WCBN SPORTS
  • Home
  • The Team
    • Charlie Brigham
    • Adam Bressler >
      • Articles
    • Joshua Tenzer >
      • Articles
    • Jared Greenspan >
      • Articles
    • Zachery Linfield
    • Zach Corsun
  • About Us
    • Notable Alumni
  • Blog
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NHL
    • XFL
    • NCAA Football
    • NCAA Basketball
    • Sports Business
    • Sports Media
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Photos >
      • Michigan Football vs Rutgers (September 25, 2021)
      • Michigan Football vs Northwestern (October 23, 2021)
      • Michigan Football vs Indiana (November 6, 2021)
      • Michigan Football vs Iowa (December 4, 2021)
      • Michigan MBB vs Maryland (January 18, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Colorado State (September 3, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Connecticut (September 17, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Maryland (September 24, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Nebraska (November 12, 2022)
      • Michigan MBB vs Penn State (January 4, 2023)
  • Contact
  • Donate
  • Home
  • The Team
    • Charlie Brigham
    • Adam Bressler >
      • Articles
    • Joshua Tenzer >
      • Articles
    • Jared Greenspan >
      • Articles
    • Zachery Linfield
    • Zach Corsun
  • About Us
    • Notable Alumni
  • Blog
    • NFL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • NHL
    • XFL
    • NCAA Football
    • NCAA Basketball
    • Sports Business
    • Sports Media
  • Media
    • Podcasts
    • Photos >
      • Michigan Football vs Rutgers (September 25, 2021)
      • Michigan Football vs Northwestern (October 23, 2021)
      • Michigan Football vs Indiana (November 6, 2021)
      • Michigan Football vs Iowa (December 4, 2021)
      • Michigan MBB vs Maryland (January 18, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Colorado State (September 3, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Connecticut (September 17, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Maryland (September 24, 2022)
      • Michigan Football vs Nebraska (November 12, 2022)
      • Michigan MBB vs Penn State (January 4, 2023)
  • Contact
  • Donate

Ex-FL: An Obituary (and Possible Resurrection)

6/26/2020

0 Comments

 
By Adam Bressler
Picture
Fans support the Defenders at Audi Field in Washington, DC. Photo by Jonathan Newton / The Washington Post
It is official: Spring football is cursed. Despite my optimism that the revived XFL could become a sustainable institution within American sports, a once-in-a-century pandemic had to cut the league’s brake lines, just as it was building a following. And the worst part is that the XFL only lasted five weeks, less than the original iteration of the XFL in 2001, which lasted a full season, or even the mis-managed and ill-financed Alliance of American Football in 2019, which folded after eight weeks. Prior to the pandemic, the league had steady attendance numbers, growing fan engagement through social media, and positive reviews from legacy media critics. Yet the coronavirus halted the XFL’s momentum quicker than a skilled linebacker stops a scrambling quarterback.   

As WCBN’s semi-official XFL correspondent, I have been meaning to write a final homage to the league since Commissioner Oliver Luck suspended the season on March 12. However, whenever I sat down to reflect on the league, I could never type out more than a few sentences without becoming irrationally depressed. Yet, recent rumors that the league might return in 2021 under new ownership have lifted my spirits and given me the motivation to complete this obituary. Below, I provided a brief autopsy of the XFL’s downfall, took a look at the future prospects of the league, and produced some end-of-season superlatives.  

Like all other American sports leagues, the fall of the XFL at the hands of the novel coronavirus came rapidly. Initially, the league planned to hold the sixth week of its season normally, with the exception of the Seattle Dragons vs Los Angeles Wildcats game. Seattle was an early hotspot for the virus and in response to a proclamation from Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, XFL President Jeffrey Pollack decided on Wednesday, March 11 that the planned Dragons vs Wildcats game would be held without fans in attendance. However, that evening, the sports world came grinding to a halt as Utah Jazz center Rudy Golbert tested positive for the virus prior to a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA commissioner Adam Silver immediately suspended all games until further notice, which was quickly matched by the commissioners of the MLB, NHL and MLS. 

The XFL did not release a statement until the following day, March 12, when it too announced that all regular-season games would be canceled due to the virus. However, the statement mentioned that all players will receive base compensation for the entire season and left open the possibility that the league could return for the playoffs, scheduled for late April. Additionally, the league concluded its statement with the reassuring, yet later proven to be inaccurate, sentence, “The XFL is committed to playing a full season in 2021 and future years.”

