Anyone else think that MLB should have ended already?

[14Red]

As long as the high dollar, nearly all-inclusive live TV packages dominate viewership, all pro sports leagues will be financially strong. There's a dance to be done as people go more a la carte in paying for TV. I think if we suddenly shifted to all a la carte, that would change markedly in pretty short order. TV contracts run a long time, but I'm not sure if they are staggered in interval from league to league or not.

As long as the bulk of TV channel buying decisions are essentially ceded to proxies for most of us, the financial dynamics will stay the same.

Live sports are the lifeline of TV networks. Some people like to do the a la carte, but I think the majority like to buy a package and include as much as possible. For a larger and larger majority of people, they are a following games on their phones, and not watching games play by play. That's the dance you are speaking of. How many of us now just wait to see the 2 minutes of high lights rather than siting through a 2-3 hour game? As inflation grows and people really struggle making ends meet, will TV streaming services, cable and dish start being cut by a big chunk of viewers?

 

[AEW Champion]

You say they put their heads in the sand? How? What else do you want them to do? They are not going to end the season at the end of July and have the baseball postseason in August, that's just never going to happen.

If they’re going to play this late in the season, play all the games Sunday night thru Friday night. They can roll the dice about people watching baseball alongside or over MNF, TNF and SNF.

But they should not be scheduling games on:

1. Weekday afternoons when a majority of America is working.

2. Saturdays, since there are a million college football games going on all day and night.

3. Sunday afternoons, when there are numerous NFL games being played.

By all accounts from the baseball Twitter accounts I follow, Saturday was a great day of baseball games. Yet I watched none of it live despite being a baseball fan. There were way too many solid college football games.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[AEW Champion]

Yes, that's a problem wolves, but here's two facts. Baseball franchises keep being worth more and more and player salaries keep going up. Pretty much everything else is irrelevant. You can pound the drum about the death of baseball, but financially, it's very strong.

Companies can keep gouging their dwindling hardcore fans to an extent for more and more money to make up for losing revenue from potential casual customers, but even that has its limits and it’s questionable whether it’s a good business practice.

A couple of primary examples I see of these practices in MLB are:

1. Increasing premium seating options in stadiums and strongly marketing them in order to gouge fans who believe they are getting a luxury experience when in reality they’re just getting access “for free” to climate control and food and drink items that would be relatively inexpensive anywhere outside the confines of a sports stadium.

2. Continuing to raise season ticket prices even as the base of season-ticket holders dwindles (see: Reds).

3. Failure to have dynamic pricing by lowering ticket prices when the team stinks or if they’re playing poor opponents (read: every Pirates-Reds series, etc.).

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

 

[wolves82]

Yes, that's a problem wolves, but here's two facts. Baseball franchises keep being worth more and more and player salaries keep going up. Pretty much everything else is irrelevant. You can pound the drum about the death of baseball, but financially, it's very strong.

Only a fool thinks it will stay that way forever. You cannot keep reducing the number of fans (in the stadium and watching on TV) and maintain revenue. If the trends I showed you continue, it is just a matter of time.

Reminder: I love baseball. I'm not happy about the trends, but I also am not blind to them.

 

[14Red]

If they’re going to play this late in the season, play all the games Sunday night thru Friday night. They can roll the dice about people watching baseball alongside or over MNF, TNF and SNF.

But they should not be scheduling games on:

1. Weekday afternoons when a majority of America is working.

2. Saturdays, since there are a million college football games going on all day and night.

3. Sunday afternoons, when there are numerous NFL games being played.

By all accounts from the baseball Twitter accounts I follow, Saturday was a great day of baseball games. Yet I watched none of it live despite being a baseball fan. There were way too many solid college football games.

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

Just not happening. Even with a big college football weekend, I'm sure regionally, baseball drew a pretty good number. Now, the networks are thanking their lucky stars that the Dodgers/ Phillies/ Yankees/ Mets / Cardinals all made the playoffs and not the Brewers, Rangers, Marlins, Pirates, Reds, Rockies.

 

[14Red]

Companies can keep gouging their dwindling hardcore fans to an extent for more and more money to make up for losing revenue from potential casual customers, but even that has its limits and it’s questionable whether it’s a good business practice.

A couple of primary examples I see of these practices in MLB are:

1. Increasing premium seating options in stadiums and strongly marketing them in order to gouge fans who believe they are getting a luxury experience when in reality they’re just getting access “for free” to climate control and food and drink items that would be relatively inexpensive anywhere outside the confines of a sports stadium.

2. Continuing to raise season ticket prices even as the base of season-ticket holders dwindles (see: Reds).

3. Failure to have dynamic pricing by lowering ticket prices when the team stinks or if they’re playing poor opponents (read: every Pirates-Reds series, etc.).

It’s true, it’s true. Trust me …

There is enough folks out who will throw down hundreds of dollars to go to a major league baseball game. When you see a groups around you who pay to park close, and then buy 3-4 beers and food, money is no object.

Corporations - at least some, understand the value of having professional sports teams and how that keeps your cities relevant. They will always support the home team.

If you pay full price for seats to a Reds/ Pirates game and don't look at the brokers, then that again is on you.

 

[cabezadecaballo]

maybe now


Wait until next year!!!