For the second edition of Readers Choice, loyal reader D-Lib asked me to discuss the two game playoff concept and whether American fans could ever embrace it. Since the answer is simple and not worthy of a long blog post, I decided to take it one step further and talk about multiple concepts that American sports should adopt from international soccer.
First are in-season international friendlies. Sportscenter anchors always snicker when they hear the term and they probably are justified in doing so. I have discussed the negative aspects of these games in the past, but really think for sports like baseball or basketball, this would be an awesome idea. I would totally be into watching the Mets take on the Nippon HamFighters or the Nets taking on FC Barcelona or the Devils taking on CSKA Moscow. These games would be no different than the All-Star games that glorified by the leagues and would give fans the opportunity to see new players and different styles of play.
Second, are in-season tournaments. This is a concept that is foreign to most American sports fans, but it is totally an awesome concept. Domestic soccer tournaments in almost all major soccer countries pit David v Goliath as pro-am teams are able to play in single-elimination tournaments against the big boys. Imagine a baseball tournament where the A and AA teams begin playing and are then pitted against AAA and then MLB teams. For instance, imagine the Brooklyn Cyclones playing the Harrisburg Senators with the winner facing the Trenton Thunder with that winner getting to face the Mets. If Brooklyn could pull off a few wins they would get a chance to take down the big boys. It would be great. And I don't think it would be tough logistically to implement - just play less games (162 is way to much) and allow every Thursday to be an Open Cup match. If the tournament is split into regions until the later rounds, then travel wouldn't be a problem either. As for international tournaments such as the Champions League, it would be awesome to have the Lakers in a tournament with Barcelona and Maccabi Tel Aviv. Who wouldn't watch that?
Third, getting rid of 7 game series in favor of a 2 game aggregate may not be the worst thing. This is the most radical of all the ideas and while I'm not entirely sold on it I think it might be fun to try. This is how it goes down: in game 1 the Yankees beat the Mets 4-2 at home. In the second game, the Mets win 6-3 at home and take the aggregate 8-7. It means that every runs counts - that there is a difference between winning 6-2 and winning 6-3. In the new sports atmosphere where showboating and running up the score is commonplace, I think this would be a ratings bonanza. Imagine if the Lakers win game 1 by 18 and the Cavs then win an improbable game 2 by 20 points? Instant gold. I know that the owners would never go for it because it means less revenue, but it might be a welcome and exciting change.
Finally, make national teams more important. Take a page from FIFA and mandate a day every few months where national teams take precedence over club teams. Let's see more international matches - more USA-Argentina in bball; more Canada-Russia in hockey; more USA-Cuba in baseball. Some might argue that this would take away the importance of the Olympics, but soccer handles it just fine. I say let's make the World Baseball Classic more important. Stage it every 4 years. In between, have more regional matches to build up the excitement. This could work. Same for hockey - bring back the old Canada Cup competitions.
All of these concepts could be huge. Unfortunately, owners would never go for it. It works in soccer because it is ingrained in the sport. The American public could come around to it if they were given the chance. I don't see it happening anytime soon but encourage the sports to give it a go. What do they have to lose?
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