the funny thing about NBA ratings is that they are AWFUL in the Finals consistently from 2000-2010 if the Lakers were not in the series. The Cavs/Spurs series, which featured LeBron, had abysmal ratings. I think basketball is a very market-dependent sport. Outside of New York, Los Angeles, Boston, and Chicago, there is not a large historical base of support. Oklahoma City fans have been great ever since they were the temporary home of the Hornets, so that could become a good sized basketball market. Texas has also become a hotspot for basketball with all 3 teams located their being consistently good ever since the Spurs won a title. You look at the Spurs 4 titles, the Mavs record ever since Cuban took over, Houston won titles in the 90s and had good teams in the 2000s. Outside of these areas though, basketball support is VERY fickle. Wasn't there a statistic that more than half of the NBA teams do not sell out or turn a profit?
For baseball, it has definitely declined a LOT in popularity. I have become a lot less interested in it. I still think the MLB playoffs are a blast to watch, mainly because the opportunities in each game are so few, that it makes the whole game interesting. The regular season is too drawn out for me however.
I have never cared about hockey. I was born in Indiana, grew up in southern Cal, and have lived in Florida since. I do not care for hockey. My parents' family LOVE hockey though, because they are all from Illinois and most have only moved as far as Michigan or Indiana.
Football, even with the current lockout, is far and away the most popular sport in the US. College football has become even more popular in recent years, and it might overtake the NFL as the most popular medium of football if there is no NFL season this year. When you look at attendance numbers for both NCAA and NFL football, it is amazing. Other than the Jaguars, Raiders, Bills, Bengals, and Lions, has any other team struggled with attendance recently? The Jags, Raiders, and Lions also rebounded last year with some better seasons(I know that the Jags actually sold out every home game), but these teams possibly could have even sold out the stadium with losing records in the recent years if there wasn't a recession. College stadiums remained packed, and many of the schools have 90k+ capacity, which is also mind-boggling. Case in point: America LOVES football right now, and nothing comes close. TV and attendance numbers are very high.
I assume major sports refers to pro sports, because if it doesn't, we probably have 6 major sports here(add in ncaab and ncaaf). The attendance for college basketball and football is still very high, but that is probably attributed to students of course.
For baseball, it has definitely declined a LOT in popularity. I have become a lot less interested in it. I still think the MLB playoffs are a blast to watch, mainly because the opportunities in each game are so few, that it makes the whole game interesting. The regular season is too drawn out for me however.
I have never cared about hockey. I was born in Indiana, grew up in southern Cal, and have lived in Florida since. I do not care for hockey. My parents' family LOVE hockey though, because they are all from Illinois and most have only moved as far as Michigan or Indiana.
Football, even with the current lockout, is far and away the most popular sport in the US. College football has become even more popular in recent years, and it might overtake the NFL as the most popular medium of football if there is no NFL season this year. When you look at attendance numbers for both NCAA and NFL football, it is amazing. Other than the Jaguars, Raiders, Bills, Bengals, and Lions, has any other team struggled with attendance recently? The Jags, Raiders, and Lions also rebounded last year with some better seasons(I know that the Jags actually sold out every home game), but these teams possibly could have even sold out the stadium with losing records in the recent years if there wasn't a recession. College stadiums remained packed, and many of the schools have 90k+ capacity, which is also mind-boggling. Case in point: America LOVES football right now, and nothing comes close. TV and attendance numbers are very high.
I assume major sports refers to pro sports, because if it doesn't, we probably have 6 major sports here(add in ncaab and ncaaf). The attendance for college basketball and football is still very high, but that is probably attributed to students of course.
