Why am I personally happy with the result of this year’s World Series?
It’s because I have a ton of friends who work for the Texas Rangers. They’re getting rings. I take a lot of pleasure in the joy I know they’re experiencing.
I also have friends who work for Major League Baseball, and I’m pleased for them as well, but for different reasons. For them, I feel like this Series bodes well for the future of the game because of who participated.
Prior to this year, the Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks had one World Series title between them and that came in 2001 in the D-Back franchise’s lone Fall Classic appearance.
Texas had gone to the World Series twice, losing in 2010 and 2011. Having begun play as an expansion franchise in Washington, D.C. in 1961, the club holds the MLB record for longest title drought since inception (which they no longer have to care about, thankfully).
This should matter to the league because it has 30 teams and is considering expansion. All of those teams’ fan bases need to hope they can win to justify continued support. And every time a team does win one, it creates goodwill that will live forever. For years and even decades, the front office will be able to find reasons to celebrate this triumph and rally fans with memories of this run. Lots still fondly remember the previous World Series groups. I myself put on the claw-and-antlers shirt I had left over from those days as I watched one of the games. The Rangers did a radio spot reminding folks that if they still had those vintage shirts that they could supplement with new postseason merch and I’m sure many fans will, now and in the future.
Nine different teams have won the last 10 World Series. That’s good for MLB, because almost a third of its teams have a recent championship to use as an excuse to keep the party going. The more the better, since you know for sure that at least one of your teams will go at least 30 years without winning it all, another will go at least 29, and so on. Winning divisions helps, and people remember those as well, but it’s not quite the same as capturing the biggest prize.
Multiple opportunities to reward one’s supporters with triumphs represents one of the best features of the cup system in place in many countries. Top-level European clubs in sports like soccer, rugby, basketball, and more compete for not just a league title, but one or more in-season special trophies as well. A team has multiple chances to win something in a given season (and celebrate it forever). Stateside teams in men’s soccer have long had the U.S. Open Cup to aim for, and a new Leagues Cup in conjunction with their Mexican counterparts got added this year. Miami FC fans will never ever get tired of discussing the silverware Lionel Messi and company took home in a season where they didn’t even make the MLS playoffs.
The WNBA and NBA have begun implementing similar in-season competitions in the U.S. The former has an advantage on other leagues in terms of potential championship turnover. While the circuit had a repeat winner this season in Las Vegas, the W’s small size (12 teams at the moment) makes it easier for fanbases to have hope. The Dallas Wings, led by a young core of All-Stars, could easily be the next local team to break a long drought. They haven’t won since they played as the Detroit Shock in 2008.
MLB has to also be pleased that this year’s two championship series participants are located in top-12 media markets that are not considered hotbeds of the sport. Both areas have decently-sized loyal fanbases, but there’s a lot of growth potential in both places. The MLB Players Association must be happy, too, because the Rangers spent money on players like many expect a big-market club to. Agents can point to this success when attempting to negotiate larger free-agent deals for MLBPA members. Both front offices did a good job identifying and developing contributors through their systems, too, though, the Tampa Bay model of contending without spending big certainly won’t go by the wayside (and also, well, there’s the Mets).
Personally, I hope the Rangers win again next season. The friends I made when I worked there deserve more rings. But I do have to admit that a Cleveland, Seattle, or Oakland (just kidding about that last one) breakthrough just might be good for the sport.
Rush Olson has spent two-plus decades directing creative efforts for sports teams, broadcasters, and related entities. He currently conceives and executes content projects through his companies, Rush Olson Creative & Sports, FourNine Productions and Mint Farm Films. Through MFF, he’s at work on biographical documentaries about Nancy Lieberman, Sidney Moncrief, Pudge Rodríguez, Ed Belfour, and Bob Lilly as well as a show about the The College Gridiron Showcase.
Subscribe to @MintFarmFilms on YouTube to see excerpts from upcoming documentaries.
