When did Football overtake Baseball in popularity?

[salsadancer7]

Awesome...a club of two...me and you.


Sandra

I have this argument with my friends that try to get me involved in this craziness every year for every sports. The LAST thing I want to watch is a game between the Seachickens and the Colts because I have Dallas Clark as my TE on my fantasy team.

 

[SandraC]

I have this argument with my friends that try to get me involved in this craziness every year for every sports. The LAST thing I want to watch is a game between the Seachickens and the Colts because I have Dallas Clark as my TE on my fantasy team.

What's even worse is that my brother will take satisfaction with certain people scoring on the Jets. He's rooting for a Jet victory that also includes fantasy point for him that can cost the Jets.


Sandra

 

[salsadancer7]

What's even worse is that my brother will take satisfaction with certain people scoring on the Jets. He's rooting for a Jet victory that also includes fantasy point for him that can cost the Jets.

Sandra

YES!! EXACTLY!!! Why on GODs beautiful earth would you want someone from ANOTHER team to do well against your own..because he is on your fantasy team?!

Sacrilege!!!

 

[bhelms]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet in this thread, but for me the switch came after the '94/'95 MLB strike that cancelled the '94 post season. I have not watched or listened to an MLB game since, unless I was with someone else who was. Prior to that I would often listen to "local" teams (Pirates, Phillies, Orioles) on steamy summer evenings while putzing around in the garage or sitting on the porch drinking a beer. Now the only BB games I watch are the local AAA farm team. I have virtually -0- interest in MLB anymore...

I realize the NFL has had strikes as well, like in '87. But at least for me (and apparently others) that lock-out had nowhere near the impact of the MLB strike I mentioned above since it didn't have a major impact on the overall schedule or end of the season. I even went to a "scab" game in Houston and got to see Flutie play, so for me it wasn't all bad...!

 

[televisionarchives]

This video is interesting about Baseball. I agree with it. [video]http://www.5min.com/Video/SF-Giants-Sabean-Baseball-No-Longer-National-Pastime-516964491[/video]

 

[TNGTony]

You know, I keep hearing about how "no one" watches baseball any more.

From the Wall Street Journal (April 1990)
Based on attendance, revenue and any other criteria, Major League Baseball, under the leadership of Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, is more popular than ever. Baseball has set attendance records four of the past six years, despite the country's worst economic setback in 80 years. Clubs now average more than 33,000 fans per game, which is more than two-and-a-half times the average of 13,000 during baseball's so-called golden years of the 1950s. The minors drew nearly 42 million fans last year, which was consistent with the record-setting attendance they have enjoyed over the past several years.

 

[osu1991]

That is interesting you say that. The game is not 4 hours long

The average football game (3:06) last longer than the average baseball game (2:54)

Football has more downtime. A game that last over 3 hours yet only 2 hours of time on the clock. This is over an hour of time when nothing is going on and this does not count the time the clock is still running while they are in between plays. Baseball has no clock and the only down time is in between innings which totals only a few minutes of the 3 hours.

Baseball has more scoring. NFL averages about 21 points per game (this will be equivalent to 4 TDs to 3 TDs game). MLB averages about 9.6 runs per game (equivalent to about 5 to 4 runs). In baseball each team averages about 1 more score and does so in a shorter amount of time.

I haven't followed baseball or my favorite team (Dodgers) since I stayed up my freshmen year in college, when everyone else gave up and left, and saw Kirk Gibson's homerun. I've tried to follow the Rangers and the Cardinals with my nephews, but every time I have tuned in, the Rangers start at 6:30 or 7pm and the games are not over before 11pm.

 

[televisionarchives]

Another good story about the problems with baseball. Baseball as America’s Pastime continues to fall further into the past « Silent Archimedes

 

[cosmo_kramer]

You know, I keep hearing about how "no one" watches baseball any more.

When "they" say that they're probably referring to TV ratings:

The past few years have not been particularly good to the World Series, as fifteen of the seventeen lowest rated games have taken place in the past four seasons alone. The past seven seasons have included the six lowest rated World Series of all time.

World Series Numbers Game | Sports Media Watch

 

[osu1991]

You know, I keep hearing about how "no one" watches baseball any more.

From the Wall Street Journal (April 1990)
Based on attendance, revenue and any other criteria, Major League Baseball, under the leadership of Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig, is more popular than ever. Baseball has set attendance records four of the past six years, despite the country's worst economic setback in 80 years. Clubs now average more than 33,000 fans per game, which is more than two-and-a-half times the average of 13,000 during baseball's so-called golden years of the 1950s. The minors drew nearly 42 million fans last year, which was consistent with the record-setting attendance they have enjoyed over the past several years.

Attendance and viewership are two very different things though. Our AA affiliate Tulsa Drillers set another attendance record this year and have been more popular than ever the last 10 years. Baseball has been a big thing in Tulsa since the 30's and 40's when we were still a Cardinals farm team and the Dean brothers made regular appearances in town. The Cardinals are still more popular in NE Oklahoma than any other team, but that popularity pales in comparison to OU and OSU football and the Dallas Cowboys.

 

[Peter Parker]

Awesome...a club of two...me and you.


Sandra

Wow first we have conferences and now we have clubs with only two players. I think the plan also calls for more rainouts.