That weekend, the league reported that a player on the Seattle Dragons tested positive for the virus along with a concessions employee at the stadium. For the following weeks, social media accounts from the league and its teams continued to produce content, including highlights from weeks one-five and a March Madness style bracket comparing the league's best play. The league office even selected an all-XFL team in the weeks following the suspension. 

However on April 10, all social media accounts went dark and Pollack informed the press that the league was terminating nearly all of its 400 employees. The league filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on April 13, leading several business commentators to consider the XFL to be the first major casualty of the coronavirus. In accordance with Delaware bankruptcy law, the company’s remaining assets will be auctioned off in early August, with the proceeds being distributed to outstanding creditors (The proceedings will take place in Delaware’s bankruptcy court since Alpha Entertainment, the XFL’s parent corporation, was incorporated in the Blue Hen State). Much about the league’s future is uncertain, but the next couple months will certainly be filled with speculation about what will happen to the former XFL assets.

As a result of declaring bankruptcy, the league published several documents revealing the financial state of the league. According to the documents, Vince McMahon owns 100% of Alpha Entertainment’s Class A stock but only 76.5% of the corporation’s Class B stock. Despite previous assurances by McMahon that the XFL would be entirely  independent from the WWE, the publicly traded company where McMahon serves as CEO, the remaining 23.5% of Alpha Entertainment’s Class B stock is owned by WWE Inc. 

Additionally, the document listed the league’s 25 largest creditors, which includes several of the venues where teams played, seven of the league’s eight head coaches (Pep Hamiltion of the DC Defenders was the only head coach who did not crack the top 25), and numerous third party contractors.

As required by the filing, Alpha Entertainment determined that its total assets were valued between $10 and $50 million, and the total liabilities were valued within the same range. Further specifics were revealed by a lawsuit from an Oklahoma firefighter’s pension fund, which is a WWE shareholder and was concerned by the corporation’s involvement in the XFL. Documents produced by the lawsuit show that the XFL had $28,855,733.77 in assets and $31,411,772.97 in liabilities at the time of bankruptcy, far from overwhelmed by debt. 

As the bankruptcy auction approaches, rumors have been fling about potential suitors for the league’s assets. At this moment, where all player contracts were voided, the XFL’s most lucrative assets are its intellectual property, which include team logos and names. Additionally, the league owns a reasonable amount of equipment, as well as some unpurchased merchandise and apparel. Reportedly, over 30 companies have expressed interest in the auction. Below, I have detailed the buyers which I find to be most likely:

The NFL
While it may come as a shock to many, I would not be surprised if the NFL scoops up the assets of its one-time rival for pennies on the dollar at the bankruptcy auction in August. Unlike all other major (and even some minor) American sports leagues, the NFL does not have any official developmental league. The MLB has the minor league system to develop players, which all teams are affiliated with a major league franchise, while the NBA and NHL have the G-League and AHL, respectively. Even NASCAR, the PGA, and the Overwatch e-sports league have some form of developmental framework. For better or worse, the NFL has relied on college football to develop athletes. From 1991 until 2007, the NFL owned and operated the NFL Europe, a forgotten gridiron football league with teams six based out of Europe. The league’s greatest legacy is probably hosting LaVar Ball’s brief stint in professional football. However, purchasing the XFL would provide the NFL with a ready to go developmental league for a fraction of the price of building one from scratch. With a spring developmental league, the NFL could keep its sport in the headlines year round, while providing the NFL network something else to broadcast and discuss in the offseason.

Disney (or Fox)
One reason the XFL appeared to be financially stronger than the AAF related to its television contract. Unlike the AAF, which was shown on NFL Network, CBS Sports Network and Bleacher Report Live, the XFL had much more credible broadcast partners. The league made a contract with the Walt Disney Company and Fox Corp, which assured that all games would air on either a national broadcast network (ABC and Fox) or one of the largest basic cable sports channels (ESPN and Fox Sports). This provided the fledgling league with instant credibility, and ensured that the league would be treated fairly by the national sports media (One of the many factors of the 2001 league’s demise is that ESPN declined to cover it because it was partially owned by rival NBC). If Disney were to purchase the league and revive it for a second season, it could broadcast live sports programs during a sluggish part of the sports calendar without having to negotiate expensive contracts with leagues. And XFL purists who are concerned about the world’s most family friendly brand taking over a gritty sports league should have nothing to worry about. Disney owns and operates the X-Games and several college football bowl games, both under the ESPN brand. Those events are not stuffed with Mickey Mouse memorabilia or Disney Princesses as mascots. If Disney makes a bid, I would expect the XFL to be operated similarly.  

