Destino Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 The beauty of baseball is that you don't have to watch every inning of every game. There are so many of them that you can turn a July game on in the 5th inning. The same applies to the NBA though. I could sit through a baseball game much more easily than an NBA game. And that's coming from someone who played basketball his entire life up to the varsity level in high school. It's always been so much more enjoyable to play than it was to watch.I don't understand this sentiment that the beauty of baseball is that you don't have to watch it. That makes no sense to me. I do think the number of games plays a role in not watching them though. Hard to care about a game worth less than 1%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I'm not sure how you would judge "more popular". I think the NBA has more recognizable and marketable athletes than MLB and the story lines are more talked about in the media. Personally I think baseball is absolutely boring to watch. During the few Nats games that I tried to watch I had the iPad out and would look up at the TV screen now and then. That mimics the experience at the park where most people in the stands (regular season) are more interested in chatting, eating, and drinking beer than they are the game itself. It's a slow plodding mess that has fewer exciting plays than just about any other major sport. Even the highlights tend to suck. ... so yeah you could say I'm biased. An NBA game is like a mini family vacation so hardly a reason to knock baseball. Going to a Wiz game can put me to sleep, even when they were a playoff team. Both aren't particularly that exciting until the playoffs but the bottom of the 9th, with a chance for a walk-off is easily as exciting as Durant having the ball in his hands with a chance for a game winning fade. There's also the fact that the first three quarters of an NBA game aren't even necessary to watch but a baseball game can be decided in the 4th inning if a team implodes. I find hockey ans football to be more fun to watch, especially live than either baseball or basketball. But let's look at the big NBA cities... Only in probably LA, OKC and Miami is basketball more popular than baseball. In NYC, Philly, Chicago, Boston etc. the baseball team is more consistently popular. Even in New England, home of 16x NBA titles, the Celtics are probably a close 4th behind the Patriots, Red Sox and Bruins. The NBA does have the most marketable stars though, easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I don't understand this sentiment that the beauty of baseball is that you don't have to watch it. That makes no sense to me. I do think the number of games plays a role in not watching them though. Hard to care about a game worth less than 1%. It's just a different feel. I am a fan of baseball and football. You really can't have two sports that are more extreme. I love them both but also appreciate their differences. I like that you can jump into a baseball game at any time without feeling like you missed too much...I could never do that (unless I had to) for a Redskin game. When it comes to popularity too, I think "following" a sport is just as relevant as "watching" a sport. I am an O's fan and probably watched the majority of 120 of their games this season. I didn't sit down at 7pm and get up at 10:30 every evening. But I would have it on and jump in and out while doing things, getting the kids cleaned up, making dinner, etc. When the Redskins come on with the exception of extreme exceptions like a child's activity, I escape to my basement and concentrate (we can start another thread about how ridiculous that is). So, as differently as I love each sport/team (i.e., their popularity with me), I love them about the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artmonkforHOF Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 globally no question it is basketball, but in America, baseball might still have a slight edge but it is getting smaller IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAVEONTHEWARPATH93 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 I love both even though a more pro-MLB because baseball was my life in high school as were the Yankees. Basketball was the first sport I fell in love with though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 globally no question it is basketball, but in America, baseball might still have a slight edge but it is getting smaller IMO. Good point about global considerations...I would guess that basketball is winning there. I don't think that baseball's edge in America is slight nor shrinking, but I could be wrong. I think that in the mid-1990s, the NBA had a shot to overtake baseball (and maybe it did) with the labor issues and the cancellation of the World Series in 1994. Right around that time, the Knicks were fun to watch, Reggie Miller was a fun bad guy, and Jordan was about to come back to the league and win 3 more titles. Once Ripken broke the record and the players started cheating to hit HRs, the popularity came back and I don't think the NBA has challenged baseball since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DCSaints_fan Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Around here, I see tons of people sporting Giants and A's gear, some 49ers, ocassionally and Sharks. I've seen a Warriors jersey once. Obviously, grossly unfair given their track records. But that just goes to show you, when it comes to local teams, its about who's winning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 In my experience there are a lot more MLB fans than there are NBA fans, but I would expect that from a league that's been around since the 1800's. You have people who are fans of a given team not just because they grew up going to games or watching that team, but because their parents and grandparents did the same. MLB is also really territorial as others have mentioned, which I actually think benefits them. I don't see it as much with basketball, but with baseball, it's like your hometown team is much more a part of you and a representation of where you're from. Maybe this is just my perspective, though, as I only lived in VA which had neither, then DC, then in Minneapolis where the Twins are even more popular than the Vikings. I also think the NBA benefited from a shortened season and a superstar match-up in the finals. There are several reasons the NFL is so popular, and one of those in my opinion is that their season is short and straightforward. 17 weeks then the playoffs, all games are on Sunday and Monday (and now Thursday, which I think will actually hurt more than help). In the short-term, NBA will continue to do well with the amount of superstars they currently have. But long-term I don't see them overtaking MLB simply based on the power of history. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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