The 2023 World Series features the Texas Rangers, champions of the American League; and the Arizona Diamondbacks, who won the National League pennant.
The format of the MLB playoffs invites some shocking developments and surprises, hence the D-Backs’ presence in the Fall Classic.
Arizona managed to sneak into the postseason with a rather mediocre 84-78 record in the regular season, but has taken it up a notch in October and eliminated the Milwaukee Brewers, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Rangers, likewise, weren’t among the favorites in the American League but eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays, the Baltimore Orioles, and the Houston Astros.
Perhaps league authorities preferred, say, an Astros – Phillies World Series because the ratings would have been better.
As a result, the D-Backs – Rangers Fall Classic is currently on pace to be the least-watched in history.
“The 2023 World Series is on pace to be the least-watched ever,” Front Office Sports tweeted, with a graphic.
The 2023 World Series is on pace to be the least-watched ever 📉https://t.co/tnRSwByf83 pic.twitter.com/psH0WfB9Hr
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 1, 2023
Those numbers are expressed in average World Series viewership.
The 2023 Fall Classic is averaging 8.5 million viewers, by far the lowest since 2016.
The 2016 World Series, one of the best in recent memory, had 22.8 million viewers on average.
That’s almost three times higher than the current World Series.
The Rangers and D-Backs don’t have the largest fanbases in the country, but that doesn’t mean they don’t deserve to be where they are.
In fact, MLB’s format is the reason why these teams have a higher chance of making it to the World Series.
They were the ones who wanted more teams in the postseason, so they really can’t complain.
In any case, whoever wins will be a deserving champion regardless of average viewership.
