In what may be looked at more as a sign of the changing times, the MLB playoffs took a beating in the TV ratings over the weekend despite the beginning of the League Championship Series.
Most notably, Game 2 of the NLCS between the Giants and Phillies took a proverbial beating in the ratings. According to USA Today, the NLCS received a respectable 6.5 rating. Conversely, though, the Sunday night football game between the Colts and Redskins earned an eye-popping 13.2.
According to the article, it was the highest national primetime rating for an NFL game going opposite an LCS game since 1997.
So while it's tough to foresee such a difference in ratings, the discrepancy may be an indication of a couple of things.
First, it may have been poor scheduling on the part of Major League Baseball. It probably wasn't the most ideal time for them to start the series — up against the NFL and even college football on Saturday. But, they had to start the series at some point, and maybe the rationale is to absorb the early ratings hit and hope that a captivating series make up for it at some point.
The more pressing issue, and likely the bigger reason for the unsightly difference, is that this may be a sign of the changing times. The NFL is now king. Baseball has been passed by the NFL in terms of interest, a combination of savvy marketing on the NFL's part as well as a changing society.
Whatever the real reason actually is, if it is just one, Major League Baseball needs to do something before they find themselves with a problem they can't fix.
