MLB Teams’ Drastic Move to Curb $1 Million Loss Thanks to New Rule Leaves Fans Flabbergasted

The controversial pitch clock has troubled a long list of MLB players, who are still acclimatizing to these new rules. But the same pitch clock has come with its own set of benefits, with the most prominent benefit being the shortened duration of the games, leading to 172 million minutes watched on opening day, which shattered the previous MLB record by 42%.

However, the increased viewership only seemed to benefit those sitting in front of a screen, and possibly not the team, who house thousands of fans every game. In fact, the shortened duration of the game meant reduced time in the stadium. This, in turn, meant lesser time to drink beer, and that wasn’t good news for fans who had to drive back home, and for teams who make a large chunk of money through beer sales.

While faster games mean more viewership, it also translates to reduced beer sales for MLB teams…

On average, the duration of the game has reduced by 30 minutes, which could be assumed as one inning. Consequently, as a fan spends a shorter duration in the stadium, they spend lesser money. Hence, to tackle the beer sales problem, teams like the Brewers, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rangers extended the stop time for beer sales – which was initially placed to prevent drunk driving.

As explained by sports and business writer Joe Pompliano, faster MLB games “translates to a loss of $280,000 to $1.1 million in lost beer sales throughout the season, depending on the stadium.” As a result of the reduced beer sales, “several teams (Brewers, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rangers) have already extended their beer sales deadline from the 7th to the 8th inning.”

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stands by the benefits of the pitch clock, and has spoken about its benefits in the bigger picture time and again: “It has worked as we intended and consistent with what we saw during the 18,000 games that we used these rules for in the Minor Leagues.”

Some fans immediately pointed fingers at the MLB and the teams for removing an innings cap on beer consumption. They believed that monetary motives purely governed the move without any regard for public safety. A few other fans displayed happiness about how there would be fewer “obnoxious drunks” at these games moving on.

This is how fans reacted:

What are your thoughts on these new rules to fasten the game? In the long run, will it be beneficial or detrimental to the game? Let us know in the comments below!

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