A Baseball Fan’s Take: How to End World Series’ Ratings Slump

COMMENTARY | Game 1 of the World Series suffered a 10 percent drop in television ratings for 2011, and was the second-lowest rated opener in 25 years. As a Major League Baseball fan, here is why I believe the World Series has seen a slump this year.

One possible reason why the 2011 World Series has suffered a ratings loss for could come from the two teams in the World Series. The St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers just do not draw a big crowd, as opposed to the New York Yankees or Boston Red Sox. Teams like the Yankees or Red Sox often do draw more interest, even outside of the region, because these are two fairly famous organizations. The Cardinals and Rangers are not exactly the most intriguing teams in the MLB world, plus they just do not have the same international fan base.

I personally also believe the decline comes from the general decline of watching MLB on television in America. I think more people are looking at the National Football League, and seeing the potential and rivalry that exists there, and would rather watch an NFL game instead. I find football more interesting in the first place, but I was raised watching baseball, so I have a soft spot for it too. It seems that you hear more about the NFL on television these days than you do about MLB, and I think this has changed what people choose to watch with their families. Maybe more people are interested in those horrible reality television shows because they think they are real, although I hope that this is not the case. Baseball is still an American pastime, but I think football is closely catching up, especially when a World Series is on that features less than exciting teams.

If it was my job to try to raise the television ratings for baseball, I think my goal would be to draw interest in the sport as a whole. I do not think you can draw interest into the World Series at this point, because the major stories of the season have already passed for each team. It starts with drawing interest before the season starts, building up momentum through the season, and then gaining a more national fan base for the World Series. If I had to do something now, I would try to show the clutch games from the season for my team, which I would hope people would find intriguing and want to see more of. I would also include celebrities at the World Series, since most people seem to adore celebrities, and want to watch shows with them in it.


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