Chicago’s Little League World Series team outdraws Cubs, White Sox
By Bryan Rose
If you’re in Chicago or the surrounding area, you probably watched your local boys participate in the Little League World Series recently. What you weren’t watching were the Chicago Cubs or Chicago White Sox, at least according to the television ratings.
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While the Jackie Robinson West team was running through opponents, the Cubs and White Sox were struggling yet again and viewers simply decided they’d prefer to watch the little guys instead.
"Jackie Robinson West’s 12-2 victory over Lynwood, Wash., did a 2.4 rating in Chicago on ESPN. That means the game was viewed in more than 70,000 area homes. That’s higher than the average 2014 ratings for Cubs and White Sox on Comcast SportsNet. Through last week, the Cubs were averaging a 1.5 rating on CSN, while the Sox were at 1.4. WGN-Ch. 9 did not disclose their numbers."
Of course, this isn’t a complete shot at the Cubs and White Sox as they each play 162-game seasons while the Jackie Robinson West team is playing on a near elimination scale daily. It’s also a rarity as it’s been a long time since a team out of Chicago represented the city in the Little League World Series, so it’s understandable as to why they’ve captivated the baseball attention for a few weeks.
Hopefully the team will continue their winning ways and draw even more viewership in the coming days. I’m sure both the White Sox and Cubs will be more than happy to honor the players when they return from Williamsport, whenever that time comes.