MLB Interleague Play Does Have Its Detractors

Even though MLB interleague play has been going on for the past ten seasons, and appears to be here to stay, that doesn’t mean that everyone has accepted it. Or enjoys it. What are some of the reasons why there are so many critics of the practice? What can the MLB Association do to win back those fans that have lost their enthusiasm due to interleague play?

Advocates of interleague play were ecstatic about the prospects of new competitors and the opportunity to see a bigger variety of baseball talent. Detractors complained that the sport had been ruined, but the fans, angry or otherwise found their way back to the ballpark. Even so, now after ten seasons of interleague play, you have the opportunity to reevaluate this radical change in Major League Baseball.

Interleague play has been a controversial topic every since it began in 1997. The arguments range from there being too many games to the match ups aren’t entertaining enough. When teams that only meet once or twice during the season play one another, little enthusiasm is generated. Or at least that is the opinion of some.

There is an argument that Major league Baseball sacrificed its purity to save the game. The need to save professional baseball led to the demolition of the sacredness of the sport. The switch to interleague play, which many argue was unnatural, was a move to save the financial side of the game. The dignity of the game, in the eyes of many was lost because there was a threat of money being lost.

Are there teams that have much easier schedules than others? Yes. Are there teams from big baseball market cities that have much more money to spend on talent than others? Can you say Yankees? Is this fair? Not really. There are a number of completely uneven matches throughout the season.

What about those games that nobody wants to see? The ones where a dominant team is playing a team that they are sure to beat? Occasionally the underdog may put on a show. But most of the time the powerful team stomps the underdog into the ground. Producing a boring game that no one is watching. Of course, this could occur without interleague play but the possibility of it is increased.

Has Interleague play destroyed the enjoyment of the All Star Game? Possibly. The All Star Game used to be a gathering of talent from both sides meeting for a match that was meant to celebrate their differences and similarities. Now the All Star Game “counts” and it is more than a nostalgic display of baseball. Reinforcing that fact that Major League Baseball it a business. A fact that was never in question but now the seamless-ness of the business aspect is in broad daylight.

The schedule is too long. That means that a few of the games can be eliminated. Chances are, some of the teams that aren’t so popular and don’t draw crowds could be taken out of the league, and no one would complain much. Maybe one league could be created in place of the two. But at the present time, there are a few sleeper series that fans just don’t pay attention to.

The addition of interleague pay has caused some confusion statistically. The stats of the two leagues are still separate, even though the teams are playing one another and creating a strange system that can get confusing. A few other differences are still in place as well. One is the Designated hitter rule that is only used in American League ballparks. If you are viewing a game in an American League park but you are originally a National League fan, you could get confused. And if the teams are going to play one another, shouldn’t there be one way to play?

Interleague play takes away from the magic of the World Series. If teams are playing one another all season, the World Series can be pretty predictable. If two teams have met during the regular season and the results were rather one sided, guessing the outcome is going to be much easier. Adding to the misnomers that interleague play has caused.