Why are there 14 american league teams and 16 national league teams in baseball?

Question

Sorry, but this seems dumber than dumb. Why don't they just move one of the national teams to the american side to even up the divisions? And, please, don't bother and bore me with comments about "tradition." It is dumb to keep it this way because the national league central division is at a big disadvantage in relation to the american league west.

It seems like they could work something out between inter-league play to fix the schdule.

Answer 1

Unfortunately, it's all about scheduling. If there isn't an even number of teams in each division, one team will always have no one else to play. Which would drag the season on much longer than it needed to.

However, I've always been a fan of having 15 teams in each league, and having one interleague series going at all times. All other major sports have interleague games all year (NBA, NFL, and NHL). I don't see any problem with baseball doing the same.

I mean there just has to be some way to even up the divisions in baseball. Just doesn't seem fair and "traditional" to have one division with 6 teams competing for one playoff spot, and another with only 4 teams. Let's get it together MLB.

Answer 2

Before Arizona and Tampa Bay joined MLB in 1998, it was 14-14. Since the so-called Commish still owned the Brewers, he moved his team and AZ to the NL and had TB replace him in the AL to make the current 16-14.

They could have very easily put both teams in the AL, but the owners of the D-backs demanded to be in the NL West and no one else wanted to jump in either direction to stablize the scheduling.

Obviously 15-15 won't work because you'd have one team in each league either sitting for 3-4 days or everyone playing Interleague all year round (which wouldn't be so bad, come to think of it)

Answer 3

Milwaukee is the problem. Bud "The Pud's" daughter I believe owns the Brew Crew and Bud "The Pud" put the Brew Crew in the NL central because there are waaaay more Cubs fans than Sox fans and also there are a lot of Cards fans as well... That means more sellouts for his daughter's team and more money.

The Truth Be Told, The Brew Crew should be in the AL Central again and KC should go to the AL West. (We ain't gonna miss KC, anyways, the Brew Crew would be the new KC)

Answer 4

dude cmon think about it.

To have ever team play on the same day, there'd have to be an interleague series.

and interleague was a huge break from tradition in the first place. So in a way, it is tradition that makes it 14-16.

Answer 5

They need to have an even number of teams in each league or one team will always have a series off becasue one team cannot play interleague when they others are not.

Answer 6

"Dumber than dumb" is inadequate description for failure to understand the necessity of organized sports to have an even number of teams within essentially hermetic leagues.

Tradition has little to do with it, and tradition almost always takes a back seat to money (and if tradition does appear to be in the front seat, it's probably to allow even bigger money in the back).

The NL Central's biggest problem these days appears to be substandard IQs in the general managers' offices.

Answer 7

iunno why they r not the same but if they move a team to the AL then the leagues would not be even. so therefore one team in each league isnt gonna be playing when every other team is.

Answer 8

its so each team has someone to play in there own league
if there were 15 in each one team would be left with out a team to play becaue interleague play only happens twice a year

Answer 9

people please stop asking this question. it is for scheduling purposes.