Poll: What is the 2nd most popular pro sport in the US?

[Botched]

What would be awesome would be to have a Canadian division and an American division. More teams in Canada, less teams in Tampa, Phoenix, and Nashville.

I love that idea.

Not trying to derail the thread, but I'm surprised that Quebec and Winnipeg lost their teams to U.S. cities years ago. How did that happen when hockey is so much more popular up there?

[scruffylookin]

Well in the country, the answer is MLB.

But in Washington,DC, it is NBA without a doubt. First of all DC is a basketball city,so by default the NBA is behind the Redskins. And plus I very rarely here people say, 'you see that Nats game last night?' Not saying that the Nats aren't popular, it's just that DC really doesn't follow baseball.

To summarize, MLB is the 2nd best in the country, but NBA is the second best in my city.

I agree with you if you keep to the criteria of the city and city alone. If you expand it to the surrounding suburbs of DC, I have to agree with Renaissance and MattFancy, the Caps have made serious inroads to being the second leading attraction to the Redskins.

Overall though, I can speak for myself that my interest in the NBA is non-existent and has been this way for nearly a decade. I was a huge fan of NBA basketball in the 80's and early to mid 90's but that fandomn has eroded over time to the point now where I have not watched a moment of the NBA Finals in about 4 or 5 years. Maybe more.

[renaissance]

Wizards and Mystics and United dead last in relevance

Why you bolding United there?

Also:

Redskins 09 avg attendance = 84,794 (2nd/32)

Nationals 09 avg attendance = 23,174 (21st/30)

Capitals 09 avg attendance = 18,277 (11th/30)

Wizards 09 avg attendance = 16,612 (21st/30)

DC United 09 avg attendance = 15,585 (7th/15)

Mystics avg 09 attendance = 11,338 (1st. Duh)

[MattFancy]

isn't Nascar the most 'spectated' sport each year?

Well that's because they can fit 100,000 or so people at each track.

[The Tris]

I love that idea.

Not trying to derail the thread, but I'm surprised that Quebec and Winnipeg lost their teams to U.S. cities years ago. How did that happen when hockey is so much more popular up there?

Not a lot of weathly owners in Winnipeg willing to build nice stadiums with luxury boxes. NHL was concerned with TV markets, not loyal fans. Thus, the product has been diluted and suffered.

I think they should take a note from soccer and see that passionate fans do matter and do improve the game. And Bettman should be 86ed.

[deejaydana]

Well that's because they can fit 100,000 or so people at each track.

Well, in posting that I did have that in mind and wasn't defending the sport either. Still, it's kind of whacky to me how many people follow car racing.

[MattFancy]

Well, in posting that I did have that in mind and wasn't defending the sport either. Still, it's kind of whacky to me how many people follow car racing.

Gotcha. I do agree that its crazy that so many people follow it. I'm from Southern Maryland and you can't go anywhere without seeing NASCAR stuff somewhere.

[DButz65]

First of all DC is a basketball city,so by default the NBA is behind the Redskins.

Wrong

And if by default, the NBA is behind the Redskins, how does that make DC a basketball city?

DC will ALWAYS be a Football town, even if the CAPS win a Cup in the next few years

[renaissance]

Well that's because they can fit 100,000 or so people at each track.

NASCAR also benefits from the fact that there's one major race at each track, each season. Just like the NFL benefits from a limited number games. Does anyone really think 80,000+ people would be at every Redskins game if they played 30+ games through the season?

Number of games in a regular season (rounded to nearest 0 except NFL):

MLB = 160

NHL = 80

NBA = 80

WNBA = 30

MLS = 30

NFL = 16

[MattFancy]

NASCAR also benefits from the fact that there's one major race at each track, each season. Just like the NFL benefits from a limited number games. Does anyone really think 80,000+ people would be at every Redskins game if they played 30+ games through the season?

Number of games in a regular season (rounded to nearest 0):

MLB = 160

NHL = 80

NBA = 80

WNBA = 30

MLS = 30

NFL = 16

That's a good point. Its alot easier to go to one race a week than it would be to go to 5 or 6 MLB games a week.

