MLB News: 2023 World Series ‘Lowest Rated and Least Watched’ Ever
It seems that sports are none too keen on an Arizona Diamondbacks vs Texas Rangers World Series. According to SportsMediaWatch.com, Game 1 of the Fall Classic drew just 9.17 million viewers, even fewer than the previous low which featured the Los Angeles Dodgers and Tampa Bay Rays in the bubble in 2020 (Game 2 drew 9.184 million viewers).
It’s hard to say if that’s an indictment on MLB as a whole or just casual fans being less interested in seeing teams not from New York or Los Angeles. The ratings figures for Game 2 have yet to come back at the time of this writing.
Dodgers broadcaster — and FOX lead play by play man — Joe Davis spoke with the LA Times about the expected struggles for this World Series match up.
“Television is always going to want the top two-rated markets in any matchup, in any big game. But the way I like to look at it is, this is really cool that we have two teams that we get to introduce to everybody. It would have been amazing to have Bryce Harper in the World Series. But it’s going to be a lot of fun — and a cool responsibility — to introduce everybody to Corbin Carroll, and to have that first chance to have these guys on a national stage.”
For however excited Davis is, it seems the national audience hasn’t quite caught up just yet.
The World Series continues with Game 3 kicking off at 5:03 PM PT on FOX tonight.
Photo Credit: Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports
The games don’t need to be from LA or NY in order to be a draw. They do need to be the best team in the NL and the best in the AL, which would make for the only real WS. The playoff format needs a work-over to ensure the teams with the best record in the NL and AL go straight to the NLCS and ALCS to give them at least a shot at playing each other. The other teams in the postseason can battle each other for the chance to meet the best in the league.
Sorry, this doesn’t make any sense whatsoever. Lifelong LA Dodgers fan here, but the only thing the 162 games gives you is possibly one more game at home in a series vs. a lower seeded team. Your proposal goes back to pre-1069, when the regular season team with the best record in each league won their league’s pennant and then played each other in the World Series. We’re not there anymore. I want the Dodgers to win when it counts…in October. If they can’t do that, then they are not the best team in the NL. Hard to blame a 2 year old playoff format for their failures. Last year, #1 seed in AL won the whole thing. This year is a #5 vs. a #6. The better regular season teams, ahem, looking at you LA, need to figure out how to win in the playoffs, not focus on winning yet another pathetic participation trophy. Lower seeds have absolutely no pressure and nothing to lose. They don’t roll over and play dead because they finished 22 games back (2022 Padres) or 16 games back (2023 DBacks). The lower seeded teams and managers seem to know this; it’s time LA and especially Dave Roberts, figure this out.
It’s refreshing to not see a metropolitan team make it to the WS for once since 2016. I’m a dodger fan too, but seeing different teams there is nice, and my heart doesn’t have to risk a stroke since the dodgers would probably do that to me. Also I give the Dbacks credit, they are a pretty impressive team. Let’s see how the rest of this series plays out. I’d also like to note, after hearing a couple of interviews from both teams, these two are the most humble teams to make it this far in a very long time. I don’t think many teams are humble like these 2. This matchup is just a classic pre pre stat cast era when you think about it, bunts, steals, cat and mouse, Bruce Boche, cmon! It’s baseball let’s enjoy it!!
Baseball has become a joke if you’re not good enough to win your division you don’t belong in the World Series are the playoffs what incentive does it give teams to win their division when they left her team can get in there send them home doesn’t figure bad rules make for a bad game
At this point they should just have a giant 2 game elimination tourney. all teams at the end of the season. No rest periods. Just seeding based on records.