Minor League baseball is fun, League of Ireland soccer is serious

Posted by TheYank at 8/13/2009 9:33 AM EDT

I went to a minor league baseball game in Troy, NY the other night. Great time. I love minor league baseball. Last week I went to a game at the Mets' new stadium in Queens and that was fine, but for all sorts of reasons minor league baseball is better, especially for visitors from countries that are not 'baseball-friendly'. All that hokey razz-matazz.

In Ireland there is the League of Ireland, which is essentially a minor league soccer league, only without any affiliations to 'big league' clubs. I've often talked to people about minor league baseball as a model for what the League of Ireland should be, but as I was watching the game tonight I realized how that would never be possible.

Few people take minor league baseball seriously. It's fun, but not the sort of thing you get worked up about. You go to enjoy yourself. It's very family-friendly. The crowd is good-natured AND only barely involved in the outcome.

League of Ireland soccer is played - generally - in front of loads of empty seats, but those who do go care deeply. They simply wouldn't want the sort of half-hearted atmosphere that prevails at minor league baseball.

Fans of League of Ireland soccer (err, football) may not be many, but they have edge. There is pretty much zero edge at minor league baseball. To tell the truth, I like edge. I find it hard to watch sports where I don't really care who wins. Whenever I watch a game on t.v. I find myself really caring who wins, even when I had no interest before I started watching. So, I have a lot of sympathy with the League of Ireland fans.

Still, I can see how making a fun atmosphere makes sense for the sport as a business. I don't know the economics of minor league baseball, but it just looks more prosperous than the League of Ireland. Maybe a bit of hokey razz-matazz wouldn't be all that bad, although I doubt they'll adopt the buy-one-get-one-free offer on beer that I found on Tuesday night in Troy. That would absolutely never happen in Ireland.