Start times for this weekend’s playoff games have still yet to be determined, but it’s becoming clear that sports fans in the state of Wisconsin are going to be facing a major dilemma.
Do I watch the Brewers-Diamondbacks game 1 NLDS matchup or do I go with No. 7 Wisconsin taking on No. 8 Nebraska up in Madison in a clash of Big Ten superpowers?
For those of you who have never been to Milwaukee or the state of Wisconsin, this is a very real – and potentially very ugly – dilemma. In Wisconsin, the hierarchy of sports priority goes as such:
1. Packers
2. Badgers football
3. Brewers
4. Badgers hockey
5. Bucks
Now granted, the Brewers did draw over 3 million fans this season and have been winning quite frequently at home, which consequently helps put more butts in the seats. That being said, in a state where passions for the Badger football program run deep and with the team in position to potentially make a run at the National Championship, some Wisconsinites who have tickets for both games are going to be faced with a tough decision. Not to mention the fact that the Brewers will play at least one more playoff game at home whereas the Badgers will only get one crack at the Cornhuskers this season. Both games are of huge significance to their respective teams. A Brewers win gives them a 1-0 lead in a best-of-three series whereas Wisconsin’s National Championship hopes hinge on whether or not they win on Saturday.
The thing is, pushing the game back a day wouldn’t do sports fans any favors either. On Sunday, the Packers are at home to take on the Denver Broncos. That game has a 3 pm kickoff, and given the fact that it takes about 2 1/2 hours to get from Milwaukee to Green Bay (as opposed to 90 minutes Milwaukee-Madison), fans would be faced with a similar dilemma.
Best case scenario for Badger and Brewers fans — MLB gives the Brewers a 1:05 first pitch, allowing plenty of time to enjoy both games with a three hour intermission to get from Miller Park to Camp Randall if you’re fortunate enough to have tickets to both games.
