I think the ratings will be at an all time low despite two great LCS series. Only part of this is due to the small market Marlins being in it. The more important reason is that baseball's dysfunctional economics are on display.
No. of years that baseball has had since 1994 strike: 9
No. of years that baseball's highest payroll team, the Yankees, have been in the playoffs since the strike: 9
No. of years that baseball's highest payroll team, the Yankees, have been in the World Series since the strike: 6
It's not just that their payroll is the highest, but the degree to which it is out of whack with everyone else's. The Cubs, who came within a cursed whisker of the World Series in their first LCS appearance in over a decade, had the 12th highest payroll of the 30 major league teams, at $86.6 million. The Yankees' payroll was more than twice as high, at $180.3 million. The second place team in terms of payroll was the other New York team, the Mets, at $116.3 million. The gap between the Yankees and the second place payroll team, $64.0 million, was more than the entire payroll of 11 teams. That's not a fair fight, and the fans around the country know it.
You can argue that several small payroll teams did well this year and made the playoffs. But once they got there, it was very difficult for them to match up with teams like the Yankees, with high priced stars up and down the lineup and pitching staff.
One of those 11 teams under $64 million is the Florida Marlins, a group of castoffs and kids who came into their own. So, if I were to watch the World Series this year, I would root for them. But I don't think I really care to see the Yankees go into battle yet again with more guns than everybody else. It's just not sport anymore when this happens.
(Here are the payroll stats)
mlb.mlb.com
1 New York Yankees 180,322,403
2 New York Mets 116,253,927
3 Los Angeles 109,248,680
4 Texas 106,277,880
5 Boston 104,873,607
6 Atlanta 103,912,011
7 St. Louis 101,825,848
8 San Francisco 100,061,211
9 Philadelphia 95,338,704
10 Arizona 92,665,040
11 Seattle 92,268,063
12 Chicago Cubs 86,576,763
13 Anaheim 83,235,098
14 Houston 79,946,964
15 Colorado 78,738,492
16 Baltimore 75,502,154
17 Chicago White Sox 71,336,029
18 Minnesota 65,318,977
19 Cincinnati 65,083,196
20 Florida 63,281,152
21 Pittsburgh 62,314,723
22 Toronto 61,175,638
23 Detroit 59,006,941
24 Cleveland 58,108,824
25 San Diego 57,871,722
26 Oakland 56,596,691
27 Kansas City 48,475,322
28 Milwaukee 47,294,226
29 Montreal 45,853,889
30 Tampa Bay 31,660,602 |
