Major League Baseball’s postseason has been a success, with high viewership numbers for the championship series so far. The first game of the National League Championship Series between the New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers drew the most viewers since 2009, while the American League Championship Series between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Guardians saw a 4% increase in viewership compared to last year. The championship series have been competing with popular NFL games, but have still managed to capture the audience’s attention.
Concerns about MLB’s cultural relevance have been raised in recent years, particularly with younger generations having shorter attention spans. However, the league has made efforts to increase engagement with rule changes and by promoting generational stars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge. The 2024 regular season was also successful, with increases in attendance, fan engagement, streaming, and viewership, attributed to shorter games and rule changes that promote more action.
MLB has implemented rule changes such as making bases larger and restricting the shift to increase game action. The league has also highlighted generational stars like Ohtani and Judge, who play for the Dodgers and Yankees, respectively. The remaining teams in the championship series, Mets and Guardians, have their own storylines, with the Mets turning their season around after a winning streak and the Guardians seeing success behind star Jose Ramirez. The Yankees lead the series against the Guardians, while the Mets-Dodgers series is tied.
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