Whether in the business world or the sports world, the power of a company or team is often determined by how much money is generated.
As the calendar turns to September and the Major League Baseball race is picking up steam, the New York Yankees hold baseball’s best record at 82-48, and look like the prohibited favorite to win the World Series.
Money is Power
During last offseason, the Yankees went on the biggest spending-spree in the history of baseball. The Bronx Bombers spent 423.5 million by reeling in aces CC Sabathia and A.J. Burnett, along with Gold-glove first baseman Mark Teixeira.
Now fans in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and roughly 25 other baseball fan-bases throughout the league complain about the competitive disadvantage that the small-market teams have when it comes to competing year-in-and-year out.
The National Football League has a salary cap for each team and promotes the fact that every team enters the season with Super Bowl dreams. However, MLB is not the NFL, and there are a minority of sports fans who believe Bud Selig and baseball has it right in this instance.
Whether it is “Cinderella” making a run in the NCAA March Madness tournament or Appalachian State upsetting Michigan in the “Big House,” there is often talk about how much fans root for the “underdogs.” The numbers show otherwise.
2008 World Series Low TV Ratings
Last year when the Tampa Bay Rays made an improbable run to the World Series, it was a heart-warming story, but really didn’t help baseball with the bottom-line numbers. The 2008 World Series averaged an 8.4 rating nationally and attracted, on average, 13.6 million viewers. That makes it the lowest-rated World Series on record, according to Nielsen Media Research data. For comparison sake, 2007’s Fox broadcasts of the four-game sweep of the Colorado Rockies by the Red Sox generated a 10.6 average rating and drew 17.1 million viewers.
Money is power, and the superstars are the ones with both.
Baseball benefits from having the Yankees and Red Sox dominating the American League and the likes of the N.Y. Mets, Chicago Cubs and L.A. Dodgers representing the National League in the playoffs.
Superstars Sell Major League Baseball
The NFL can promote its league’s competitive balance, but this promotion doesn’t work for baseball. With that said, MLB needs to realize what its league is and what sells. The Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers and Phillies to name a few, are just more interesting, have more stars, have the most money and bring the most eyes to the television. That’s just the facts of the system. The general sports fan knows players from teams like the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers. Even die-hard baseball fans would be hard-pressed to name three players on the Washington Nationals or Kansas City Royals’ rosters.
So, as October baseball approaches and the Yankees run out a lineup that has star names like Jeter, Damon, Rodriguez, Teixeira, Matsui, Posada and Cano, to go along with arms on the pitching staff like Sabathia, Burnett, Chamberlain, Pettitte and Rivera, just remember the aforementioned premise.
Money is power.
