The Business of Baseball
At Advantexe, we often explore business and leadership topics through things that happen in our
The series is now tied at 1–1, and I missed most of the first game and the entire second game. Not because I wasn’t interested. I was working. And I’m sure plenty of fans in Philadelphia and Atlanta have been in the same situation.
As a Phillies fan, that is frustrating. As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about business acumen, it raises questions about the trade-offs behind the scheduling decision. I don’t have MLB’s financial models or audience research. Maybe the decision-makers have data that supports this approach. But does that analysis consider the full business impact, including the local engagement and spending lost when fans cannot watch?
Start with a simple question: Who can actually watch a game at 2:00 on a weekday? People are working, attending meetings, serving customers, and managing deadlines. Some will have it on in the background or check the score between calls. That was about all I could manage. Following a score is a very different experience from sitting down to watch your team compete in the playoffs.
In Philadelphia, a playoff game is an event. People put on their jerseys, meet friends, order food, and plan their evening around it. That happens whether the Phillies are home or away. Restaurants, bars, supermarkets, and delivery services all have opportunities to benefit. The game creates a reason to spend.
A 2:00 start changes that. Does a group dinner become someone checking their phone at a desk? Does a crowded bar become a smaller afternoon gathering? Do servers lose potential tips? Some spending may shift to another time, and some businesses may welcome the afternoon traffic. But how much business disappears because people simply cannot participate?
Then there are the kids. At 2:00, many are still in school. After that come practices, activities, homework, and parents driving everyone around. A playoff game that could become a shared family experience becomes something squeezed between other commitments.
That matters beyond this week’s ratings. Baseball is competing for attention with TikTok, Instagram, gaming, and everything else on a kid’s screen. Many of us remember listening to daytime games on a radio and hanging on every pitch (I’m dating myself a bit here). But expecting today’s kids to build the same habits in a very different world seems like a questionable growth strategy.
We discuss long-term strategy in our business acumen programs, including how decisions today affect your ability to attract and retain customers tomorrow. So I have to ask this question. Is it a solid long-term strategy to essentially shut out your future target market from some of your most exciting games? If you want the next generation to become baseball fans, shouldn’t you make it easier for them to watch?
I understand the argument for spreading games across the day. Separate broadcast windows could give advertisers more exposure and allow fans to watch multiple series. But having a television on does not necessarily mean someone is paying attention. If people are answering emails and taking calls, how much value are those advertisers actually getting?
And how many fans in Philadelphia and Atlanta will watch an entire Yankees–Red Sox game in prime time? To me, that is the trade-off worth looking at. Would you gain more by letting those two markets watch their own teams in the evening, including casual fans who might join friends or family, than by hoping they tune in to another series later? It seems like getting more of Philadelphia and Atlanta engaged in their own playoff game would be more valuable than losing much of their attention during the workday. Would overlapping evening games really be worse for business, or are we giving up a larger local audience to chase a smaller additional national audience?
This is the kind of discussion we bring into our business acumen programs and business simulations. One decision can affect an entire business system. In this case, the potential impacts include:
Lost revenue: Fewer group gatherings could mean less spending on food, drinks, groceries, and delivery.
Lost income: Servers, bartenders, and other workers could miss out on tips and additional earning opportunities.
Lower customer satisfaction: Fans in Philadelphia and Atlanta may feel their schedules and ability to enjoy the playoffs are secondary.
Less effective advertising: A game playing in the background may deliver less attention and engagement than advertisers expect.
Long-term strategic costs: Fewer opportunities for kids to watch could weaken the connection with baseball’s future customers.
I am not claiming that a 2:00 playoff game is a proven financial mistake. But these are real business questions that deserve consideration. If your most exciting games happen while your customers are working and your future customers are in school, are you making the best decision for the long-term health of your business?