MLB fans defend afternoon playoff games despite potential inconvenience - "It’s called tradition"

As everyone who watches MLB knows, baseball is a game that pairs well with the daytime. However, when pivotal games are on the line, not everyone is thrilled about having to cut work or class to catch the action.

This season, Major League Baseball has decided to schedule a record number of afternoon games during the playoffs. Although with both the NBA and the NHL set to begin their seasons very soon, the league has come under fire for greenlighting start times during the day, especially during the week.

"Are some of the biggest games of your season played on weekday afternoons when people are at work or in school" - Jay Cuda

In the American League Wild Card playoff, all four games took place before 5 pm ET, with the Tampa Bay Rays and Rangers getting underway just after 3 pm local time. While it was originally thought that fans would take umbrage with the scheduling, this does not seem to be the case.

With the exception of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, virtually all games have taken place during the day. With work or school often taking place at the same times, some onlookers worried if MLB viewership would take a hit.

According to Front Office Sports, the amount of people watching MLB has taken a hit. In the AL Wild Card round, about 2.25 million people tuned in, a decline from the 2.73 million who watched last year. Despite it all, fans seem intent on holding on to the time-honored tradition of afternoon baseball.

Until relatively recently, day games were a fact of life, for both the playoffs and the regular season. Teams like the Chicago Cubs did not even install lights at their home stadium until 1988, meaning that only day games could occur. While it may be the old-timers talking, baseball fans on X do not seem to have a problem with the scheduling conflict that afternoon start times might pose.

MLB postseason scheduling is a delicate balancing act

Although the afternoon start times can be frustrating for some, people must remember that MLB is not the only show in town. Now, competing with NBA, NHL, and NFL games, the league must do what it can to ensure that game times appeal to a wide audience, both geographically and structurally. Thankfully for the league, a lot of fans seem ready to tune into the next afternoon match.