World Series Home-Field Advantage: Lots of Options for Change
By Zac Snyder
Oct 27, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Fans hold up signs to “Stand Up To Cancer” during game four of the MLB baseball World Series between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Fan charity drive
Major League Baseball went outside the box with giving home-field advantage to the winning league in the All-Star game and if they want to make a change but stay outside the box, they could put it in the hands of the fans with a charity drive. Pick a charity, pick a time frame and let fans donate to the cause and designate their donate to towards the AL or NL total. The league with the most donations gets home-field advantage.
Pros: There are valid reasons to object to any of the other methods discussed here and it’s hard to go wrong with raising money for a great cause. It’s unconventional but it would give exposure to a worthy charity and would instill some league pride in MLB cities across the country.
Cons: Some teams have been accused of buying Championships with huge payrolls and even with money going to charity, this might feel like buying home-field advantage. It could also be seen as opportunistic on the part of MLB and not received in as positive of a light as it should and there will be some that don’t like that it’s another method that doesn’t have anything to do with real baseball.