Vincent Kennedy McMahon
The second version of the XFL was Vince McMahon’s baby. He wanted to prove that he could address past mistakes and create something successful, without the help of NBC. Ever since the first press conference in January 2018, it was clear that the competitive McMahon would not take failure as an option. He set aside two full years for the league’s development and pledged half-a-billion dollars to the startup, although only a fraction of that was ever spent. The $500 million investment was expected to provide a three season runway, at the minimum, when hopefully the league would be stable enough to survive on its own. That is why so many people were surprised when McMahon pulled the plug on the league and declared bankruptcy in April. Although nobody could predict a public health catastrophe of this scale, McMahon's backing could have been enough to weather the storm and restart the league after a vaccine has been developed, with a pre-established fan base. However, the bankruptcy proceeding could all be a ploy for McMahon to retain ownership. According to ESPN, some creditors of the league are concerned that he is simply using the process to escape costly contracts and defalt on the league’s debt. In a deposition, McMahon denied the allegations, but would anyone really be surprised if the wrestling magnate goes back on his word?

Another Billionaire
Regardless of how much interest an auction garners, the entire league will likely sell for a fraction of the price of an NFL franchise. It is not unreasonable to think that a billionaire without quite enough liquidity to purchase an NFL team, or too impatient to wait for one of the 31 teams to be listed for sale, might purchase the XFL as a constellation. Some names that come to mind are Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon), Mark Cuban (“Shark” investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks), Joshua Harris (owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, who has expressed interest in purchasing an NFL franchise), and Ted Leonisis (owner of the Washington Wizards, Mavericks and Capitals, and former owner of two Arena League Football teams).  

Several Independent Owners
It is possible that the bankruptcy auction, or some new ownership group, pawns off each team to an individual owner, following the franchise model that is present in all other American sports leagues. Although this model has some downsides, especially for growing leagues, it will be an easy way to inject cash into the XFL. 

Asset Liquidation
Asset liquidation is certainly possible, but I see it as the least likely option for the XFL. Last year when the AAF faced bankruptcy auction, all assets, which mostly consisted of sporting equipment and intellectual property, were sold individually to the highest bidder. A similar fate is less likely with the XFL because, unlike the AAF, the league proved its sustainability during normal business operations and, I would argue, that the value of the XFL is greater than the sum of its parts.

Assuming the league is purchased by new ownership, questions marks remain that need to be answered. The most pressing issue is who will play in the league next year. When the XFL canceled the remainder of the regular season, all players were allowed to sign contracts with other professional leagues. Since then, 31 players have been signed by an NFL franchise, while 14 players have been signed by a CFL team. In addition, Kenny Robinson, the only XFL player with NFL draft eligibility, was selected in the fifth round by the Carolina Panthers. The Houston Roughnecks led the league with seven players signed by the NFL. The New York Guardians had the most players signed by the CFL with four. The Pittsburgh Steelers signed nine players from the XFL, the most of any NFL team, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed four players, the most of any CFL team.

Regardless, if the XFL does return, it will do so without many of its top tier players. The league will have to likely recruit new talent, just as it had to do prior to the 2020 season. However, the positive reception from the NFL and CFL could be a blessing in disguise for the league. It indicates that the XFL is a viable stepping stone to the NFL, which could possibly entice undrafted free agents or members of NFL practice squads to consider the league. A related uncertainty for a possible XFL revival is whether veteran XFLers will remain on their current teams or if the league will start from scratch with a selection draft.

The other major question that I am wondering is whether any teams will move cities. In contrast to the AAF, which located teams in smaller markets without NFL franchises, the XFL sought larger cities with established fan bases. With the exception of St Louis, which recently lost the Rams to Los Angeles, all XFL cities were shared with an NFL team. This strategy played out with mixed success.

