ESPNU to broadcast American Legion World Series championship in Shelby

Shelby Star (NC)

ESPNU to broadcast American Legion World Series championship in Shelby

By Jessica Pickens

Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 18:48 PM.

Nearly 80 million viewers nationwide will be able to watch the championship game of the 2014 American Legion World Series on television.

This year, the World Series baseball games will broadcast on Internet service ESPN3, with the championship game set for TV network ESPNU, said Eddie Holbrook, co-chairman of the ALWS executive committee.

“This has been a dream that we have had since the beginning,” Holbrook said of the Legion World Series having a presence on TV. “We had no idea that it could be done by year four.”

The past two years, the American Legion World Series was broadcasted via ESPN3.

As the contract with ESPN3 was up for renewal this spring, the Legion board wanted to look at how to get the games live on TV.

In the 2014 event, the World Series will be broadcasted via ESPN3 through the semifinal games.

The championship game will be televised on ESPNU, with a potential viewership of 80 million.

There may be a few minor stadium changes at Veterans Field at Keeter Stadium to accommodate the new TV presence, Holbrook said.

“I don’t think they will be major, but we will have to have the fiber and additional power sources to supply satellite dishes,” he said. “We will have to have more camera locations. ESPN3 only had three or four, while ESPNU will need six to eight cameras at minimum.”

Any stadium changes will be decided in early April, Holbrook said.

'Changes the entire format'

The tournament schedule will also change to accommodate the TV coverage.

“It changes the entire format of the tournament,” Holbrook said. “It just used to be a double elimination tournament, but going to ESPNU required a change of format.”

Broadcasting the games live makes it necessary to change the format of the World Series from a double elimination tournament to pool play.

“ESPNU needs to know the exact time each game will be played. There can’t be any ‘what-ifs,’” Holbrook said. “In double elimination, you have what-ifs with the championship game."

With pool play, every team knows exactly what time they are playing and every team gets a day off, because there will always be two teams that won’t be playing.

Each team is also assured up to three games, where in the past they may not have played more than two.

To switch to pool play, the board had to get permission from the national Legion headquarters.

Teams will also arrive a day earlier for the tournament, Holbrook said.

'Contributing to travel tourism'

Holbrook said the new World Series format will mean teams will be in town longer, which will mean more opportunities for those visitors to spend money that will help the local economy.

“Under the present format, every team will be playing through Sunday. Their teams and parents will stay in town a day or two longer,” Holbrook said. “This gives them a better feel for the events. People will be staying here longer and also contributing to travel tourism.”

The 2013 ALWS pumped $15.8 million into the local economy, according to a report from the Cleveland County travel/tourism department.

Part of the agreement with ESPNU is also to have 30-second advertising spots during the World Series to promote and advertise the county, Holbrook said.

“This provides the county and city the ability to showcase things like the stadium, the Scruggs Center, the Don Gibson, gateway trails and our wineries,” he said. “This gives us an opportunity to promote this area and shoot them across the nation."

 

2014 American Legion World Series

* Aug. 14-19, 2014

* For more information, follow @AL_WorldSeries on Twitter, "like" The Shelby Star on Facebook or visit www.legion.org/baseball.

* Follow The Star in the coming months for more information on the ALWS concerts, festival, baseball games and more.