 

[digiblur]

That is interesting you say that. The game is not 4 hours long

The average football game (3:06) last longer than the average baseball game (2:54)

Football has more downtime. A game that last over 3 hours yet only 2 hours of time on the clock. This is over an hour of time when nothing is going on and this does not count the time the clock is still running while they are in between plays. Baseball has no clock and the only down time is in between innings which totals only a few minutes of the 3 hours.

Baseball has more scoring. NFL averages about 21 points per game (this will be equivalent to 4 TDs to 3 TDs game). MLB averages about 9.6 runs per game (equivalent to about 5 to 4 runs). In baseball each team averages about 1 more score and does so in a shorter amount of time.

DVR fixes that quite nicely when you are behind 30 minutes or so.

How many baseball players are actually doing something compared the number of football players doing something. Combine that with the carnage of tackling people. Baseball is just boring to watch with one or two players actually doing something plus they only touch each other with the ball. People like action and carnage!

 

[TNGTony]

So my point is that Baseball isn't becoming LESS popular. TV ratings of a single event not withstanding. As a whole in attendance and actual eye-balls watching or listening to games baseball has more now than ever before when taken as an aggregate. What MLB doesn't have is any kind of a high school or collegiate counterpart. It has 10 times as many games as the NFL and a longer season so each event will have less viewership, but if you take the viewership numbers for any single week for any baseball team and any one football team, baseball is still drawing more fans per week (on TV, Radio and at the stadium) than any one football team.

Football has become more popular with a higher rate of growth than baseball. But looking at Superbowl and World Series ratings numbers will give you a false indication.

World Series numbers have nothing to do with the "event". They have to do with the teams playing. How many "world series parties" have you been invited to? I bet if it's happened it was because it was a local team. TV ratings for the Word Series are based on who is playing and the national popularity of those teams. The fact that the Yankees have not been in the world series in 8 of the last 9 years hasn't help things much in national viewership.

The Super Bowl TV ratings are an aberration with respect to the popularity of the sport itself, just as much as the Indy500 is a false indication of the popularity of the IRL. In these cases it is the event that draws the viewership, not the sport itself.

For the true indications you have to look at perhaps the Conference championships ratings which, though still good, are significantly lower than the Super Bowl. Then you have to look at the aggregate numbers. But even with the false-positive, let's take the actual number of people who "watched" the Super Bowl (1 game) to the number of people who watched the World Series (4-7 games). Baseball is always significantly higher in unique eye-balls watching the sport.

If you take the actual attendance at the football games I frequent (my mighty Bengals) we've only had one sell-out this season. We had 5 or 6 years of straight sell-outs before this season with worse records and less prospects to advance to playoffs! So anecdotally I can say "no one watches football".

Don't get me wrong. I am not saying football isn't extremely popular. I have football season tickets, but have gone to only one major league baseball game in 3 years. My point is that to say "no one" watches baseball or that baseball's popularity is waning is dead wrong.

 

[televisionarchives]

Many here seem to think Baseball is ok. And yet MLB itself has said they need to do some things to help get the younger fans . My own son loves Football and find baseball boring. He's not alone. I went to his school about a year ago for an event and asked all of the boys what sport they liked. 9 out of 10 said football, then soccer.

 

[TNGTony]

Interesting page on just pure numbers:

sports recreation leisure market research - statistics

Football has more annual revenue than Baseball. But Baseball's numbers are rising, not falling.

Perception is reality, I guess.

 

[yaz96]

Many here seem to think Baseball is ok. And yet MLB itself has said they need to do some things to help get the younger fans . My own son loves Football and find baseball boring. He's not alone. I went to his school about a year ago for an event and asked all of the boys what sport they liked. 9 out of 10 said football, then soccer.

uh-oh, he said soccer.......

 

[DodgerKing]

Many here seem to think Baseball is ok. And yet MLB itself has said they need to do some things to help get the younger fans . My own son loves Football and find baseball boring. He's not alone. I went to his school about a year ago for an event and asked all of the boys what sport they liked. 9 out of 10 said football, then soccer.

With kids here for the ML sports only it is basketball (mainly the Lakers), then baseball (mainly the Dodgers), and then football.

Many of my students play and watch soccer, but they mostly watch soccer from their home countries (mainly Mexico) and do not follow MLS

 

[DodgerKing]

DVR fixes that quite nicely when you are behind 30 minutes or so.

So you need to use a DVR to actually make football more exciting?

How many baseball players are actually doing something compared the number of football players doing something.

All of them. Unlike football, baseball players are involved in both the offense and the defense and when playing defense they are all involved in every inning and every pitch (even if it doesn't look like it to the non fan)

Combine that with the carnage of tackling people. Baseball is just boring to watch with one or two players actually doing something plus they only touch each other with the ball. People like action and carnage!

Really? Tell that to Buster Posey and Ray Fosse
[video]http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5766041[/video]
[video]http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=sf&content_id=15201733[/video]

 

[digiblur]

So you need to use a DVR to actually make football more exciting?

All of them. Unlike football, baseball players are involved in both the offense and the defense and when playing defense they are all involved in every inning and every pitch (even if it doesn't look like it to the non fan)
Really? Tell that to Buster Posey and Ray Fosse
[video]http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=5766041[/video]
[video]http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=sf&content_id=15201733[/video]

No. Just mash the 30 second bump through commercials until we catch up to live tv. A DVR just makes you hate commercials

 

[Ramy]

I like baseball more and I can watch all my teams games every day.