The XFL would be foolish to move the St Louis Battlehawks or Seattle Dragons in a future season. Those two cities had the most supportive fan bases, by far, with the Battlehawks averaging 28,541 fans per game and the Dragons averaging 25,616 fans per game. Despite only playing two home games, when other teams held three home games during the shortened season, St Louis hosted 57,081 fans in total, the most out of all XFL teams. According to ESPN, St Louis had already sold over 36,000 tickets for the scheduled game against the Los Angeles Wildcats on March 21, with internal projections estimating that the box office would have sold over 45,000 by gameday. 

Additionally, the Houston Roughnecks and DC Defenders are unlikely to move cities or stadiums. Both teams had strong fanbases present in the bleachers and on social media, certainly buoyed by successful play on the field. Each played in a smaller stadium, which is the right size for the XFL. Since declaring bankruptcy, some media outlets have reported that representatives from the league have reached out to the University of Houston, owner of the Roughneck’s home stadium, about renewing the team’s rental agreement. Similar reports have come out about St. Louis and Seattle. 

Of the remaining four teams, all would be ripe candidates for a relocation. A handful of cities with AAF teams proved that they could support professional football, with the San Antonio Commanders, Orlando Apollos and San Diego Fleet drawing solid attendance. I could imagine the XFL moving teams from its less successful markets to those cities. The Dallas Renegades drew decent attendance, but their residency in Globe Life Park, the repurposed baseball stadium, was far from perfect. A move to the Alamodome in San Antonio would make sense and allow the team to keep its branding and intrastate, Lone Star rivalry with the Roughnecks. A similar argument could be made about the Tampa Bay Vipers. The team drew decent attendance in Raymond James Stadium, but it is clear that the stadium is suited for an NFL-sized crowd. The team could easily relocate along I-4 to Orlando, where it would have many stadium options. Camping World Stadium (home to the Citrus Bowl), Spectrum Stadium (home to UCF football), or Exploria Stadium (home to Orlando City SC of the MLS) would each be a suitable home for the Vipers. I could even imagine the team moving to the Disney-owned ESPN Wild World of Sports if Disney were to acquire the league.

Despite playing in the two largest markets, the New York Guardians and Los Angeles Wildcats averaged the lowest attendance in the league. As the only cities with two NFL franchises, it is possible that many residents are uninterested in following a new team. The Wildcats could move to San Diego or Oakland, both cities which recently lost their NFL franchise, although I pray the team doesn't play in the Oakland Coliseum. There is no clear landing spot for the New York Guardians since the “Acela corridor” is pretty saturated with professional football teams. If I had to speculate, the team might be viable if it moves to Columbus and plays in Mapfre Stadium, home of the MLS’s Columbus Crew, but the Guardians might be better suited to move from MetLife Stadium to a smaller venue in the tri-state area. Red Bull Arena, home to the NY Red Bull of the MLS, might be a better stadium. 

To close out this in-depth obituary, I thought it would be fitting to award some last superlatives to some of the league’s best players. Every week throughout the season, I selected an Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Player of the Week. For this final epilogue of the 2020 season, I will choose a Player of the Year for all three categories, plus I will award the WCBN’s XFL MVP distinction to the league greatest player overall.

Offensive Player of the Year: Cam Phillips, WR, Houston Roughnecks 

It pays off to be the favorite target on the XFL’s only undefeated team. Cam Phillips, wide receiver for the 5-0 Houston Roughnecks, led the XFL in receiving touchdowns (9), receptions (31), and receiving yards (455). He scored the first points in Roughnecks history with a 50-yard touchdown reception in week one, followed by three receptions apiece in weeks 2 and 3. As a testament to his star power, Phillips was chosen as the league-wide “Star of the Week” three times, the only player to win the award more than once. Phillips has yet to be signed by an NFL team, but I am excited to see him play in the future, regardless of where he ends up. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Steven Johnson, LB, Seattle Dragons

Although not quite the Legion of Boom, Steven Johnson was a brick wall on defense at CenturyLink Field. The Seattle Dragons linebacker led the XFL in combined tackles, with 48, and tackles for a loss, with six. Johnson excelled during the Dragon’s week three loss to the Dallas Renegades, when he made an astounding 14 tackles. Johnson is 31 years old and has yet to be signed by an NFL team. However, if an NFL team is looking for an experienced linebacker, Johnson should definitely be considered.

