National TV Ratings Don't Tell the Real Story
By Greg Lucas

The 2006 World Series between the St Louis Cardinals and Detroit Tigers had the lowest television ratings ever. That means to some television analysts that fewer people care about baseball than ever before. That argument is flawed however. It only means fewer people watched the World Series than in past years. It says nothing about the interest in the game or even the number of eyeballs watching baseball during the season.

There is no question that the importance of the World Series has slipped. That was a natural result of adding earlier playoff rounds. It was also a natural result of the post season slipping deeper into the fall.

But the sport of Major League Baseball has never been healthier. Total attendance is way higher, both in average per team and total, than in the so called glory days of the '50s and '60s. Almost every game is now available on television and cumulative television ratings with all clubs shows more eyeballs on the game than ever before. Revenues have never been higher.

Certainly since baseball came upon the scene other professional sports have grown and in pro football’s case boomed. But until football starts playing 162 games a season the two sports can never be truly compared. That includes comparing television ratings. They are quite different. There is also plenty of room for both sports and even more to be fully successful. I’m all for it. Just don’t bad mouth baseball—the most nearly perfect game ever invented.