World Series Illustrates “Go Woke. Go Broke.”

But Congrats to the Texas Rangers!

The Texas Rangers are the winners of the 2023 World Series. . . . I love typing that.  I’ll tell you why in a moment.  But Major League Baseball (MLB) are big losers.  This World Series got the worst ratings ever in the TV era.  It was worse than the 3-1 beatdown the Rangers dished out to take the Series:

This World Series has set record lows for viewership numbers. Game 1 was the least-watched Game 1 in World Series history. Game 2 then became the least-watched World Series game ever, before Game 3 took crown in that same category.

Now I freely admit the match-up was a factor.  The Diamondbacks and the Rangers don’t have the fan bases of the Yankees (BOO!), the Red Sox or the Braves.  But that is not the only reason the numbers were so bad.

The articles I’ve read tie themselves in knots to avoid an elephant in the room.  MLB has gone woke.  They went obnoxiously woke in 2020 and 2021, even pulling the All-Star Game from Georgia because the state government passed laws trying to avoid the usual Democrat election fraud.

Maybe MLB has lightened up on the wokeness since. I didn’t notice any during the Series, but I wasn’t looking for it either.  But the damage was done.  MLB alienated millions in its fan base.  And they are no hurry to come back as the low World Series ratings indicate.

So why was I, of all people, watching?  I am indeed one of those alienated by MLB’s wokeness.  But when I saw there was an all-Texas American League Championship Series (Rangers-Astros) and then saw the Rangers might FINALLY win a World Series, I had to return after watching almost no baseball for years.

For me and the Texas Rangers go way back.  I was a kid in Dallas when the Washington Senators moved to Turnpike Stadium in Arlington to become the Rangers.  Excited, I went to a few games, including one with Fergie Jenkins pitching. More often I listened to them on the radio as I went to sleep in the summer.

Years later, after moving back to Texas after college, I resumed going to Rangers games.  Turnpike Stadium had long since been renovated into Arlington Stadium with its huge outfield stands which invited fans to relax and have fun, which I did.  Then, Nolan Ryan came to town.  I was already a big Nolan Ryan fan so I watched him pitch often.  I was even in the upper deck behind home plate for his 5000th strike out game.  And cheered him on via TV often, including his beatdown of Robin Ventura.

But a World Championship never came, even though they went to the World Series in 2010 and 2011 and broke our hearts both times.  But now, after over 50 years, they finally have won one!

After Nolan Ryan retired, I moved away from Dallas, and Rangers failure seemed perpetual.  So I lost interest even before MLB’s wokeness alienated me.  Will I return to watching MLB now?  Maybe a little but only to watch the Rangers.  I’m a Rangers fan.  I will never again be a MLB fan.  Their wokeness took care of that.

Speaking of which, something that made the Rangers’ victory that much sweeter — they were the only MLB team not to have a Pride Night this year. Go Rangers!