Special Teams Player of the Year: Austin MacGinnis, PK, Dallas Renegades

Austin MacGinnis might not have been the flashiest special teams player in the XFL, but he sure was the most consistent. MacGinnis led the league in field goals, converting all 10 field goals that he attempted during the shortened season. Additionally, MacGinnis was dominant at kickoffs, leading the XFL with four touchbacks and six kickoffs downed within the opposing 20 yard line. Although his longest field goal was only 47 yards, his consistency during kickoffs and when attempting field goals was unmatched in the league. MacGinnis has signed with the Los Angeles Rams, but he will have to compete for the starting job with Lirim Hajrullahu, a former kicker for the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Samuel Sloman, seventh-round draft pick out of Miami (OH) University. However, the Rams will be featured on the upcoming season of HBO’s Hard Knocks, so I will be excited to see if he makes the cut during training camp.

WCBN’s XFL MVP: PJ Walker, QB, Houston Roughnecks 

Anyone who has even causally been following the XFL knows who deserves MVP for the 2020 season. PJ Walker completely dominated the XFL, leading his Houston Roughnecks to a perfect 5-0 record during the shortened season. Looking at the box score, Walker made the XFL his playground. He led the league in passing touchdowns (15), passing yards (1338), pass attempts (184), pass completions (119), and passer rating (104.4). I am disappointed that the season was cut short because I wanted to see if Walker and the Roughnecks could keep up the perfect season and continue producing those insane statistics. When fans and sports pundits remember the second iteration of the XFL, they will think of PJ Walker, just as people think of Dr J when remembering the ABA. Fortunately, Walker was signed by the Carolina Panthers, so with any luck, he will have a long NFL career.

I have been following the XFL since the revived league was just a rumor back in December 2017. Although the season did not end how I anticipated, it was so fun to follow the league from start to finish. It has been an absolute pleasure watching the league blossom and I hope that it will return again to reimagine football (but hopefully, this time doesn't take another two decades). 

0 Comments

Fixing Baseball in 15 Easy Steps

6/15/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Moments like this one are why we watch. Image from Bless You Boys
By: Nick Hornburg

Major League Baseball is not in a great situation right now. Some of it is not the fault of anybody involved (the global pandemic certainly qualifies as an undeserved obstacle), but a lot of baseball’s problems have been self-inflicted, and have existed for years predating the pandemic. Declining relevance, stagnant attendance, a tanking epidemic, dreadful labor relations, and a league office that oscillates between clueless and malicious have combined to put the game of baseball on shaky ground in the sports world. Fortunately, baseball is still flush with money at the moment, but it remains that America’s Pastime needs to get its act together going forward if it wants to remain an important part of the American sports calendar. Here are 15 reforms that baseball should implement in order to better grow the game, increase attendance, restore its reputation, and improve the product:

League Reforms

Bring Back the Montreal Expos
Regardless of what happens to the 2020 MLB season, the league is about to take a financial and reputational beating. The last time a massive interruption happened, which was the 1994-95 strike, the league kicked the tires on expansion, ultimately adding the Diamondbacks and the Rays in 1998. Consequently, it stands to reason that expansion is on the horizon once again, and it wouldn’t feel right if the league didn’t come full circle and expand through the return of the highest-profile casualty of the 1994-95 lockout: The Montreal Expos. Quebec’s MLB team died a slow death after a very good Expos team was derailed by the strike, and the time has come to right this wrong. Montreal should be more than capable of supporting a team, and revenue sharing (and hopefully a more responsible owner) should be able to insure against history repeating itself with the Expos’ decline. The Expos would return to the National League.

Add an Expansion Team in Portland
31 is a weird number. That’s why the NHL didn’t sit around for too long after adding Vegas before working on another expansion franchise, and that’s why baseball can’t stop at just bringing back the Expos. Portland has proven itself to be a decent city for sports teams. The Blazers have always had great fans, and the Timbers and Thorns (Portland’s MLS and NWSL teams) have consistently been well-supported as well. Portland’s location is also optimal, with potential for a Pacific Northwest Rivalry with Seattle, as well as ensuring the Mariners are a bit less lonely up in the northern corner of the country. Seeing as the Expos would head back to the National League, a Portland team would join the American League.

