The Great Debate: Interleague Play

Another debatable topic and another potential feature on the site, which would take a look at controversial topics from around the world of sports and lay out some of the pros and cons.





With Interleague play wrapping up this past weekend and another dominating performance by the American League, is it worth keeping interleague play around?

It is interesting to note that the AL went 149-102 against the NL, with only three National League teams having records over .500 (Mets, Braves, & Reds).

Pros:

- Increase attendance

- Geographical rivalries (New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago among others)

- Fans get to see players they may not otherwise ever have the opportunity to see

- Past World Series Rematches

Cons:

- AL teams have an advantage in terms of having an extra everyday bat in the lineup, whereas the NL is forced to use a utility hitter as their DH against AL teams

- AL pitchers can not hit

- Royals - Pirates matchups do not intrigue anyone!

- Schedules become unbalanced when Team X in the AL Central has to play 3 of the top 5 NL Teams, whereas Team Y in the AL Central plays the bottom half of the NL

- The World Series loses a bit of its mystique

Personally, I think Interleague Play should be put away for a good while. A lot of the matchups have been exhausted and if your favorite team is not playing in a city where there are two teams, you are forced to have an "un-natural" rival. Meanwhile, every year the Cardinals get to play the Royals, while the Dodgers and Angels are always knocking each other around a bit. Let the World Series restore some of its glory and let baseball get back to its historical and traditional roots.

Do you like interleague play? Should it be eliminated? Comment Below!!