Relegation coming some day?

Coming to Major League Baseball next year: the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and the Worcester Red Sox.

Debuting in AAA Minor Leagues are the Oakland A’s and the Colorado Rockies.

Seem unlikely, or some sort of massive AI malfunction?

Of course, the best teams at the second-best level of baseball don’t get promoted to the big leagues and the tail-enders in the MLB don’t get sent to the bus leagues.

But it’s a common practice in world football (i.e, soccer) that goes by the name “relegation.” Although it’s still on the far horizon for most American sports, the topic is being raised here and there on this side of the Atlantic.

Contrast the systems. In European soccer, the bottom two teams get dropped or relegated to the next lower level and the top two in the second level get promoted to the big league. Thus, doing well means you get rewarded, and dogging it means that poor performance gets punished.

In American sports, the best teams stay where they are and the worst get rewarded by getting the pick of the best new players coming out of colleges and high schools in the draft. Failure gets a boost.

Proposing such an idea will get you hooted down today here, and don’t be surprised if your car gets keyed.  A billionaire who spent a billion to build a new stadium wouldn’t take kindly to trading in his schedule playing the Yankees or Dodgers – who bring in big crowds – for three games with the Gwinnett Stripers or a double-header with the Tacoma Rainers.

Fans used to rivalry games such as Green Bay vs. Minnesota wouldn’t be quite as excited when viewing Round Rock vs. Sugar Land.

(I must admit to being interested in seeing how the Oakland A’s, with the worst record in MLB, would do against the Iron Pigs – tied for best in the International League).

Yes, a long shot. But so, once also were night games, designated hitters and “Money Ball.”  The future is always full of surprises.