Dodgers-Rays World Series

[cephasjames]

Haven't ratings been poor for all sports this year?

Sports Ratings Have Tanked Across the Board While Cable News Thrives

[Leo_The_Lip]

Originally Posted by Westheim

How much of this is down to it being the most toxic election year ever and people being on [insert your least favorite news channel] instead?

Wait, what's rating? Share is the % of all people watching anything, no?

Rating is the percentage of all 'possible' TVs. Share is the percentage of TVs actually tuned to 'something'--whether or not the folks are actually asleep or not.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

Haven't ratings been poor for all sports this year?

Sports Ratings Have Tanked Across the Board While Cable News Thrives

Yeah, but for something like the World Series (not your regular season stuff) to be down 32% from the previous low (2012) is rather significant. Especially at a time when many people have nothing better to do than to sit in front of the television and watch sports.

[CBeisbol]

How do TV ratings account for people who watch via streaming?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

How do TV ratings account for people who watch via streaming?

That's a good question. Hopefully somebody who knows about the process will contribute some insight.

Here's a clue, though, from a portion of that article that I cut off in my screen print:

Los Angeles' 3-1 win in Game 6 on Tuesday night drew a 6.8 rating, 15 share and an average of 12,627,000 viewers, down from a 9.6 rating, 19 share and average of 16,551,000 viewers for Washington's 7-2 win in Game 6 last year.

Last year's Series average was boosted by Game 7, when the Nationals' 6-2 win drew a 13.1 rating, 25 share and an average of 23,217,000 viewers.

Fox said when Spanish-language coverage on Fox Deportes and streaming platforms were included, Game 6 averaged 13,215,000 viewers.

[Westheim]

All I can say is that the viewership of Chubby German Raccoons was 1, with a 100 share, same as the last eight years.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

That's a good question. Hopefully somebody who knows about the process will contribute some insight.

Preliminary answer, from a quick internet search: It seems that Nielsen can measure overall streaming consumption in some manner but it still lacks the capability of metering what viewers are watching on their computers, smart TVs, and phones.* It is a priority for them however.

*It seems the networks know but they don't necessarily share the data with Nielsen.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Westheim

All I can say is that the viewership of Chubby German Raccoons was 1, with a 100 share, same as the last eight years.

Good old faithful raccoon. Well done, despite your trials and tribulations.

[Déjà Bru]

As a coda to this World Series, I offer this section of an open letter written to Justin Turner and Rob Manfred.

This year’s World Series was already destined to be remembered as the first played amid the pandemic. But now, whenever future generations look back, along with Clayton Kershaw’s pitching and Corey Seager’s Most Valuable Player Award will be images of you [Justin Turner], maskless and coronavirus-positive, sitting near your teammates with the championship trophy.

As I write this note, you have not apologized. Not publicly at least. Neither has Major League Baseball.

That means you, Rob Manfred. You’re the commissioner. This can’t all be blamed on one player whose judgment lapsed.

Sure, there has never been a season like this one. And after a terrible early going — with players infected in batches and games canceled — you were close to pulling it off with something like momentum. Until Turner, no player had tested positive for the virus in nearly two months.

You were even blessed by luck. One example: The series did not go to a seventh game. Could it have been played as scheduled with Turner having tested positive?

There is much for baseball to answer for. Turner’s test results came back during Game 6, not before play started, which was needed to ensure everyone’s safety on the field that night. So far, there hasn’t been a good explanation as to how that terrible a lapse occurred.

Sure, Turner defied protocol and rushed to the field when he was told not to. M.L.B. has already placed the blame squarely his way in a statement that announced an investigation.

But Mr. Manfred, who is ultimately responsible for what happens on the field? You are.

It’s time to own your part in this mess, just as Turner must own his.

I don't buy his blaming Manfred for Turner's thoughtlessness (really, what was "MLB Security" going to do with Turner, handcuff him?) but the writer does bring up a couple of good points.

1) They got Turner's positive test results only in the sixth inning?

2) What would have happened if there needed to be a Game 7?

Here is the entire open letter if you care to read it.

[cephasjames]

I think Turner coming back onto the field is mostly on Turner and LA. I think not getting the test results until the middle of the game is fully on MLB.

[CBeisbol]

Originally Posted by cephasjames

I think Turner coming back onto the field is mostly on Turner and LA. I think not getting the test results until the middle of the game is fully on MLB.

MLB: We're taking coronavirus very seriously. An abundance of caution. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Also MLB: Yeah, sure, go, play this game even though the tests aren't back. Because if you don't we'll lose a lot of money

Also MLB (in the second inning of the game): The test came back as inconclusive. The CDC recommends treating inconclusive tests as positive tests. But, this is the World Series. We are making a lot of money. Expedite that test and cross our fingers.

Also MLB (when the second test comes back positive): Oh [no]! Uhh...pull him from the game but cancelling the 6th game of the World Series in the 8th inning would be a disaster.

Also MLB (after Turner celebrates on the field): We are very disappointed that the player didn't take this seriously.


