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World Series: Regardless of Who Wins, Cubs vs. Indians Is Great for Baseball

By Patrick K. Flowers Sr.

Oct 14, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 6th inning in game one of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 14, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor reacts after hitting a two-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays in the 6th inning in game one of the 2016 ALCS playoff baseball series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Indians will play host to the Chicago Cubs tonight at Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio for the 112th edition of the World Series. Regardless of the winner, this year’s series is one that will benefit baseball for years to come.

The Chicago Cubs enter tonight’s World Series making their first appearance in the Fall Classic since 1945 when they lost to the Detroit Tigers, searching for their first World Series victory in 108 years. The Cleveland Indians made a World Series appearance in 1997, but have not won since 1948, when Satchel Paige and Larry Doby were doing their part in changing Major League Baseball forever by breaking the American League color barrier.

The storylines in this series write themselves, with both franchises going through decades-long championship droughts. But aside from the years of baseball futility, these clubs have good baseball teams – really good baseball teams.

Fourteen players under the age of 25 years old will highlight two rosters packed with youthful talent coupled with key seasoned veterans. Young viewers always love to see young players, and there will be some of the best young players that baseball has to offer on display this week, battling for the grandest prize of them all.

The National Football League is arguably the most popular sport (of the four major American sports) from a television ratings standpoint, and while baseball is America’s pastime, Major League Baseball has struggled to attract a consistent viewership beyond the die-hard baseball fans as well as the youth demographic for quite some time.

Football, regardless of the success of your favorite team, dominates television ratings due to a fast pace of play, with hard-hitting excitement. But beyond rooting for your favorite squad, football has always had an aid in attracting viewership beyond the die-hard fans. Gambling has always helped football attract viewers who otherwise probably wouldn’t, and in today’s day and age, you have the craze that is fantasy football.

Major League Baseball has made increased efforts over the past few years to adopt rules to increase the pace of play, and the overall length of the game. Is the length of the game really the issue? Maybe, but the quality of the product on the field makes far more of an impact than a potential pitch clock.

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Game 6 of the National League Championship Series this past Saturday evening was the most watched LCS game since 2010. Game 5 of the National League Division Series was watched by 6,368,000 viewers, making it the most watched broadcast in FS1 history, edging out an ALDS game last season between the Houston Astros and the Kansas City Royals, two teams composed of young budding stars much like the Cubs and Indians.

That game between the Cubs and the Giants was a 62 percent increase in viewership from the 2014 NLDS matchup between the Giants and the Nationals. FOX Sports Deportes reported nearly 200,000 viewers watched the game in the all-Spanish broadcast as well, putting the game over a total of seven million viewers. The numbers don’t lie – people want to see balanced teams packed with young talent, and this year’s World Series participants are the perfect mold.

Next: World Series Positional Comparison

Major League Baseball has a lot of work to do when it comes to attracting the youth demographic and engaging casual baseball fans. Luckily for Major League Baseball, this World Series matchup has the potential to provide casual viewers with an experience that could change the way they perceive that game of baseball. If this series plays out as a see-saw battle for seven games, highlighted largely by the game’s budding superstars, Major League Baseball can win casual fans over for years to come.

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