As the 2010 World Series between the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants bled into the month of November, baseball officials were busy talking about the possibility of adding more teams to its postseason.
Why not? Playoff baseball is a cash bonanza for the teams that make it to the postseason.
Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said recently that he is open to the idea of expanding the playoffs, even as early as next season. “We’ll look at everything,” Selig told reporters.
Players’ union head Michael Weiner recently said the players are open to expanded playoffs, although he suggested it could happen in 2012, believing that such expansion would be part of the bargaining in a new labor deal.
It will be complicated, that’s for sure, because adding two more wild card teams and more playoff games could result in lengthening the division series from five games to seven games. And since the World Series is now going on into November, it is not as simple as just adding another week to the season.
“We’ll look at everything,” Selig said. “We can talk about enlarging everything, but then we can go to Thanksgiving.”
Selig pointed out that baseball has “less teams than any other sport.” As the one who ushered in the wild card 15 years ago, Selig is right in declaring that it “has worked better than any of us could believe.”
But baseball may have to cut the regular season down by one week — from 162 games to its old 154-game format — in order to start cashing more playoff checks.
That would mean each team giving up four home games — four games without local revenue from tickets, concessions, parking and the rest the pockets owners reach into for each game.
Then again, if your team is not in playoff contention in those final four games, how many people really show up at the ballpark?
Two more wild card spots could mean more teams in a race for those positions in the final weeks of the season, which will translate into more interest in those teams at the box office.
And for those teams that make it to baseball’s postseason, the rewards are there — not just for the revenues for the team hosting capacity crowds at playoff ticket prices, but also for their communities.
Postseason baseball games at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington have brought in an estimated $1.25 million in economic benefit and an additional $15,000 in ticket sales tax revenue per game, according to Arlington officials.
In Philadelphia, city officials estimated that each postseason game generated about $2.1 million in local revenue from visiting fans, media, and others, along with amusement, sales, parking and hotel room taxes.
The benefits go far beyond the boundaries of those communities. In Arizona, where both the Rangers and Giants have their spring training facilities, officials there are expecting a significant increase in ticket sales next spring.
So expect at least two more teams on baseball’s postseason stage in the future, putting the field at one-third of the existing 30 franchises. Maybe by the time the field includes three-quarters of the teams, Washington may benefit from playoff baseball.
Examiner columnist Thom Loverro is the co-host of “The Sports Fix” from noon to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday on ESPN 980 and espn980.com. Contact him at [email protected]
