Many, many times in the past, I’ve heard about how pro sports are fixed. Super Bowls, NBA Finals, Stanley Cups, Auto Racing. You name it, somebody, somewhere…more often than not on the barstool next to me, has said..pro sports are all fixed. It’s about the money and the TV Ratings. TV wants the big market teams like the Celtics, Lakers, Yankees and Red Wings.
Prior to 2004 (IE The End of the Curse of the Babe), I used to actually give a small amount of merit to that theory. Not any more though, and the 2010 World Series is first hand proof of that.
New York vs. Philadelphia would’ve pulled in huge ratings. Two of the biggest ratings-getters in all sports. Yet, as fate would have it, that’s not what the baseball gods had in mind. Instead, the matchup is Texas and San Francisco.
Now, we’ll see if the REAL baseball fans stay with this series from start to finish, or if we get another fan base that turns the station and their attention to college football, the NHL or about-to-being NBA season.
I’d like to think the vast majority of the fans out there are going to see this 2010 season through till the end. Sure, many of them might be band wagon fans (IE Red Sox, Yankee or Phillies fans who have jumped on either the Rangers or Giants bench after there teams were eliminated). While the diehard might not appreciate those fans, at least they’re going to watch every game, which is okay with the head honchos at Fox and Bud Selig to boot.
Tonight’s opener should merit great ratings. Cliff ”I Own the Post Season” Lee against Tim Lincecum. Could you get a bigger contrast in style than that out of the two starters? The lone thing they have in common is that they’re both darn good.
In any event, I’ll be watching each and every game from start to finish, and enjoying the heck out of it, even if my team isn’t playing.
Hopefully, I won’t be alone.
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