Posted on 10/28/2005 7:45:12 AM PDT by mainepatsfan
White Sox-Astros World Series lowest-rated ever Associated Press
NEW YORK -- The Chicago White Sox's first world championship in 88 years was also the lowest-rated World Series ever.
Chicago's four-game sweep of the Houston Astros averaged an 11.1 national rating with a 19 share on Fox. That's down about 7 percent from the previous low, an 11.9 with a 20 share for the 2002 World Series between the Anaheim Angels and the San Francisco Giants.
While the 2002 World Series, which went seven games, rated higher overall, it was only averaging an 11.0 through four games.
This year was a drop of almost 30 percent from last year's series, in which the Boston Red Sox swept the St. Louis Cardinals for their first title in 86 years. That had a 15.8 rating with a 25 share.
Wednesday night's 1-0 Chicago win had a 13.0 preliminary national rating with a 21 share. It was the highest-rated prime-time show on Fox since the final of "American Idol" in May, but still not enough to save the series from being the lowest-rated.
Despite rating so low in comparison to other World Series, the four games of this series were each the highest rated prime-time network programs on their respective nights.
Where I live in NY one game went on past 2:00AM !!!
Total B.S. and the major league scheduler can stick his ratings up his you know what. I'm sick of games in the est time zone starting at 8:30 or 9pm Totally ridiculous.
Well you have a minor market team like Houston then you have the secondary player in a major market, it does not make good for the ratings. You also had two underdog teams that haven't won a championship forever, so there was no David vs. Galith deal to draw in outside fan support.
Although I'm a huge fan of baseball and do not mind watching any team in the WS, I have to admit this series was a disappointment. Houston's offence basically rolled over and died.
The NCAA and NFL refuses to admit this, but by far the strongest business for sports books--legal or not--comes during the NCAA college football and NFL pro football seasons.
Doesn't help that baseball has become mind-numbingly boring.
NASCAR is gaining...
Football is doing well for one reason, and it's not gambling: it's the most interesting sport to watch. The pace is good, games are in general competitive beginning to end, and a big play in football generates more excitement than anything short of a perfect game can do in baseball.
Paying a roid two million a month to take three swings and sit down ruined baseball long ago.
What drivel. Football is driven by gambling, from Vegas to the office pools that keep otherwise disinterested 'fans' paying attention to the games. "The pace is good"? A play takes 5 seconds and then they don't run another one for 30-40 more seconds by the time they finally set the ball. Half the plays are boring runs right into the line for 2 yards, or incomplete passes. Gimme a break. You take the gambling out of football, and their ratings go right in the terlet.
Funny, I don't gamble at all and I love football. How do you explain that?
Ditto
If they could keep players like Terrell Owens from trying to turn the NFL into the WWF/NFL with their showboating, childish antics, then the NFL would be even more enjoyable to watch.
Owens ain't playing well enough to showboat.
"Paying a roid........."
Surely you can't be tarnishing baseball on this matter while giving football a pass. The whole steroid 'testing' program in the NFL is one of America's biggest shams ever. If they genuinely tested for steroids in the NFL, they would have to shut the league down. You could shut down most of the top college programs too, because those guys are juicing up as well, and have been for decades. Don't even try to give football a pass on steroids. As far as professional sports go in America. steroid abuse started in the NFL.
"Funny, I don't gamble at all and I love football. How do you explain that?"
You were discussing ratings, as an indicator of fan interest. Among the 'fans' who determine TV ratings or game attendance for any sport, you will have varying levels interest in that sport. And my point was/is, that in football, the gambling aspect brings in a far greater number of 'fans' who would otherwise be completely disinterested in the games. I remember from my office-working days that secretaries who couldn't name a single player on an NFL team would monitor the games over the weekend because they had three squares on a betting sheet, so they were in on the pool. Just the way it is.
Also, baseball plays 162 games in a season. Football teams play 16, and most of them are on Sundays, during the daytime, on what is an off-day for most people. Baseball plays every day of the week, and most teams still draw between 20,000 to 35,000 fans per night over a six month period, which is incredible.
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