Considering the incredible overnight ratings that Fox got for Game Six of the World Series, you might think I'm crazy to suggest that the network would be rooting for the New York Yankees last night to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, but I have evidence. All through the game, Fox was promoting Fringe and Bones, urging viewers to tune in tomorrow night -- tonight -- for new episodes. Why would the network be sending that message when there was a possibility of a Game Seven?
Okay, maybe it was just a simple case of covering their bases (ha-ha, base -- get it?), but it seemed a little weird to me. From my perspective as a die-hard Yankee fan, I wanted the World Series to end last night. I didn't want to drama of Game Seven. But Fox has been cleaning up in the ratings with this match-up. It won last week and will probably be in the top five slots this week.
Last night's baseball game, Game Six, was seen by an average of 22.3 million viewers and had a 7.4 rating with adults 18-49. That's top of the charts good! Surely, the network wanted another game more than regular programming. And Game Seven might have drawn even more than 22 million just based on the finality of it all.
And yet those ads were very definitive. So maybe it wasn't that they were rooting for the Yankees to wrap it up. Maybe some gypsy fortune-teller or numerologist had given the network the scoop that the Phillies weren't going to win, that the Yankees had fate on their side. That and Hideki Matsui, a good pitching performance by Andy Pettitte and the ultimate closer in Mariano Rivera.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
11-05-2009 @ 4:49PM
ac said...
Every ad warned at the bottom that it airs "If no baseball." So they did take precautions. Plus who didn't expect the Yankees to win at that point?
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11-05-2009 @ 4:23PM
sid said...
Because the whole thing is fixed and they knew it would be over that night.
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11-05-2009 @ 4:25PM
Jeff Harris said...
Or, heaven forbid, the fix was in. It could happen. It has happened.
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11-05-2009 @ 4:29PM
Pmaha said...
I noticed the caveat "if not baseball" on the ads. It seemed very clear to me.
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11-05-2009 @ 4:27PM
MJL said...
C'mon Allison, every league/network roots for a Game 7 in a championship series...stop over-analyzing.
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11-05-2009 @ 4:48PM
kikstad said...
I thought the same thing. :)
By the way, I posted an open letter to Yankee haters on my blog. Check it out http://nickleshi.blogspot.com/2009/11/letter-to-yankee-haters.html
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11-05-2009 @ 4:35PM
Darsolo said...
All the adds did say if no baseball
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11-05-2009 @ 4:46PM
punksrus said...
Well, the good news is new Bones and Fringe!!
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11-05-2009 @ 4:56PM
djbuhhda said...
yep thats the only good news coming out of last nite =]
11-05-2009 @ 5:30PM
Laughs said...
Most people that watched hoped the Bankees would lose. Game 7 would have had HUGE ratings because of all of the extra people watching hoping to see the Bankees lose.
The Bankees buying/winning a World Series is the most boring story in sports. They should "win" it every year and it's hilarious that they don't.
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11-05-2009 @ 6:02PM
MJL said...
Waaaa waaaa waaa...so if whatever team you root for was willing to spend $200 million in an effort to win the World Series, you'd stop supporting them? Shut up.
11-05-2009 @ 5:32PM
XDXJX said...
Well Joe Buck was certainly rooting for the Yankees. Hes always bashing the Phils.
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11-05-2009 @ 6:37PM
John said...
To all you Yankee haters out there, I have a nice big Bronx cheer for you. Pthhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
Save the angst, become a Yankee fan and know your behind the greatest baseball team ever.
Bwah ha ha ha ha ha
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11-06-2009 @ 8:12AM
Galley said...
If I had a billion dollars, I could win the World Series, too.
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11-06-2009 @ 6:28PM
johngaltx said...
With that payroll they should have been undefeated with 162 shutouts and scored in every inning of every game including the bogus world series where the All-Star game dictated the home field. By the way I hate both teams.
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