Should the Professional Baseball League Structure Be Changed?
Recent news reports have indicated the current structure of professional baseball will be changing for the 2012 season. Baseball is a sport that has been around for years and changes that have taken place have proven to be a good thing both for the sport and the fans. The first major change occurred after the 1968 season. The process for determining the teams to play in the World Series would never be the same. The change involved the establishment of two divisions within each league. Changes in America’s pastime were only just beginning.
Changes in the way sports leagues are structured have come to be a way of life. In anything changes are inevitable but fans of the specific sport are impacted one way are another by any change that transpires. Some are necessary to keep up with the times and others are a result of input from fans or interest in cities having their own team. This is important as the prime objective of a sport is to keep fans happy. Keeping them happy brings income into the community and pays the salaries of the players which at times appear to be enormous. Over the years there have been several changes not the least of which involved the addition of teams and divisions. The structure proved to be well received as it allowed more cities to have the opportunity to have their own team. This was a good thing.
One of the changes being discussed involve having a National League team move to the American League creating two leagues with fifteen teams each. What the changes will be have not been finalized but it will impact both leagues. This will more than likely affect the number of games to be played in a season to accommodate the change in team numbers.
Baseball has had some tough times in the past between owners and players but they bounced back and brought fans back to the game. It is not publically known or finalized exactly how an odd number of teams in each league would be structured or how the playoffs would take place. It most certainly will affect the division structure in both leagues and it definitely will affect how the final teams for the World Series will be decided.
Once the changes are finalized which, must be in conjunction with the player’s union baseball will undoubtedly have some marketing to be done. Fans must understand the changes and how the game will be affected by them. Some fans will embrace the changes while others will take a wait and see attitude. Either way complete acceptance will most certainly not be immediate. Sports whether they are professional or school related get parents and community involved. Many times members of professional sports teams contribute to their communities through various activities in addition to their owners.
The benefits of professional sports teams are several. The first and foremost is the income brought into the community through visitors who want to see specific sports teams play. This not only helps the hotel industry but restaurants and retail stores. When individuals visit cities whether it is for business or pleasure they spend money. The more a team is popular or is high in the standings increases the potential for income to a community. This helps to provide additional revenue for cities that otherwise may not have taken place. It is a boom to their overall budgets in the financial times we are facing as individuals and as communities. The changes to baseball in the next year will also have an impact on the economics of communities dependent upon what they involve.