I wish I could find the article again, but there was this article with stats that showed that when the Red Sox/Yanks are in the playoffs, it is good for baseball. People watch. However, if the Red Sox/Yanks make it to the World Series, it is bad for baseball. Outside the Boston/NY market and the team's market they are playing, no one watches.
Meanwhile clubs like the Orioles only fill the park when those two teams come to town, whereas when they were competitive, Camden Yards was filled with Orioles fans. Now they, and many other clubs, have been reduced to begging for crumbs.
The Boston/NY nexus of baseball interest is eroding interest in many other markets, to a greater extent than those two markets alone can replace.