[DjTj]

Well in the country, the answer is MLB.

But in Washington,DC, it is NBA without a doubt. First of all DC is a basketball city,so by default the NBA is behind the Redskins. And plus I very rarely here people say, 'you see that Nats game last night?' Not saying that the Nats aren't popular, it's just that DC really doesn't follow baseball.

To summarize, MLB is the 2nd best in the country, but NBA is the second best in my city.

DC is a basketball town, but it has never been an NBA town. It is a Hoyas town, a Terps town, or a DeMatha town. Basketball in DC is way ahead of any other sport on the college and high school levels.

On the pro level, the only team with a real legacy is the Redskins. Everyone else is way behind, and you can rank the Wizards, Nationals, and Capitals on basically how well they happen to be doing at the time.

[Sebowski]

In 5 years it will be MMA.

[Forehead]

and I think if you look even further out, I would not be surprised if MLL at least competed with NHL in 2025.

Lacrosse? Are you joking? No one gives a **** about lacrosse past the college level, and even at that level, it barely makes T.V. I'll file this one away in my mind for fifteen years from now, and will eat my words if it comes to pass, but I don't see lacrosse suddenly hitting the big time.

[RedskinFeathers]

DC = Skins, Caps, Strasburg...Wizards will possibly make a comeback with John Wall.

Rest of the country, I'd still say baseball over basketball. Unless you're a fan of one of the select few teams that has won the national championship the past 30 years, people seem to be losing interest.

[Sticksboi05]

Wizards are not #2 in D.C. and will not be for ten years as long as Ovechkin runs this city, which he does. The moment he wins a Stanley Cup, he will cement his path to Greatest Athlete in D.C. history.

In the D.C. market right now it is:

Redskins (always #1, always)

Capitals (Ovechkin owns this city, all we need is a Cup)

Nationals (Strasburg and Harper so they will go up)

Wizards (with John Wall potential to go up)

[Aruna]

Looking at the the tv ratings for the finals of the respective leagues.

2008 NBA finals avg rating = 9.3

2009 NBA finals avg rating = 8.4

2010 NBA finals avg rating = 12.3

2007 World series avg rating = 10.6

2008 World series avg rating = 8.4

2009 World series avg rating = 11.7

2010 NHL Stanley Cup finals avg rating = 3.4

[SoCalSkins]

I'd say NHL has a better shot than NBA right now. I think there was a blog on Yahoo! Puck Daddy that showed viewership for the NHL playoffs was much higher than NBA.

A spelling bee had higher ratings than the Stanley cup final. Hockey is nothing but a blip on the sports radar.

[CrypticVillain]

Wrong

And if by default, the NBA is behind the Redskins, how does that make DC a basketball city?

DC will ALWAYS be a Football town, even if the CAPS win a Cup in the next few years

DC is a basketball town, but it has never been an NBA town. It is a Hoyas town, a Terps town, or a DeMatha town. Basketball in DC is way ahead of any other sport on the college and high school levels.

DC is a basketball town, that is why I still think the Wizards are second as far Washingtonians go. I don't see a baseball tournament or a hockey tournament down Barry Farms every summer. It is basketball.

Do you really hear random people asking how was the Wizards game last night? lol

In DC right now it's Redskins, Caps, everyone else

I dunno about that. I think the Caps are the #2 right now in DC.

I agree with you if you keep to the criteria of the city and city alone. If you expand it to the surrounding suburbs of DC, I have to agree with Renaissance and MattFancy, the Caps have made serious inroads to being the second leading attraction to the Redskins.

If the Wizards were winning as consistently as the Caps, what will make this area happier? When the Wizards made it to the second round in 2006, people were acting like they won the championship. We won the draft lottery and people went crazy at the notion of getting John Wall. They had a press conference for his arrival after we drafted him and it shut the whole Chinatown down. I didn't see that with Ovie or Stras.

[Hubbs]

Well in the country, the answer is MLB.

