Wagging the Dog

We've always referred to Major League Baseball players as "the boys of summer". Sadly, the boys have been replaced by old men in suits: the league officials and network execs. The coup has been gradual, but the national pastime is now subservient to those that manage and program.

Case in point: The New York Yankees are embroiled in a final push to win the AL East. Friday night's game was rained out, so a double-header was scheduled for Saturday. Now, one would think that the first game would start around 1:00 with the second game at its regularly scheduled time (7:00). The New York Times reported that the first game would begin at 4:00 and the second one at 9:00 to better coincide with the desires of Fox Sports. Screw the fans that would like to watch the game at a reasonable time and screw the players who now must deal with circadian rhythm disruption. It’s all about ad rates and programming and nothing about the game. “Big deal,” you think. “I hate the Yankees, anyway.” But chances are good that you enjoy some aspect of professional sports, don't you? If so, your sport of choice is being similarly bastardized to maximize the bottom line with nary a consideration for any other interested party.

The NFL is considering an 18 game season. Is that to bring us more football? Of course not: it is to provide more opportunity for spectator and television money to flow into the coffers. Never mind the health of the players. There's always some other schmuck to market as the next super-star. The major sports leagues currently overlap while exploring adding more games to an already bloated schedule. Even tennis players are complaining about the demands of a longer season and matches at inhuman times merely to cater to the almighty television network covering the event.

And when was the last time you took the family to a game? No longer a simple outing, is it? No, now it represents a major financial investment. So the stadium seats, if they are filled at all, are occupied by corporate clients and the like while most of the regular fans sit in front of their 53 inch wide-screen HDTV for a fraction of the cost and a better view of the game, to boot. All the more reason to concentrate on the network's priorities, perhaps, but at what cost?

The era of sports idolatry has come and gone. Steroids, doping, extramarital affairs, and other less-than-admirable activities have jaded the fan base to a point where any expectation of us showing up at weird hours to appease the powers-that-be is misplaced and overly optimistic. Add Tivo and DVRs to the mix and the true power of television timing starts to fade. Can a reduction in advertising revenue be far behind?

Remember when World Series games were played during the day so kids could watch? Remember when your sports idols weren't under clouds of suspicion for a host of mischievous deeds? Maybe its time to find other diversions that don't include the willing sacrifice of appreciable sums of money or blocks of time. Maybe its time for the dog to once again start wagging the tail.