
But I don?t know?I still don?t like it. To me, it smacks of marketing smarminess rather than the heat of competition. To this fan, it tarnishes the historical legacy of baseball and the special place the game has held in the hearts of so many. I almost want to ask, what?s next?cheerleaders? (I can see the MLB business exec?s wheels turning now??say, bet we could pick up the contracts of a few XFL babes for a song?.)
But then, I?m sure there are others who don?t hold this point of view. I?m sure there are baseball historians that can point to several changes that the game has gone through and make the argument that this is just another part of the natural progression of the game.
Whatever view others may hold?I?d be interested in hearing them. And again, I?m not talking from the handicapping perspective (although, that?s cool if you want to throw that in too), but more from the perspective of being a fan of the game itself.
If you?ve got a minute, I?d love to hear what you think.
Thanks,
-dc