Realign the Divisions
With two expansion teams up and running, the league now stands at 32 teams. This makes the current division alignment impossible, or at least really strange. There are a few different ways one can realign the divisions, but for the purposes of making scheduling easy (more on that below), I’m going to submit that each league should have four divisions with four teams, sorted by geography, with this alignment:

AL East: Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles
AL North: Tigers, Indians, White Sox, Twins
AL South: Royals, Rangers, Astros, Rays
AL West: Angles, Athletics, Mariners, Portland

NL East: Phillies, Mets, Expos, Pirates
NL North: Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Rockies
NL South: Nationals, Braves, Reds, Marlins
NL West: Dodgers, Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks

With this alignment, the biggest rivalries (e.g. Yankees-Red Sox, Cardinals-Cubs, Dodgers-Giants) are preserved, and geographic ties are largely maintained.

A Shorter and More Uniform Schedule
A long season is pretty much mandatory for baseball, but 162 games is a bit too much. Interleague play, another post-strike invention intended to revive interest in the game, is fun in certain circumstances, but seems a bit unnecessary otherwise and desperately needs to be reduced. Just as well, intra-league play needs to be standardized, with each team playing the same number of games against each divisional opponent every year. In practice, such a schedule looks something like this:

20 Games * 3 Divisional Opponents = 60
6 Games * 12 Non-Division League Opponents = 72
6 Games * 2 Interleague Opponents = 12

This adds up to 144 games, where each team plays both a home series and a road series against each team in their league, playing either three or four (either 3 + 3 + 4 or 3 + 3 + 2 + 2) home series and three or four road series against divisional opponents. In the interleague portion of the schedule, each team plays a home series and a road series against two teams from the other league. Some interleague series would be played every year (Yankees-Mets, Cubs-White Sox, Dodgers-Angels, Blue Jays-Expos, Indians-Reds, Cardinals-Royals, Giants-Athletics, Rays-Marlins and Orioles-Nationals come to mind), while the rest will alternate each year.

Expand the Playoffs
Show me a league with a boring postseason and I will show you a league that doesn’t exist. Baseball’s playoff system, while doubtlessly fun and intriguing, is the smallest of the four big American sports. After having four teams per league for a while, the playoffs expanded to five per league with the introduction of the wild card game in 2012. The wild card game has never failed to disappoint, but the early rounds of the playoffs need to be improved upon, and expanding the playoffs is a big part of that. Given that the league realignment I mention above involves creating four divisions in each league, I propose that each league have seven teams in the playoffs (fourteen total), which consists of the four division winners, as well as three wild card teams. The winningest division winner receives a bye (similar to the NFL), while each remaining division winner plays a wild card team in a modified best of three series: The division winner starts the series with a 1-0 lead, so they only have to win once to advance to the Division Series, while the wild card teams would need to win two in a row in order to advance. This preserves both the randomness and unpredictability of the early rounds of the playoffs and the value of division titles. Beyond adding this early round, the Division Series should grow to a best of seven series, just like the Championship Series and the World Series, which should increase the likelihood of the better teams winning. Having more playoff spots up for grabs should also encourage more teams to try to contend in any given year.

Institute a Salary Floor
With all the talk of the problems of tanking in Basketball, not enough attention is paid to Baseball’s widespread tanking problem. Much of the concerns about Baseball’s decline are rooted in falling attendance numbers throughout the league, but when you look closer, the attendance numbers are not indicative of a dying sport. Instead, they are indicative of a large portion of the major leagues not even pretending to try to field a winning team at any one point, and the decline in payrolls league wide reflects that. Baseball fans have demonstrated time and time again that they will go to stadiums to watch teams that aren’t contenders (the 2008 Tigers averaged 39,000 fans per game; they went 74-88). What they won’t pay to see are teams that are drifting with no real intent (the 2019 Tigers average 18,000 fans per game; they went 47-114). The most straightforward solution is a salary floor. Teams should be required to spend enough money to ensure a living, breathing baseball team. This will improve the product league wide, and it will help the veteran players who are currently getting screwed by the penny pinching of the 19 teams that aren’t competing for the World Series. The argument against a floor is that some teams have been able to do well with low payrolls over a long period of time, but even that argument is flimsy. The poster child for small market success is the Oakland A’s. In 2002 (the Moneyball season), the Oakland A’s payroll was 30% of its market value. In 2019, that number stood at 10%. If payrolls grew with market value, every franchise in baseball would have a payroll of at least $300 Million today. I’m not asking for that, I’m merely asking that every franchise invest in putting actual major league players on the field every year. It will improve the product, increase gate receipts, and avoid embarrassments like Dallas Keuchel not getting a contract until after the 2019 season started.