But in Washington,DC, it is NBA without a doubt. First of all DC is a basketball city,so by default the NBA is behind the Redskins. And plus I very rarely here people say, 'you see that Nats game last night?' Not saying that the Nats aren't popular, it's just that DC really doesn't follow baseball.

To summarize, MLB is the 2nd best in the country, but NBA is the second best in my city.

The Nats have been around for six years. It takes time to build a fanbase and become part of a city. If the Wizards are a perennial also-ran because Miami, Chicago, Boston in the short-term, and Orlando control the East for the next half-decade, I wouldn't be surprised to see the Nats consistently garner more attention than the Wiz.

[Sticksboi05]

If the Wizards were winning as consistently as the Caps, what will make this area happier? When the Wizards made it to the second round in 2006, people were acting like they won the championship. We won the draft lottery and people went crazy at the notion of getting John Wall. They had a press conference for his arrival after we drafted him and it shut the whole Chinatown down. I didn't see that with Ovie or Stras.

Dude. I go to college in BOSTON. I see Ovechkin jerseys in my math class and around campus just walking down the street. I get props for wearing my Ovechkin shirt 500 miles away from people who are also from the D.C. area. Guarantee not the case with a Wizards jersey even when they made the playoffs for four years in a row.

The Capitals are bigger than the Wizards.

As for Strasburg, he will put the Nationals past the Wiz also.

[MattFancy]

Dude. I go to college in BOSTON. I see Ovechkin jerseys in my math class and around campus just walking down the street. I get props for wearing my Ovechkin shirt 500 miles away from people who are also from the D.C. area. Guarantee not the case with a Wizards jersey even when they made the playoffs for four years in a row.

The Capitals are bigger than the Wizards.

As for Strasburg, he will put the Nationals past the Wiz also.

Hell even around DC you see more people with Caps and Nats gear than Wizards.

[Drop]

I dunno about that. I think the Caps are the #2 right now in DC.

The Caps are DEFINITLEY #2 in DC right now. And when they're hot, and the Redskins are sitting at home doing between January and the Draft....they shoot up to #1 in excitement, intensity, and sheer enjoyment to watch rather quickly.

Baseball, NBA, College Football, Nascar....all bleh as far as i'm concerned. None of those sports do enough for me to watch regularly. I'm a casual fan of all of them except for Nascar, but there's the Skins, the Caps, and everyone else right now imo.

With the additions of Harper, Strasburg, and Wall....i've been paying closer attention to the Nats and Wiz. But they've still got work to do to get me hooked like I am with the Skins and Caps.

in DC, i'd say right now it's Skins, Caps, Nats, Wiz.

in the US, i'd say it's football, baseball, college football, basketball, then hockey. Just because there's a **** ton of folks in this country who don't have Ovechkin's and Crosby's on their closest team. And they haven't discovered the young talent that their hockey team more than likely DOES have. Not to mention, there are so many college football diehards that it's hard not to throw that into the equation.

[HailinginSeattle]

Baseball.

For me it's Basketball.

I look at it like this. How many people do you see with sports license plate holders, stickers, flags, and whatever else on their car that are not either NFL (or college), or MLB teams. Very rare that you see any, and the amount of NFL you see easily outdoes MLB.

[No Excuses]

On the pro level, the only team with a real legacy is the Redskins. Everyone else is way behind, and you can rank the Wizards, Nationals, and Capitals on basically how well they happen to be doing at the time.

This basically sums it up. For the MLB, NHL and NBA teams in this city, people are front runner fans. Nobody gave a crap about the Capitals when Arenas led the Wizards to the playoffs and beat the Bulls in round 1. All you could see around town was Wizards talk.

Now you have the same with the Capitals. This cycle will continue to go on. Besides the Redskins, this town doesn't really have a die hard fan base for any other sport.

[TMK9973]

I always heard DC is a basketball town.

I grew up here

I have no idea what thats based on. Just because Wilbon keeps saying it doesn't make it true.

DC is a town of winners - When the Wiz, terps, or Hoyas win - DC loves them. But DC is a football town (Win or lose, people love the Redskins).