World Series at a neutral site? Let’s make that one and done originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
A scan of the stands during Game 1 of the 2020 World Series showed a handful of folks in Houston Astros gear because of the proximity to their city. Most of the 11,388 -- a sellout -- wore clothes with Los Angeles Dodgers logos adorning a hat or jersey. It’s no surprise. The Dodgers’ brand reach versus the Tampa Bay Rays is a redwood versus a shrub.
Everyone at the World Series is in Arlington, Texas, where it is taking place in Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ new gem of a stadium. A retractable roof and all the shine possible are at the baseball park which opened this year before being used for the NLCS and World Series bubble.
This one-time centric gathering for the World Series brings to mind a Super Bowl -- at least in logistics. The World Series typically lands in two frothing towns, not a single pomp-and-circumstance location for more than a week. However, that premise -- playing the World Series at a central location -- is precisely the idea uber agent Scott Boras suggested to the New York Times this week.
Boras is often dispatching big-picture ideas, all of which generally stand to benefit his clients. The pursuit of doing so is part of his job. More money for them means more money for him. More money for the sport means more money for both. It’s a natural cycle.
But, the question here is if Boras’ idea has merit for a sport losing eyeballs both on-site and on screens. Major League Baseball remains a fuddy-duddy in 2020. Change for it is always slow and feels seismic because it’s so rare. So, would a neutral location for the World Series be a benefit?
Not if respondents to the question are local fans. A quick Twitter poll with 297 votes -- and numerous grumble bunny responses -- showed 91 percent were against a neutral location for the World Series.
This would be the main sticking point. Or at least an initial one. Organizations and fans tether much of the season to the possibility of the World Series ending up in their park. For instance, the Nationals are selling 40-ticket plans for 2021 which offer a chance at the postseason presale. An 80-ticket plan guarantees postseason access.
And, here’s how the World Series ticket purchase process worked a year ago for the Nationals:
-- NLCS Buyer Presale – fans who purchased an NLCS ticket from the Nationals will receive an email on 10/17 with information regarding a special presale of a limited number of tickets taking place on 10/18 at 9 AM.
-- Fan Club/NLCS Buyers – on 10/17 fans who are registered for the Nats Fan Club and fans who purchased NLCS tickets will receive an email announcing the opportunity to register for a lottery for the chance to purchase an extremely limited number of World Series tickets.
-- Fans can also gain access to a limited number of World Series tickets by purchasing a new 2020 Nats Plus plan. New 2020 Nats Plus members will receive discounts off of the price of single game World Series tickets.
Part of Boras’ argument for a central location is planning. Attending a Wednesday night game when school is back in session becomes problematic enough, even with the schedule being released almost a year in advance. The haphazardness of the postseason makes it all the more challenging. However, his main concern is corporate event planning. Businesses could target the event a year or more out. And it could be turned into a two-week process.
He suggests adding events -- the home run derby, etc. -- to bridge the time. The series itself would take Week 2. A series sweep lasts a minimum of five days (though Boras wants the series to be played every day, skipping the normal off-days reserved for travel).
Cities could still generate home revenue by holding events outside of and within the parks, similar to road games for those who cannot travel. This happened in Washington last year.
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE NATIONALS TALK PODCAST
Of course, what would be lacking is the core issue of homefield advantage, stadium quirks and fervent fan involvement. The Super Bowl has become more of a high-roller event than hardcore fan avenue. Gambling, being there and generally turning the week into mayhem exceeds direct fan participation in the game. The stands are not all red or all blue. No one is sitting in the seat they spent so many hours in with their dad or partner, yelling, hoping, wondering if they would ever watch a title chance in person.
There’s also no possible jolt for a small-market team when it makes the championship round. What would lowly-attended Tampa Bay look like for the World Series? How much would that proliferation help its attendance the following year?
Not much. Tampa Bay was 24th in percentage of home seats filled in 2008 when reaching the World Series. It moved to...23rd the following year. Cleveland reached the World Series in 2016 when it was 30th in home seats filled. It moved to 21st the following year, when it again made the playoffs.
So, sometimes a bad market is just that. And reaching the top of the sport provides a bump, not a catapult, for future interest. But that doesn’t mean the World Series chance should be taken from them.
Moving the World Series to a neutral location just doesn’t fit. And, it sounds like Boras’ pitch was met with a dismissive pat on the back from the upper reaches of baseball, leaving it to twist with other pitches he’s made that did not come to fruition. See you in home parks until the end of 2021, and beyond.
