NBC Changes World Series Format

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NBC 2013 World Series LogoWICHITA, Kan. — The National Baseball Congress and the City of Wichita have made several major changes to the NBC World Series.

The changes are effective immediate and will apply to this year’s tournament. The 79th edition of the NBC tournament will be divided into two one-week periods that will be played consecutively from July 26 through August 10.

The top two teams from the first week advance to a 16-team championship week. The championship week bracket will be comprised of the champions from the 10 most successful leagues over the tournament’s last 10 years, two at-large clubs determined by NBC officials, and the previous summer’s national champion and runner-up. Both weeks events will follow a double-elimination format.

“We considered many things when coming up with the new format,” Tournament Director Casey Walkup said in a press release. “We wanted to accommodate the many wishes of local teams, traveling teams, fans, and the tournament’s history and tradition. Our number one goal is to get the NBC World Series back on the right track. We hope this format will allow us to seek more affiliates outside of our geographic locations, which in turn, will increase the quality and presence of our great tournament.”

The compensation pool for the teams has been increased from $62,200 to $65,300, including a $1,000 raise for both the national champion and runner-up. Additionally, the two teams advancing to Championship Week from the first week will earn $5,000 each.

Also ticket prices for all sessions will be lowered and specific nights will be “Buy-Out” Nights providing fans free general admission vouchers during both weeks of the new format.