No WS Day Games in 2004

In article <1e4qjalssvqgv.dlg RemoveThis @tarkus.karnevil9.com> on Sat, 23 Oct 2004
20:42:09 -0700, karnevil9 RemoveThis @beer.com (Tarkus) wrote:

> On 10/23/2004 6:13:55 PM, Dan Szymborski wrote:
>
> > Going to daytime playoff games reduces the number of people that can
> > see the game and costs baseball millions in revenue. I can't imagine
> > why a business would want to intentionally reduce the number of people
> > that can buy/watch their product.
>
> It boggles the mind that we go through this every year, with people
> somehow thinking it's bad that games are scheduled so that more people
> can and will see them.

Depends. I have to take four half-days off work to watch the World
Series.

If you want the greatest number of people watching each game then you're
right. If you want the greatest number of people watching at least one
game, then there should be at least one 3pm EDT start and at least one 7am
EDT start. 2pm EDT would be 8pm CET, giving you an audience in Europe and
Africa; while 7am EDT is 8pm JST, giving you a prime-time audience in
Japan, China and Australia.

Sure, the main market is in the USA and Latin America, which all get games
at pretty civilised hours for the 8pm starts at present. So it really
depends on whether MLB wants to expand the market outside the USA or not.

--
Richard Gadsden
"I disagree with what you say, but I will defend to the death
your right to say it" - Attributed to Voltaire
 >> Stay informed about: No WS Day Games in 2004 

In article <memo.20041025020050.4116D.RemoveThis@tg001a0001.blueyonder.co.uk>,
richard.RemoveThis@gadsden.name says...
> In article <1e4qjalssvqgv.dlg.RemoveThis@tarkus.karnevil9.com> on Sat, 23 Oct 2004
> 20:42:09 -0700, karnevil9.RemoveThis@beer.com (Tarkus) wrote:
>
> > On 10/23/2004 6:13:55 PM, Dan Szymborski wrote:
> >
> > > Going to daytime playoff games reduces the number of people that can
> > > see the game and costs baseball millions in revenue. I can't imagine
> > > why a business would want to intentionally reduce the number of people
> > > that can buy/watch their product.
> >
> > It boggles the mind that we go through this every year, with people
> > somehow thinking it's bad that games are scheduled so that more people
> > can and will see them.
>
> Depends. I have to take four half-days off work to watch the World
> Series.
>
> If you want the greatest number of people watching each game then you're
> right. If you want the greatest number of people watching at least one
> game, then there should be at least one 3pm EDT start and at least one 7am
> EDT start. 2pm EDT would be 8pm CET, giving you an audience in Europe and
> Africa; while 7am EDT is 8pm JST, giving you a prime-time audience in
> Japan, China and Australia.
>
> Sure, the main market is in the USA and Latin America, which all get games
> at pretty civilised hours for the 8pm starts at present. So it really
> depends on whether MLB wants to expand the market outside the USA or not.

Well, the USA *is* by far the most important market for baseball and
they can only expand the market in ways that don't undercut the US
market. 7AM or 2PM games would do that. Sure, in an ideal world,
it'd be nice for China and Japan to get live games, but the required
7AM games would be simply horrible for the US.

--
Dan Szymborski
dan.RemoveThis@baseballprimerREMOVE.com

"A critic who refuses to attack what is bad is not
a whole-hearted supporter of what is good."
- Robert Schumann
 >> Stay informed about: No WS Day Games in 2004