If you try to find me on Wednesday night, look no further than my couch. That’s where I’ll be, watching the World Series. As Dane Cook says in his advertisement for the Major League Baseball playoffs, “There is only one October.” We are right in the midst of one of the most exciting times of the year in the sports world. At least, that’s the way it used to be. The World Series was more popular than any other sporting event. Whole cities lived and died by their teams’ success (or lack thereof). Entire neighborhoods would gather around a single radio to hear the broadcast of their team’s away game. So, what happened? Baseball has been on the decline throughout much of the country. Many people agree football has surpassed baseball as “our national pastime.” The Super Bowl is consistently one of the highest-rated television programs of the year, while television ratings for the World Series have steadily dropped. This past year’s series, according to the Baseball Almanac, was viewed by only 17 percent of the televisions turned on at that time, refrred to as the ratings share. From 1968 to 1982, that number never dropped below 45 percent. Since then, the World Series has only topped the 45 percent mark once, in 1986 when the Boston Red Sox seemed poised to shed the infamous “Curse of the Bambino,” attempting to win their first championship since 1918. By comparison, the NFL Super Bowl has topped the 60 percent share in each year since 1968. In that span, the highest share achieved by the World Series was 59 percent, in 1971. There’s no denying it – football is king. But which of the two events is more exciting? This question seems loaded, considering the word “exciting” is completely subjective and thus varies from person to person. Solid arguments can be made for both sides. For me, the World Series is more exciting than the Super Bowl. I realize such a statement is blasphemous in the Deep South, where football is not merely a sport, but a way of life. I love football – few things make me happier than seeing the look on Auburn fans’ faces after Demetrius Byrd caught the last-second, game-winning touchdown Saturday. Personally, I find there to be more drama involved in the World Series. Sure, it could end in a four-game sweep, but there are still four games, compared to the Super Bowl’s one. For a die-hard baseball fan who will watch every game, a series involving at least four games is immensely exciting. Then there’s the rarity – a seven-game series. The last time this happened was in 2002, when the Anaheim Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) staged an exhilarating comeback in Game 6 to carry momentum into the final game, defeating the San Francisco Giants to capture the crown as baseball’s best. For an American viewership with the attention span of a toddler, it’s easy to see why the Super Bowl constantly destroys the World Series in the ratings battle. One game is easier to follow and more convenient than four. This past year’s Super Bowl saw one of America’s biggest names (Peyton Manning) finally winning it all. It was a blowout win, of course, but it was nevertheless exciting to see a native New Orleanian win the big one.
This year’s World Series is an even better story. The Colorado Rockies entered the league in 1993 and have made the playoffs only once prior to the 2007 season. On Sept. 16, it seemed the citizens of Denver would again be watching other teams vie for the title, as the Rockies were 76-72. What followed, however, was one of the greatest season-ending performances in baseball history. The Rockies won 14 of their last 15 games, including a dramatic 13-inning tiebreaker game against the San Diego Padres to lock up the final National League playoff spot and go to only the second playoffs in franchise history.
Then they swept the Philadelphia Phillies in three games and the Arizona Diamondbacks in four, winning 21 of their last 22 games to go into the World Series as one of the hottest teams in history.
Exciting? There’s no doubt in my mind even the most casual baseball fan is itching to see if the Rockies will continue their magical postseason run and win it all.
Football is king in the South and certainly wins the popularity award every season, but there is nothing that can match the excitement of baseball’s Fall Classic. It may not be as popular as it was in years past, but the World Series can still be the most thrilling sporting event of the year.
Just ask Rockies fans.
—Contact Jack Collens at [email protected]