Quote:
Originally Posted by bababui
The league trades integrity for profit generated in the form of bogus divisional races.
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It has always been so—professional sports is a business first and foremost.
The 12-team league was an unwieldy structure, which is why it failed. The two 8-team league setup was much more successful. What is interesting to speculate is what if the NL leaders had thought of splitting the NL into two 6-team divisions in the 1890s? It might have generated such popular interest that the formation of the AL as a major league might have been forestalled.
Personally, I'm not a fan of the three division structure since it makes sensible schedules with a fair weighting of divisional and non-divisional games and a good variety of opponent matchups much more difficult. I'd say the ideal structure is a 12-team league divided into two divisions of 6 teams (though two divisions of 5 or 7 teams is acceptable. An 8-team division is a bit too large in my opinion).
Quote:
Originally Posted by bababui
Divisions started in 1969... long after teams were using airplanes to travel.
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The split of the leagues into two divisions was driven by practical considerations.
The AL had decided early on it would split into two divisions in 1969 (it had considered doing so in 1968 but the idea was rejected). The NL, however, originally planned to retain a single division structure, meaning it would have been a single division, 12-team league in 1969. The AL was aiming for a 156 game schedule and best-of-5 league championship, while the NL was aiming for a 162 or 165 game schedule.
The prospect of each league being so different in setup was not encouraging. In the end, the NL relented and agreed to split into two divisions also. In compensation, it got the AL to agree to a 162 game schedule.