Parody of Parity.
Something's been bugging me lately that I feel the need to rant about, and I don't care if anyone else cares about it. It's just something that has to be put out there.
World Series ratings down... again.
Hypocrites. People who cry foul about there "not being enough parity in baseball" are bloody hypocrites. Throughout years of watching losers on the Sportsline forum whine and bitch and moan about there being too many of the same teams winning, I've seen my share of people whine about other teams "deserving the chance to play". Well guess what? In the last two years, the World Series has featured a team that hasn't won since 1917, a team that didn't have a winning record in over a decade, and a team that had never reached the World Series in team history. The ratings on those series? Lowest ratings ever. Seriously. Where were these people crying for parity during these series?
People claim that the change of scenery is good for baseball, and I somewhat agree. It's nice to see a former perennial loser like the Tigers get this far. But to be honest, I haven't been watching this series. I watched the end of Game 1 and that's it. I'm mildly interested enough to check out Sportscenter each night, but not interested enough to watch a full game. And that feeling must be mutual with about 98% of people not from Detroit or St. Louis. These bullshitters claim that the hundred million dollar teams are "bad for baseball". Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, Angels draw the most ire. But guess what? The highest grossing World Series, and usually playoff series, are any and all series involving any of those teams. Know which were the most watched playoff series this year? NLCS Mets and Cards, and the ALDS Yankees and Tigers. People love to root against the Yankees, and people who became Tigers fans for a week. Do you think anyone watched the ALCS against the A's? Not a chance. The World Series of '04 was the highest rated World Series in TV history, showcasing the Red Sox and Cardinals. The point is, how can these teams be "bad for baseball" yet gross the highest watched series? How can parity be "good for baseball" and continually set new records for rating futility? I'm not saying that we should contract all the small market teams because they draw no interest. Hell, I'm a fan of the Pirates and have hope every year they'll break out of the cellar. And the day the Rockies make the playoffs, that just might pique my baseball interest enough to the point that even I'll watch the series. What I'm saying is that people need to cram a sock in it about parity.
While I'm on the subject, next to parity, the biggest bitchfest on the Sportsline forum is about instituting a salary cap for baseball. Shut the fuck up, please. It's not going to happen. I won't say "ever", but definitely not in this generation. There's even a luxury tax for those teams that go over a certain team salary, and only one team isn't scared shitless of going over it. The you-know-who's. And everyone who complains about it is generally a hater of said team. A salary cap clearly is going after that one team... MAYBE the next 2 or 3 on the list too, depends on just exactly where they'd cap the salary. What I hate the most is that some people who I saw bitching about the cap were Red Sox fans. Hello! Guess who's #2 on the salary list? The only teams' fans who I'd accept a logical salary cap complaint from are the Marlins, Royals, Pirates, and D-Rays.
Anyway. Baseball-wise, yes, parity is necessary. Parity is good for any sport. It works especially in the NFL where every team really has a chance at the beginning of the year. But reading an article by Steve Kerr at Yahoo regarding "too much parity in the NBA", he makes a fairly good point. "I believe, as a fan, that competition is most interesting when a few teams dominate and the rest of the league desperately vies to knock them off. Juggernaut teams become either adored or vilified, depending on the individual fan's perspectives, but in both cases, there is intense passion. The best example of this is the New York Yankees. Most baseball fans either love them or hate them, and almost all fans watch them when they're on television." Parity might be good for the landscape of baseball. But given the latest ratings, you have to believe that if Bud Selig could, he would somehow try to work it so that the Sox, Yankees, or Cubs were in the World Series 9 out of 10 years.
World Series ratings down... again.
Hypocrites. People who cry foul about there "not being enough parity in baseball" are bloody hypocrites. Throughout years of watching losers on the Sportsline forum whine and bitch and moan about there being too many of the same teams winning, I've seen my share of people whine about other teams "deserving the chance to play". Well guess what? In the last two years, the World Series has featured a team that hasn't won since 1917, a team that didn't have a winning record in over a decade, and a team that had never reached the World Series in team history. The ratings on those series? Lowest ratings ever. Seriously. Where were these people crying for parity during these series?
People claim that the change of scenery is good for baseball, and I somewhat agree. It's nice to see a former perennial loser like the Tigers get this far. But to be honest, I haven't been watching this series. I watched the end of Game 1 and that's it. I'm mildly interested enough to check out Sportscenter each night, but not interested enough to watch a full game. And that feeling must be mutual with about 98% of people not from Detroit or St. Louis. These bullshitters claim that the hundred million dollar teams are "bad for baseball". Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, Mets, Angels draw the most ire. But guess what? The highest grossing World Series, and usually playoff series, are any and all series involving any of those teams. Know which were the most watched playoff series this year? NLCS Mets and Cards, and the ALDS Yankees and Tigers. People love to root against the Yankees, and people who became Tigers fans for a week. Do you think anyone watched the ALCS against the A's? Not a chance. The World Series of '04 was the highest rated World Series in TV history, showcasing the Red Sox and Cardinals. The point is, how can these teams be "bad for baseball" yet gross the highest watched series? How can parity be "good for baseball" and continually set new records for rating futility? I'm not saying that we should contract all the small market teams because they draw no interest. Hell, I'm a fan of the Pirates and have hope every year they'll break out of the cellar. And the day the Rockies make the playoffs, that just might pique my baseball interest enough to the point that even I'll watch the series. What I'm saying is that people need to cram a sock in it about parity.
While I'm on the subject, next to parity, the biggest bitchfest on the Sportsline forum is about instituting a salary cap for baseball. Shut the fuck up, please. It's not going to happen. I won't say "ever", but definitely not in this generation. There's even a luxury tax for those teams that go over a certain team salary, and only one team isn't scared shitless of going over it. The you-know-who's. And everyone who complains about it is generally a hater of said team. A salary cap clearly is going after that one team... MAYBE the next 2 or 3 on the list too, depends on just exactly where they'd cap the salary. What I hate the most is that some people who I saw bitching about the cap were Red Sox fans. Hello! Guess who's #2 on the salary list? The only teams' fans who I'd accept a logical salary cap complaint from are the Marlins, Royals, Pirates, and D-Rays.
Anyway. Baseball-wise, yes, parity is necessary. Parity is good for any sport. It works especially in the NFL where every team really has a chance at the beginning of the year. But reading an article by Steve Kerr at Yahoo regarding "too much parity in the NBA", he makes a fairly good point. "I believe, as a fan, that competition is most interesting when a few teams dominate and the rest of the league desperately vies to knock them off. Juggernaut teams become either adored or vilified, depending on the individual fan's perspectives, but in both cases, there is intense passion. The best example of this is the New York Yankees. Most baseball fans either love them or hate them, and almost all fans watch them when they're on television." Parity might be good for the landscape of baseball. But given the latest ratings, you have to believe that if Bud Selig could, he would somehow try to work it so that the Sox, Yankees, or Cubs were in the World Series 9 out of 10 years.