NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 04: Derek Jeter #2 of the New York Yankees holds up the trophy as he celebrates with A.J. Burnett (L), Jorge Posada (2nd L), Mariano Rivera (2nd R) and Robinson Cano after their 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six of the 2009 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium on November 4, 2009 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
For years baseball has been considered America’s pastime, thriving off of the sport’s tradition. It seems as if the tradition is beginning to evolve in order to keep up with the modern fan. Interest in baseball has waned significantly in recent years with football and basketball dominating headlines and attendance.
Entering this new decade, the MLB is in talks to expand the postseason by adding two wild card teams in each league. The playoffs are what drive sports. The intensity and importance of it keep organizations, players, and fans all engaged. If more teams have a chance to make the playoffs, the regular season increases in value because there is now something to play for later in the season which means more meaningful games which means higher rates of fan attendance.
If the change to the postseason were to be applied, this is how it would work. The team with the best record in the conference would have a bye and go straight to the Divison series. The division winner with the second-best record in the conference gets to choose its opponent out of the three wild card teams with the worst records. The divison winner with the next best record would then pick their matchup out of wild card teams left which would leave the last two wild cards team unselected to play each other in the wild card round. The two division winners with the second and third-best record and the wild card with the next-best record would each host all three games in a best-of-three wild-card round.
The selection process is what would be the reality tv part of the postseason makeover. The teams would be making their selections live on television bringing an intrigue and entertainment value the league has not had. The goal is to capture the same type of feel Selection Sunday brings for College Basketball. Selection Sunday is a staple in the March Madness experience and the MLB would like to create some hysteria of their own.
These changes cannot be made until it is approved by the players and owners and finalized through the Collective Bargaining Agreement which expires at the end of the 2020 season which means the earliest we could see this new format would be in 2022.
