Dodgers Fans Face Choice: Game Or Debate?

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Civically engaged Dodgers fans face a tough choice Wednesday evening: whether to watch Game 4 of the NLCS or the third presidential debate.

The game is scheduled to start at 5:08 p.m. on Fox Sports 1. The debate begins at 6 p.m. and will be aired on CBS and other broadcast stations and cable networks.

Both events are sure to draw plenty of viewers, with some fans using tablets and computers to watch both at the same time.

For the Dodgers, Game 4 offers an opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead behind 20-year-old starting pitcher Jose Urias. Meanwhile, at the debate, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will strive to resolve undecided voters' minds just three weeks before election day.

While the scheduling is less than ideal for Dodgers fans, the bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates told the New York Times in August that it scheduled the debates more than a year ago.

The commission was responding to allegations from Donald Trump that scheduling debates against NFL games was a deliberate attempt to minimize viewership. The first two debates aired concurrently with NFL games.

"It is impossible to avoid all sporting events, and there have been nights on which debates and games occurred in most election cycles," the commission said in a statement to the New York Times. "A debate has never been rescheduled as a result."

The second debate, held on September 26, competed with Monday Night Football for viewers and drew 66.5 million viewers, according to Nielsen. That number was down 20 percent compared to the 84 million people who tuned in for the first debate in August, held concurrently with a Sunday night game.

Whatever viewers choose Wednesday night, the Dodgers game is sure to be on long after the debate ends. The Dodgers recently set a new record for longest nine-inning playoff game in their NLDS Game 5 win over the Nationals. The game lasted four hours and 32 minutes.