Instead of arguing about politics or religion, let’s take up a really contentious topic: sports!
Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred has put forward a radical proposal to completely realign Major League Baseball:
(1) Get rid of the American and National Leagues.
(2) Add two more expansion teams, to two cities that are clamoring for one, such as Nashville, Salt Lake City, or Charlotte. That would mean a total of 16 teams.
(3) Create four regional divisions of four teams each.
(4) At the end of the season, have a playoff, featuring the top two teams in each division, culminating in the World Series.
This would be similar to how the NFL operates. Regional divisions, says Manfred, would cut travel costs and minimize the time zone issues (for example, when the Dodgers play the Yankees in New York, a 7:00 p.m. start is 10:00 p.m. in California).
The downside is that the Dodgers wouldn’t play the Yankees, except in the playoffs. The new plan would heighten regional rivalries and create new ones, though at the expense of old rivalries. And it would play havoc with American League and National League records. For other criticisms of the plan, as well as other details (including a map of what teams would likely belong in which division) go here.
What do you think about this? Good for the game, or another shameless attack on tradition?
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