Teams might bid on All-Star Game starting in 2017

[Doc Zero]

 
BRISTOL, Conn. -- Baseball intends to stop awarding the All-Star Game by alternating leagues and will move toward a Super Bowl-type bidding process, commissioner Rob Manfred told ESPN.com on Thursday.
 
That process would begin with the 2017 game, because the 2016 game has already been awarded to San Diego. The new system would change a practice that has been in place for the last 82 years, in which All-Star Games were generally awarded by alternating National League and American League cities, barring unusual circumstances.
As recently as last year's All-Star Game, outgoing commissioner Bud Selig had said he was in favor of continuing to alternate leagues. However, MLB has now awarded the 2015 and 2016 games to National League cities (Cincinnati and San Diego). Manfred indicated Thursday that it won't be the last time that teams from the same league host the All-Star Game in back-to-back years.
During a 30-minute question-and-answer session with ESPN.com reporters, Manfred was asked about the possibility of awarding an All-Star Game to Wrigley Field once renovations are complete.
"One of the things that I am going to try to do with All-Star Games is -- and we'll make some announcements in the relatively short-term -- I am looking to be in more of a competitive-bidding, Super Bowl-awarding-type mode, as opposed to [saying], `You know, I think Chicago is a good idea,'" he replied.
Manfred did not specify how that bidding would work. However, sources say that rather than choosing cities based on which league they're in, All-Star Game hosts will be chosen in the future based on the merits of the city and ballpark, and which team and city can produce the best "All-Star experience." But the process will be complicated, at least initially, by other factors.
"In getting all these ballparks built, we made a lot of promises to cities about getting All-Star Games," Selig said at last month's owners meetings. So sources say MLB will honor those commitments, meaning that teams such as the Marlins and Nationals, with newer parks that have never hosted an All-Star Game, could jump ahead of more established franchises, such as the Orioles, Indians, Dodgers and Cubs, in the bidding process.
Manfred did say, however, that Chicago would be a "great market" for an All-Star Game. Wrigley Field last hosted the All-Star Game in 1990.

 
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12290596/mlb-commissioner-rob-manfred-says-mlb-all-star-game-awarded-bidding-process
 
Color me confused.

 

[Rasputin]

 
 
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12290596/mlb-commissioner-rob-manfred-says-mlb-all-star-game-awarded-bidding-process
 
Color me confused.
 

 
More all star games in cities that have good facilities for all star games.
 
Also, there aren't that many places left where they can use the hope of an all star game to help extort millions of dollars in stadium funding from the city.

 

[Pozo the Clown]

 
 
http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/12290596/mlb-commissioner-rob-manfred-says-mlb-all-star-game-awarded-bidding-process
 
Color me confused.
 

 
According to one source, the Commissioner's office is also considering instituting a one-game playoff pitting the Champion of the Cactus League against the Champion of the Grapefruit League to determine home field advantage in the All-Star Game.  Should there be a tie atop either the Cactus or Grapefruit League, there would be a playoff to determine the Champion of the applicable league.   

 

[VTSox]

 
According to one source, the Commissioner's office is also considering instituting a one-game playoff pitting the Champion of the Cactus League against the Champion of the Grapefruit League to determine home field advantage in the All-Star Game.  Should there be a tie atop either the Cactus or Grapefruit League, there would be a playoff to determine the Champion of the applicable league.   

 
What happens if two AL (or NL) teams take their respective championship?

 

[SemperFidelisSox]

I'm not sure how realistic this is, but what if some cities offered to convert their NFL stadiums for this event? Have the All Star Game be more like the Winter Classic, with different venues being used. The NFL stadiums are only used for concerts in the summer anyways, so turning Gillete or Lambeau into a baseball field for a one time only event wouldn't be that difficult.

 

[Harry Hooper]

It wasn't very long ago that MLB was scrambling a bit to get cities to take on hosting the ASG. Is that really not the case any more, or is MLB in for a surprise when few bids come in?

 

[Homar]

 
According to one source, the Commissioner's office is also considering instituting a one-game playoff pitting the Champion of the Cactus League against the Champion of the Grapefruit League to determine home field advantage in the All-Star Game.  Should there be a tie atop either the Cactus or Grapefruit League, there would be a playoff to determine the Champion of the applicable league.   

This time, it counts!  
 
Is this a serious proposal?  If so, they're now making home field advantage in the World Series contingent on the outcome of a game whose home field is determined by the standings of exhibition games. 

 

[Harry Hooper]

 
When was this? I don't think I've ever heard that. 

late 90's to early 00's? Spate of new parks then r
aised teams' willingness to host

 

[Rasputin]

I think that was mostly teams that didn't want to hold it in their old park because they wanted to host it in their new one. That's how we ended up with it in Fenway in 99 isn't it?

 

[bankshot1]

I thought the AS game location was generally decided by a rotating city criteria, in a 30-city league, you get the game roughly every 30 years, with some flexibility for ASG being awarded to cities with new ball-parks.
 
This winning bid idea seems to favor larger cities with greater resources, and in the long-run may be run counter to MLB's long-term goal of promoting the game.
 
Maybe every 5th year MLB should play the game in an international setting, Havana, Mexico City, San Juan, Tokyo etc.

 

[Rasputin]

Are teams truly going to bid for the right to host the ASG? Does the host city / team receive significant revenue from having the game? I'm skeptical.

They use it as a lure to pimp season tickets.

 

[cannonball 1729]

I think that was mostly teams that didn't want to hold it in their old park because they wanted to host it in their new one. That's how we ended up with it in Fenway in 99 isn't it?

 
Yep.  The Brewers were supposed to have it but eventually decided to push it off until Miller Park was built.  Plus, the Brewers' move to the NL would have meant that the NL hosted the game three times in a row if the Brewers had gone ahead and hosted the '99 game.  
 
I"m really curious what a bid goes for on this.  How much does the ASG pump season ticket sales?  How much does Fan Fest/HR Derby/Celebrity Softball really make?  I'm sure it's not nothing, but I'm just having trouble with the idea that a single All-Star Game would be so lucrative that teams would fall over themselves to bid on it..

 

[RIrooter09]

http://m.espn.go.com/mlb/story?storyId=12308231&src=desktop

Miami hosting the 2017 ASG.

 

[TheYaz67]

 
The new system would change a practice that has been in place for the last 82 years, in which All-Star Games were generally awarded by alternating National League and American League cities, barring unusual circumstances.
As recently as last year's All-Star Game, outgoing commissioner Bud Selig had said he was in favor of continuing to alternate leagues. However, MLB has now awarded the 2015 and 2016 games to National League cities (Cincinnati and San Diego). Manfred indicated Thursday that it won't be the last time that teams from the same league host the All-Star Game in back-to-back years.

 
So now we have the NL hosting back-to-back-to-back years?  (Cincy, San Diego and Miami)  How is that fair?  Should not 2017 have gone to an AL team?  Or I guess now maybe 2018, 2019 and 2020 should all be AL cities...
 
From a selfish perspective am bummed since this means it may be a while before the Nats host, unless they go the bidding route (the owner is mega-rich)....