Baseball viewership and attendance

Baseball attendance hasn't varied much over the past few years. However, baseball viewership is down considerably. The solution?
MLB needs to support online gambling on sports. Their viewership would double..........

Quote: steeldco

Baseball attendance hasn't varied much over the past few years. However, baseball viewership is down considerably. The solution?
MLB needs to support online gambling on sports. Their viewership would double..........

Maybe they could decrease the supply to increase the demand, which was responsible for higher ratings when television was less sophisticated. No, let's go with irrational arguments and ignore basic economic tenants.

Quote: Sonuvabish

Maybe they could decrease the supply to increase the demand, which was responsible for higher ratings when television was less sophisticated. No, let's go with irrational arguments and ignore basic economic tenants.

"When television was less sophisticated", some teams had home game blackouts. (I think the only home game the Giants had on free TV or non-premium cable before 1990 or so was at the end of the 1982 season, when the Giants, Dodgers, and Braves were in a race for the NL West that went down to the last two days. The blackouts included making sure TBS was blacked out when it aired a Braves-Giants game that was in San Francisco. They didn't mind letting Turner air a Giants-Braves game in Atlanta even if the local Giants station in San Francisco was airing it - just the home games.)

I would like to see the basis for the claim that viewership is down considerably. Is it based on regular season ratings, or just the World Series (in which case the teams involved could have something to do with it - outside of the Kansas City and San Francisco areas, who really cared about this year's WS)?

Baseball is simply not a great sport for TV. Of the big 5 it is 4th or 5th worst. OTOH it is one of the nicest to go to a game to relax, and still affordable enough it does not break the bank to do so.

I don't buy viewership will go up much. You can bet baseball without watching on stats alone.

Does this viewership include all of us that watch games via internet sites for free?

Quote: ThatDonGuy

"When television was less sophisticated", some teams had home game blackouts. (I think the only home game the Giants had on free TV or non-premium cable before 1990 or so was at the end of the 1982 season, when the Giants, Dodgers, and Braves were in a race for the NL West that went down to the last two days. The blackouts included making sure TBS was blacked out when it aired a Braves-Giants game that was in San Francisco. They didn't mind letting Turner air a Giants-Braves game in Atlanta even if the local Giants station in San Francisco was airing it - just the home games.)

I would like to see the basis for the claim that viewership is down considerably. Is it based on regular season ratings, or just the World Series (in which case the teams involved could have something to do with it - outside of the Kansas City and San Francisco areas, who really cared about this year's WS)?

I'm not sure the point of your statement, nor whom you are ultimately addressing. But clearly ratings are down. Whether actual viewership has declined is not so clear because of how different TV is now than it was in previous decades; there used to be 3 channels, now there are 900...obviously those 3 channels' ratings are going down. To me, the blackouts you mention only indicate a generally high demand; they blackout games to sell tickets. If demand is stable and low, and the blackout is used, no games are ever televised.
If you were refuting me, my only point was that supporting online gambling makes no sense and addresses no issues.

Quote: coilman

Does this viewership include all of us that watch games via internet sites for free?

no

Quote: ThatDonGuy

I would like to see the basis for the claim that viewership is down considerably. Is it based on regular season ratings, or just the World Series (in which case the teams involved could have something to do with it - outside of the Kansas City and San Francisco areas, who really cared about this year's WS)?

The below is from the "Sport Business Journal". Clearly down.....and by a bunch.



Year Viewers
2012 2.50 million
2011 2.74 million
2010 2.70 million
2009 2.70 million
2008 2.90 million
2007 3.31 million
2006 3.34 million
2005 3.60 million
2004 3.44 million
2003 3.37 million

Sorry, those are the numbers for just Fox MLB Saturday.
The others are similarly down.
http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2012/10/09/Media/MLB-reg-season.aspx

I love baseball but it is boring to watch on TV for any length of time. I don't know exactly what has changed over the years for m but I do know some of the strikes and other issues (steroids, etc.) have reduced my interest in keeping up with games on a day to day basis. Overpaid athletes, the end of team loyalty, the hugely rich owners, overpriced beer, tax-payer funded stadiums, etc. is some of it.

I liked the days when you could go to spring training and actually talk to the players without some sort of mob gathering--growing up in Florida was awesome; both Dodgertown and the Astros facilities were near my home.

Then another issue happened here that prevented us from tuning in every night for at least a few minutes--the Astros (and Rockets) had TV deals that did not allow them on Directv. With the Astros, why put in the effort to buy and MLB package to watch them lose 100? That situation may change soon, but it totally drove my son to other things besides checking in on the ball game. He is more important to keep as a viewer than me--he has a good 60 years or so to watch or not watch baseball.

RonC, all valid points. My point? It's that MLB should support nationwide sports wagering. It WILL stem the viewership losses.

