Make no mistake, MLB: Orioles are helping your bottom line.
New playoff teams means renewed interest in the playoffs. A recent economic report said advertising and business revenues could blast off.
Ahhh, the Major League Baseball playoffs are just around the corner and this year, we will see some new playoff teams that have not been to the promised land in quite some time.
The Baltimore Orioles will return to the postseason for the first time in 7 years thanks in part to an amazing run that has been routinely dismissed by the media as nothing but a fluke and just simply luck. Well then, the Orioles must be the luckiest teams in baseball. Thanks to a steady offense, surprise breakout players, play-it-safe pitching, and strong all-around play, the Orioles have guided themselves to a surprising showing in the American League.
Orioles have beaten the PECOTA by 23 wins and stand +7 over Pythagorean expected W/L which would be the highest since the 1961 Cincinnati Reds for a playoff team.
I have to say this: This team has been playing like a unit ready to take next big step. Yes, they’ve had a miscue here and there but overall, they’ve managed to overcome adversity and play like champions. As a fan, I am pleased that they have outperformed expectations. If the Orioles stay the course and if 9 men play 9 innings of hard-fought ball, then they will be in the World Series. The fans are going to be behind them and they are ready to put aside the demons of the past. Adley Rutschman is the clear captain of the team, he is the one everyone looks up to and goes to for advice. He keeps his pitchers sound and upbeat even if they have a bad performance because bad performances are part of baseball and part of the growing experience.
Major League Baseball and advertisers really don’t seem too thrilled at the prospect that only 3 teams with large-scale media markets (Chicago North Side (for now), Arlington-Dallas area and Los Angeles) are in the playoffs. But I don’t think they understand new teams brings new interest and youthful sponsorships. New York and Boston are not in it because of their lackluster seasons and fans seem generally pleased that they won’t have to hear about the Yankees this and the Yankees that or Red Sox this and Red Sox that.
Last year’s playoffs gaged very little interest. Ratings and viewership were some of the lowest in history. An apparent economic and revenue report generated saw a nearly 28.2% decrease in revenues because people weren’t tuned in.
Now imagine if you will teams that haven’t won a World Series just yet playing for the title. That will generate a lot of interest and higher revenues.
This year’s advertising revenues could explode by more than 65% thanks to teams who haven’t been to the playoffs in a long time thanks to a recent economic report for Major League Baseball. It is also helped by the fact that games were going faster (only 9 games that went over 3h30m) and that this year saw many teams break records for crowds thanks to the weather and minimal rain delays and postponements.
While the national media continues to dismiss, discount, and disavow the Orioles record as just a fluke, people will be tuning into these games in the playoffs, no doubt. The economic record at the end will show.
