The first name in second reads.
Undercover(ed)
Small-market teams never showcased nationally
ESPN anchor, Steve Berthiaume, recently blogged in the "Baseball Tonight Clubhouse" his encouragement to Colorado Rockies fans to live in the moment as their team heads for the home stretch as the NL Wild Card leader. He asked fans not to go overboard and play the "we've been disrespected" card, like he thought Rays fans did last year. Berthiaume wants Rox fans to realize how much coverage they've gotten this year and will continue to get.
Berthiaume claims that every year a team wins more games than expected, become a contender, then fans are outraged that their team has been "disrespected" all year and they deserve better coverage and recognition. Maybe "disrespected" isn't the proper word, but I would substitute "forgotten" and "under-appreciated" into the sentence. Ask yourself some questions sports fans:
Cubs fans, how many nationally televised games did you see your team in this year? 12.
Cardinals, Mets, Dodgers, Twins, White Sox, and Braves fans? 10 or more games.
Angels, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, and Indians? 8 or more games.
Lastly, what about the Blue Jays, Marlins, Padres, Nationals, Pirates, Reds, Rockies, and Royals fans? Oh wait, you didn't get to see your team in a nationally televised game. Sorry.
Let's be real here. Small and mid-market teams do not receive the same national coverage as major-market teams. One year removed from a World Series appearance, the Rays generated enough excitement to receive six nationally televised games in 2009. However, the Rockies were given one FOX Saturday baseball game in 2008, the year after they were in the World Series.
Major League Baseball is beginning to look a lot like the BCS in college football with a distinct group of "haves" and "have-nots". All the BCS schools and major market teams in MLB are the rich, and no one else cares about "the poor," the non-BCS schools or small to mid-market teams in MLB.
Sorry Berthiaume, don't lie to me and act like you are part of the solution when really you are part of the problem. MLB should switch to a flex schedule system for the last two months or so of the baseball season, so we can maybe see the Rockies vs. Giants (showcasing two contenders) opposed to the Cubs vs. Cardinals. Baseball fans would much rather see two contenders playing meaningful, playoff-atmosphere games down the stretch, opposed to watching the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry for the twentieth time.
The national media certainly holds a powerful position in relation to the information they spread to their audience and it is their responsibility to make strides in providing complete national coverage; rather than entitling major market teams to the spotlight and forcing small to mid-market franchises to fend for themselves.
Berthiaume claims that every year a team wins more games than expected, become a contender, then fans are outraged that their team has been "disrespected" all year and they deserve better coverage and recognition. Maybe "disrespected" isn't the proper word, but I would substitute "forgotten" and "under-appreciated" into the sentence. Ask yourself some questions sports fans:
Cubs fans, how many nationally televised games did you see your team in this year? 12.
Cardinals, Mets, Dodgers, Twins, White Sox, and Braves fans? 10 or more games.
Angels, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, and Indians? 8 or more games.
Lastly, what about the Blue Jays, Marlins, Padres, Nationals, Pirates, Reds, Rockies, and Royals fans? Oh wait, you didn't get to see your team in a nationally televised game. Sorry.
Let's be real here. Small and mid-market teams do not receive the same national coverage as major-market teams. One year removed from a World Series appearance, the Rays generated enough excitement to receive six nationally televised games in 2009. However, the Rockies were given one FOX Saturday baseball game in 2008, the year after they were in the World Series.
Major League Baseball is beginning to look a lot like the BCS in college football with a distinct group of "haves" and "have-nots". All the BCS schools and major market teams in MLB are the rich, and no one else cares about "the poor," the non-BCS schools or small to mid-market teams in MLB.
Sorry Berthiaume, don't lie to me and act like you are part of the solution when really you are part of the problem. MLB should switch to a flex schedule system for the last two months or so of the baseball season, so we can maybe see the Rockies vs. Giants (showcasing two contenders) opposed to the Cubs vs. Cardinals. Baseball fans would much rather see two contenders playing meaningful, playoff-atmosphere games down the stretch, opposed to watching the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry for the twentieth time.
The national media certainly holds a powerful position in relation to the information they spread to their audience and it is their responsibility to make strides in providing complete national coverage; rather than entitling major market teams to the spotlight and forcing small to mid-market franchises to fend for themselves.
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