2014 World Series Schedule Avoids Conflicts with Monday, Thursday Night Football
By Mike Cardillo
MLB announced its official schedule for the 2014 season late Thursday afternoon, which begins with the American League Wild Card game on Sept. 30. The World Series is slated to begin on Tuesday Oct. 21. A potential Game Seven would take place on Oct. 29. The big news here, as Sports Business Journal‘s Eric Fisher notes is that the Fall Classic avoids a potential head-to-head conflict with Monday Night Football, as well as Thursday Night Football which airs on network over-the-air CBS this year as opposed to NFL Network, previously.
Ratings for the World Series were up in 2013 from an all-time low in 2012. Game 4 of the 2013 Series between the Red Sox and Cardinals attracted nearly 16 million viewers, pushing it very close to the same number of eyeballs as the Packers/Bears Sunday Night Football game on the same night and the most since 2011.
The new postseason schedule, avoiding multiple nights of NFL Football, could work both ways for baseball. For one, Games 3 and 4 will take place on Friday and Saturday — traditionally the lowest rated television nights of the week. Friday it faces limited competition, whereas Saturday night it will be up against college football, including Ohio State/Penn State. Last year’s World Series began on a Wednesday and went head-to-head with Thursday, Sunday and Monday NFL games.
The other thought here, assuming you use Nielsen ratings as a be-all, end-all to judge a sport, is baseball won’t be able to spin football as a built-in excuse if the rating are low this October. At the same time, without the competition of NFL football, there’s a chance more sports fans might tune in to FOX to watch games without a gridiron option. The Monday Night game during the Series in 2014, as Fischer noted on Twitter is Washington/Dallas, usually a huge TV draw. The 2014 World Series game 5 (if necessary) will clash with Packers at Saints on NBC, as baseball cannot avoid the NFL entirely.
If you judge baseball’s health by ratings, 2014 will be interesting with it unlikely to include either the Yankees or defending champion Red Sox — traditional powers in large cities. If the Dodgers, who haven’t played in a World Series since 1988 make a deep run, it could positively impact the ratings. The Angels in the Series could have a similar impact, too, but on a slightly smaller scale. (Fans of whichever two teams make the Fall Classic aren’t going to care about stuff like ratings.)
Here’s the full schedule, which includes ESPN’s first postseason game since 2006.
Wild Card
Tues., Sept. 30: AL Wild Card Game, TBS
Wed., Oct. 1: NL Wild Card Game, ESPN
Division Series
Thurs., Oct. 2: ALDS A, Game 1, TBS
Thurs., Oct. 2: ALDS B, Game 1, TBS
Fri., Oct. 3: ALDS A, Game 2, TBS
Fri., Oct. 3: ALDS B, Game 2, TBS
Fri., Oct. 3: NLDS A, Game 1, FS1
Fri., Oct. 3: NLDS B, Game 1, FS1
Sat., Oct. 4: NLDS A, Game 2, FS1 or MLBN
Sat., Oct. 4: NLDS B, Game 2, FS1 or MLBN
Sun., Oct. 5: ALDS A, Game 3, TBS
Sun., Oct. 5: ALDS B, Game 3, TBS
Mon., Oct. 6: ALDS A, Game 4, TBS
Mon., Oct. 6: ALDS B, Game 4, TBS
Mon., Oct. 6: NLDS A, Game 3, FS1 or MLBN
Mon., Oct. 6: NLDS B, Game 3, FS1 or MLBN
Tues., Oct. 7: NLDS A, Game 4, FS1
Tues., Oct. 7: NLDS B, Game 4, FS1
Wed., Oct. 8: ALDS A, Game 5, TBS
Wed., Oct. 8: ALDS B, Game 5, TBS
Thurs. Oct. 9: NLDS A, Game 5, FS1
Thurs. Oct. 9: NLDS B, Game 5 FS1
Championship Series
Fri., Oct. 10: ALCS Game 1, TBS
Sat., Oct. 11: ALCS Game 2, TBS
Sat., Oct. 11: NLCS Game 1, FOX
Sun., Oct. 12: NLCS Game 2, FS1
Mon., Oct. 13: ALCS Game 3, TBS
Tues. Oct. 14: NLCS Game 3, FS1
Tues. Oct. 14: ALCS Game 4, TBS
Wed., Oct. 15: ALCS Game 5, TBS
Wed., Oct. 15: NLCS Game 4, FS1
Thurs., Oct. 16: NLCS Game 5, FS1
Fri., Oct. 17: ALCS Game 6, TBS
Sat. Oct. 18: NLCS Game 6, FOX
Sat. Oct. 18: ALCS Game 7, TBS
Sun. Oct. 19: NLCS Game 7, FS1
World Series
Tues., Oct. 21: Game 1, AL city, FOX
Wed. Oct. 22: Game 2, AL city, FOX
Thurs. Oct. 23: Travel day
Fri., Oct. 24: Game 3, NL city, FOX
Sat., Oct. 25: Game 4, NL city, FOX
Sun,, Oct. 26: Game 5, NL city, FOX
Mon., Oct. 27: Travel day
Tues., Oct. 28: Game 6, AL city, FOX
Wed., Oct. 29: Game 7, AL city, FOX