I'm not arguing for single-elimination in the NBA or NHL: I think you could do best-of-5 in the first two rounds, then best-of-sevens for the conference finals and finals.

WSJ: NBA, NHL Playoffs: Why Are the Playoffs So Long?

Steven Murray, a Colorado Mesa University professor who has studied the history of sports, said the concept that inspired the bracket a single-elimination sporting competition with many rounds isn't a modern invention.

WSJ: NCAA Tournament: Where Was the Bracket Born?

March Madness thrives with a single-elimination tournament.

WSJ: NBA, NHL Playoffs: Why Are the Playoffs So Long?

No sporting event has greater popularity or higher stakes than soccer's World Cup, and they manage to sort that whole clambake out in about a month with a round-robin group stage that shifts to a single-elimination knockout round.

WSJ: NBA, NHL Playoffs: Why Are the Playoffs So Long?

The major reason obviously is a single-game elimination in which they may have to use their ace starting pitcher, making him unavailable until Game 3 of a five-game division series.

FORBES: New MLB Format Decreases Chance Of Wild-Card Winner

So a new playoff round, either a best-two-of-three or a single game elimination, may well happen.

FORBES: Baseball Could Use Expanded Playoffs