Lots of blame all around

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by CBeisbol

MLB: We're taking coronavirus very seriously. An abundance of caution. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

Also MLB: Yeah, sure, go, play this game even though the tests aren't back. Because if you don't we'll lose a lot of money

Also MLB (in the second inning of the game): The test came back as inconclusive. The CDC recommends treating inconclusive tests as positive tests. But, this is the World Series. We are making a lot of money. Expedite that test and cross our fingers.

Also MLB (when the second test comes back positive): Oh [no]! Uhh...pull him from the game but cancelling the 6th game of the World Series in the 8th inning would be a disaster.

Also MLB (after Turner celebrates on the field): We are very disappointed that the player didn't take this seriously.


Lots of blame all around

Agree, because we are conflating things when we lump Turner with MLB. The latter set the stage for the former to act irresponsibly.

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Agree, because we are conflating things when we lump Turner with MLB. The latter set the stage for the former to act irresponsibly.

That was poorly stated. What I meant was, concentrating on Turner is not right because, as I said in the part that did make sense, MLB set the stage in a shady manner.

[dkgo]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Agree, because we are conflating things when we lump Turner with MLB. The latter set the stage for the former to act irresponsibly.

Turner is an adult who can be held responsible for his own choices. He gets 100% of the blame because he made the decision to go back out there. mlb shouldnt need to physically keep him from the field.

[cephasjames]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

That was poorly stated. What I meant was, concentrating on Turner is not right because, as I said in the part that did make sense, MLB set the stage in a shady manner.

It's okay to concentrate on both Turner (and LA) and MLB at the same time. They may not have done wrong in the same way, but they all did wrong.MLB screwed up. But so did Turner and the Dodgers.

[thehef]

Looking at this from Turner's (possible/plausible) perspective:

MLB, at some point before game six: "Your test from yesterday is inconclusive, so we are re-testing you."
Turner: "OK"
MLB, just before game six: "We don't have your results back yet, but you can play."
Turner: "Um, ok." (Thinks to himself: "I feel great, I'm sure I don't have it. And if they say I'm ok to play to play in the potential clinching game of the World Series, they probably know what they are doing.")
MLB, 6th inning: "You're 2nd test came back positive. You're being removed from the game. Go sit in isolation."
Turner: "That sucks. Ok."

At that point we can only imagine what Turner was doing during the last couple of innings, and during the first 15 or 20 minutes of the celebration, before he returned to the field to join his teammates. At any rate:

Turner, after a spell in iso, thinking: "I've been around these guys for days, all day today, right up until about 45 minutes ago. They've already been exposed to me all day, so what's the harm in being around them for another 15 minutes? I want to be there and my teammates want me there to enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."

Assuming that was Turner's thinking, I'm not saying his logic was flawless, but I can understand it, in the heat of the moment.

Anyways, during the period of on-field celebration before Turner returned to the field, I was texting friends saying that it sucked that Turner had to miss out on this moment. Not that he shouldn't be quarantined, just that it sucked that he had to miss the celebration. And at the same time I was wondering: Why don't they arrange to give him a Dodger flag and some champion apparel and let him take a victory lap around the warning track, with he cheering and saluting his teammates and they him, from a safe distance of like 150-200 feet?

As for the Dodgers & their responsibility, do we know that they had any control over the situation? Or was it simply that after Turner was removed from the game, they finished the game, began celebrating, and then saw Turner on the field, without knowing what actually was going on? I mean, there's a lot going on in each Dodger's head, and with the calamity of the celebration. Some teammates may not have even been aware of him pulled from the game due to Covid. You'd think Roberts and Friedman would have a better understanding. But perhaps not. Maybe when they saw Turner on the field, they had no idea that it wasn't approved by MLB and was something of a rogue action by Turner. Do we know otherwise?

[cephasjames]

Its possible, since we can only speculate at this time, that the team was on the field celebrating and asked for Turner to come since they'd already been exposed to him.

[Déjà Bru]

Two good posts, these.

I can definitely see the "heat of the moment" and "what the heck" arguments but doing the right thing was still the right thing to do.

This would have been a great idea in more ways than one: "Why don't they arrange to give him a Dodger flag and some champion apparel and let him take a victory lap around the warning track, with he cheering and saluting his teammates and they him, from a safe distance of like 150-200 feet?" Although I don't think social distancing means that much distance.

I'm a bit skeptical of "the team was on the field celebrating and asked for Turner to come since they'd already been exposed to him" because if that was true, they would have already stepped forward in his defense. More may be revealed in days to come, but I am thinking it will be more of the nature of resentment. In the heat of that moment, nobody was thinking of Covid but some of them are thinking about it now, I bet.

[thehef]

Originally Posted by Déjà Bru

Although I don't think social distancing means that much distance.

Well, ya. But I was just rough-calculating - I guess on the low side - the distance from the infield to the warning track

And then when it came for the team pic, he could've been six feet into the foreground from everyone else in the front row.