Get Rid of the All-Star Game
You and I both know that All-Star games are not enjoyable. The All-Star break provides a nice gap in the season and allows a much-needed break for the players, but the game itself is dreadful. What is not dreadful is the Home Run Derby. Consequently, Baseball’s best move would be to drop the All-Star Game entirely and have more skills competitions. All-Star games are a good idea in theory, a game in which all of the best players are on one field playing against each other. But in reality, it’s pretty boring and not worth the risk for pitchers. On the other hand, skills competitions involving baserunning, fielding, directional hitting and throwing from the outfield, in addition to the Home Run Derby, would make for a much more riveting All-Star break.

Pay Minor League Baseball Players More
This is an issue that has gained a lot of traction in recent years, and it’s something that is long overdue. Most minor league players would be better off economically working at Walmart, and in a league that is structured such that the farm system is the lifeblood of any team that can’t print money every year in free agency (read: the Yankees), it’s just bad practice. When minor league players are paid more, they can stay in the game longer and take more time to develop, which leads to better players and stronger farm systems.

Gameplay Reforms

Implement the Designated Hitter Rule in the National League
The exception proves the rule. Zack Greinke is a passable hitter. Most pitchers aren’t. Since the introduction of the Designated Hitter, the American League has been the better hitting league every single year, and it looks like the National League has finally relented. It looks like the National League will use designated hitters if the 2020 season actually happens, and this could be the catalyst for the permanent addition of the position league-wide. Regardless of whether it is or not, it is encouraging to see that it looks like the Universal DH will be a reality within the next few years.

Allow Teams to Hold Larger Rosters and Scratch Players
As of 2020, major league teams carry 26 players on the roster, before expanding to 40 in September, dressing 28 on any given day. This is a step in the right direction, but I think something is being overlooked. The 26-man roster includes the starting pitching staff, four of whom have no chance of playing on any given day because they aren’t starting, so in reality, a team only has 22 players available on any given day. A good solution is to expand active rosters to 30 players, but only dress 25. This allows teams to scratch starting pitchers on their off days, instead of making them stand around awkwardly in the dugout when they know they won’t pitch, while filling their spots with extra relievers or hitters. Teams also wouldn’t need to use the injured list as much; in the case of short term injuries, a player can be scratched for a few games instead of going on the injured list. This also means more spots on major league rosters for young players, as well as the veteran middle class that has been getting squeezed the last few years.

Implement a Pitch Clock
Baseball’s pace of play debate will probably never end. The baseball neckbeards maintain that game length is not a problem and attempts to speed the game up devalue the chess game that the game can be at the highest level, while many others argue that today’s game drags unnecessarily, and the tension of the game has long since devolved into boredom. I am not here to tell people what’s boring and what isn’t, but baseball games have gotten progressively longer over the past 30 years, and the biggest culprit is an increase in the time between pitches. While cracking down on game length may not necessarily make the game better in the minds of baseball’s most dedicated fans, it will make the game more accessible to more people, as it’s easier to convince people to go to the ballpark for two and a half hours than for three and a half hours. A pitch clock is the simplest way to shave 20-30 minutes from every game, and it shouldn’t even be that big of an adjustment. Pitchers have demonstrated that they are generally capable of picking up the pace, and a pitch clock forces that adjustment. The enforcement would be simple for both pitchers and hitter: once fifteen seconds have passed after the pitcher has received a ball from the catcher, if the pitcher is not set, a ball is assessed, or if the hitter is not in their stance, a strike is assessed. This should cut down on the excesses of the slowest pitchers and hitters, while making games shorter and easier to stay with for the duration of the game, and hopefully, ensure that only a minority of nine-inning games extend beyond three hours.

