It may have received minimal coverage over here, but the New York Yankees beat the Philadelphia Philles in the 105th World Series in one of sport’s most intriguing contests. The best-of-seven series is a compelling duel where the two best teams in baseball slug it out to decide the best team in the country.
Over on this side of the Atlantic, our competitions usually culminate in a single finale. Cup competitions in team sports such as football, cricket, rugby union and rugby league all follow this format. But could something like a World Series be adapted and work over here?
In many single finals, the team perceived to be stronger have come up short either by having an off-day or simple running out of luck. In a best-of-seven series, there can be little doubt that the better team will be victorious in the end. What if the superb Hungary side of 1954 complete with Ferenc Puskás, Sándor Kocsis and Zoltán Czibor had the opportunity to play six more times against West Germany?
WORLD SERIES…A format coming to the UK soon?
The nearest thing to a World Series would be a Test match series. We only need to look at the last two Ashes series in this country to witness how epic a five-match tussle can be. By facing off on five occasions, both England and Australia went through all the highs and lows providing us with some of the most dramatic sporting action in recent memory. Had the Ashes been limited to a one or two match series we would not have enjoyed this.
The main drawback for a multiple match contest is that it removes a certain element of charm. Upsets, giant killings and surprises are part of the appeal of knockout competitions. Would a series of contests have provided us with the joys of the 1988 and 1995 F.A. Cup Finals? In those years, Wimbledon and Everton shocked behemoths Liverpool and Manchester United respectively and provided us with two of the most memorable finals ever. Had the big teams had another six games to ensure victory, these upsets would have been mere footnotes in the history of English football.
Cricket has also provided us with examples of how tiresome and unnecessary multiple matches can be. After the captivating Ashes series this summer, the two teams embarked on a seven match one day series which seemed to drag on for years. In this situation one or two contests would surely have been ample.
For football, F.A. Cup finals used to been far more memorable when replays were involved. They were replaced by extra time, a cagey affair which rarely decides a football match. Instead teams enter the lottery of a penalty shootout that does not indicate who the better team is, they simply find a winner.
So there are both positive and negative elements to a World Series style format. With sports constantly re-jigging and renovating their competitions to appeal to a wider audience, perhaps the idea is not as ludicrous as first thought. The suggestion of a league style format in European football would have been laughed at 50 years ago but now exists in both the Champions League and Europa League. Knockout tournaments certainly have their charm, but they cannot match a series for sheer drama when played at their best.
The idea of a final being competed in such a manner may be alien to fans of certain sports but its formula works for both baseball and basketball and with the creeping Americanisation of sport into British games the series style could soon be looked upon favourably.
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