Quote: steeldco

RonC, all valid points. My point? It's that MLB should support nationwide sports wagering. It WILL stem the viewership losses.

LOL no it won't. And it wouldn't work. In addition, there's not strong evidence that viewership is down, only individual ratings are down.

Quote: steeldco

RonC, all valid points. My point? It's that MLB should support nationwide sports wagering. It WILL stem the viewership losses.

I don't disagree at all with expanding legal sports betting--I think that states with lotteries--like Texas--that claim some moral objection to most forms of gambling while sponsoring the worst kind of gambling (lotteries) should either get on or off the wagon and allow all reasonable forms of gambling...casinos, sports betting, etc...if they want to have a lottery.

I don't know that MLB has to necessarily "support" nationwide wagering as in actually campaigning for it; just don't fight it. Let it happen in places like New Jersey and expand across the country. I also don't know how much that will increase viewership because most people who want to bet now can find a place to bet--either online or with a local bookie. Maybe making it legal helps a little; maybe not. It is surely worth a try...

Gotta get on Bovada now and place a ridiculously stupid parley bet for $10 to win thousands...fun and low cost wagering...

Quote: RonC

I don't disagree at all with expanding legal sports betting--I think that states with lotteries--like Texas--that claim some moral objection to most forms of gambling while sponsoring the worst kind of gambling (lotteries) should either get on or off the wagon and allow all reasonable forms of gambling

Lotteries are no different than voluntarily paying extra taxes. States are now addicted to the revenue. And Texas is the dumbest state in the US. Not exactly persuasive.

Quote: Sonuvabish

Lotteries are no different than voluntarily paying extra taxes.

As is playing in a casino--the State (or tribe) gets a cut of everything.

Quote: Sonuvabish

States are now addicted to the revenue.

True. That doesn't mean that you can claim a moral reason for not wanting casinos and still support the lottery as being okay. The politicians say casinos bring prostitution and other crime to the area of a casino; most likely, it is just stuff moving from where it already happens to another place.

They'll get plenty of revenue from casinos...and they will spend it poorly...

Quote: Sonuvabish

And Texas is the dumbest state in the US. Not exactly persuasive.

Perhaps if we controlled our freaking borders and didn't let everyone wander in freely that problem could be corrected. I don't think the geniuses are crossing the border--they are poorly educated peasants who add to the population of border states and HELP destroy the education system. That is a totally different issue, but your saying that Texas is the "dumbest state in the nation" isn't just because of things Texas does...and, of course, they finish low in many ratings but not the lowest.

I think MLB, and other sports, have had an edge in obtaining larger Advertising dollars for their events since those who do choose to view a game usually want to watch it live, and therefore cannot fast forward thru the Ads. However, with declining viewership for baseball, the ad rates will start to decline and baseball will be in deep doo doo. MLB will have to not only not stand in the way of legalized sports gambling everywhere, but MLB will have to support it. No time like the present guys..........

Quote: RonC

I love baseball but it is boring to watch on TV for any length of time. I don't know exactly what has changed over the years for m but I do know some of the strikes and other issues (steroids, etc.) have reduced my interest in keeping up with games on a day to day basis. Overpaid athletes, the end of team loyalty, the hugely rich owners, overpriced beer, tax-payer funded stadiums, etc. is some of it.

Is there a yearly comparison of the average length of a game over the years? It seems to be that they have been getting longer and longer. It used to be that a 2:30 game was a long one - now no one bats an eye if a game runs three hours.

Making gambling on baseball legal won't make it that much more popular; if you make betting on the WNBA legal nationwide, would its viewership double?

Quote: ThatDonGuy

Is there a yearly comparison of the average length of a game over the years? It seems to be that they have been getting longer and longer. It used to be that a 2:30 game was a long one - now no one bats an eye if a game runs three hours.

Making gambling on baseball legal won't make it that much more popular; if you make betting on the WNBA legal nationwide, would its viewership double?

It will absolutely help the viewership. The only question is to what degree. I think that it would be considerable because I believe that most people enjoy action and will watch a game that they have a bet on, one in which they ordinarily would not watch.

I don't think there would be a significant increase in viewership from legalized nationwide sports betting. A lot of bettors that I have met over the years don't watch the games that closely; some don't watch them at all. They just want the results. I am betting less than 5% increase; more likely around 1%.

It would increase interest if not viewership...

Quote: RonC

That doesn't mean that you can claim a moral reason for not wanting casinos and still support the lottery as being okay..

Sure it does. Gambling is wrong, we morally object. That's not gambling, it's a bunch of idiots paying taxes on purpose (and we can't live without the income). States don't open up more avenues to gamble UNTIL they are in dire need of money.

"that ball hit his hands, that's a foul ball. His hands are part of the bat!"

" Ok if you think hands are part of the bat, go down to Dicks Sporting Goods and buy a bat with hands attached"

-Former mlb umpire Jim Evans