Marketing Reforms

More Original Offseason Content
Moneyball is a great movie, but I can only watch it so many times before I cry out for more during the offseason. Baseball’s in-season programming is actually pretty good, but the offseason leaves much to be desired, particularly once football season ends and airtime is there for the taking. Baseball’s recent history is a gold mine for potential documentaries, but too often there doesn’t seem to be tons of interest in making them, which is a massive oversight that is seemingly magnified by the success of The Last Dance. Baseball should make a habit of producing offseason content about recently retired players and noteworthy teams of the preceding fifteen years, which at any given point would represent the memories that the 18-30 bracket would love to relive. For example, the last generation of baseball has given us the careers of memorable players like Joe Mauer, David Ortiz, Mark Buehrle and Ichiro, as well as teams that are memorable for the right reasons (2004 Red Sox, 2006 Cardinals, 2008 Phillies) and the wrong reasons (2007 Mets, 2011 Red Sox). There is no reason not to produce more documentaries on these stories, as they have the power to remind viewers why they appreciated these players and teams when they happened, and provide more insight into what was really going on in the game in these past years.

Ease Up on Regional Blackouts
It is absolutely absurd how hard baseball works to limit the number of people who can watch baseball games. Baseball’s regional blackout policy, designed to protect MLB’s TV deals with regional networks, is the most restrictive of the leagues, a flaw which is even more pronounced in the age of cord-cutting. Blackouts, in and of themselves, are not a particularly problematic concept. They’re good for protecting regional networks, and it isn’t unreasonable to expect viewers to pay for their local sports network, but in the linked article above, you’ll notice that Baseball’s blackout regions are massive, with tons of overlap (six teams are blacked out to viewers in Las Vegas), which both cheapens streaming options and makes it unnecessarily difficult for viewers to watch their teams. By making blackouts less restrictive (there is no reason for any MLB team, let alone four, to be blacked out in Buffalo), the league enhances its own streaming platform (MLB.tv) and allows more people to watch games.

Better Game Scheduling
Baseball’s problems with marketing its best players are well documented, but sometimes I think the discussion loses sight of something very important, and that is that the easiest way to market star players is to simply get more people to watch them play. Baseball has generally done a terrible job with this, particularly with players on the West Coast. Mike Trout is the best player in the league, but when his home games are played at 10:00 PM EST every night because he plays in Anaheim, nowhere near enough people are going to watch him. The same problem exists with Clayton Kershaw, Ketel Marte, Nolan Arenado, Cody Bellinger and Manny Machado, and it was a big part of why neither King Felix nor Ichiro ever got the exposure they deserved (playing on bad teams every year didn’t help either). I understand that during the week, there isn’t much that can be done, but on weekends, there is absolutely no reason for any West Coast game, or any game, for that matter, to start later than 8:00 PM EST.

Better Coverage Options for College Baseball
Adley Rutschman, the top pick in the 2019 MLB draft, hit .400 in back to back seasons at Oregon State. Spencer Torkelson, the top pick in the 2020 MLB draft, broke the Pac-12 single season home run record for a Freshman at Arizona State back in 2018, a record previously held by some guy named Barry Bonds. The average baseball fan has never heard of either of them, because watching College Baseball is damn near impossible for most baseball fans. Baseball is a bit unique in that unlike the NBA and NFL, Major League Baseball emerged as a major force in the American sports landscape before, instead of after, its college counterpart, and accordingly, college baseball is never going to carry the weight of college football or college basketball. With that being said, even though there are a few years separating players being drafted and players reaching the major leagues in baseball, it remains that college baseball players represent the future of Major League Baseball, which was even more pronounced this year, with more college players being taken in the first 100 picks in the 2020 draft than any MLB draft in history. College Baseball is fun and, like its football counterpart, includes elements that are not often seen at the highest level (baseball traditionalists should love the college game’s relatively conservative use of shifts and more liberal use of bunting and stealing). Just as well, being able to follow the College Baseball regular season makes the College World Series (one of the most underrated postseasons in the sports world) all the more fun, and gives fans a greater insight into Major League Baseball’s biggest feeder.

0 Comments

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    April 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    November 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    March 2016

    Categories

    All
    Adam Bressler
    Business
    Football
    Golf
    Jared Greenspan
    Joshua Tenzer
    Lacrosse
    Media
    Michigan Football
    MLB
    NBA
    NCAA Basketball
    NCAA Football
    NFL
    NHL
    Power Rankings
    Softball
    William Gregory
    XFL

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
Photo used under Creative Commons from Mike Sinko