Why is the MLB so popular?

[NBAplayoffs2001]

:facepalm

http://www.rgj.com/story/sports/2014/07/12/murray-past-present-future-americas-popular-sports/12587687/

[HitandRun Reggie]

Going to baseball games was fun as a kid. I love to PLAY baseball, just not watch it. I haven't been to a pro game in a while, and don't find the urge to. On TV it's boring to me.

Average age of the 2014 World Series viewership was 54 years old? :oldlol:

[ace23]

Average age of the 2014 World Series viewership was 54 years old? :oldlol:
Yeah that's interesting

[Shade8780]

Baseball makes me cry with boredom.

[DonDadda59]

It has a ridiculously long, ingrained History in this country. Built in, multi-generational fan bases... but it has lost a lot of popularity with younger people who I think gravitate more towards football and basketball.

[24-Inch_Chrome]

I enjoy watching baseball. I can understand how someone could find it boring but I certainly don't.

[DonDadda59]

I enjoy watching baseball. I can understand how someone could find it boring but I certainly don't.

I like playoff baseball, every pitch matters, more at stake. But yeah, I could do without watching all of the 2,572 regular season games the Yankees play per season.

[outbreak]

Baseball is kind of like a watered down cricket, there's a lot of tactics going on that the average viewer misses.

[DonDadda59]

Baseball is kind of like a watered down cricket, there's a lot of tactics going on that the average viewer misses.

Definitely the biggest reason people hate or love a sport. If you don't understand the intricacies, tactics, etc of a sport... kind of hard to appreciate it. Like I know family members who live, breathe soccer but they can't stand NFL games because to them it's just a bunch of fat guys aimlessly running into each other. :lol

[24-Inch_Chrome]

I like playoff baseball, every pitch matters, more at stake. But yeah, I could do without watching all of the 2,572 regular season games the Yankees play per season.

It's true that the regular season can get monotonous, especially if you're rooting for a team that's doing poorly (Cincinnati right now for me :cry: ). I watch what I can during the regular season, usually viewing the most MLB in June/July and then tuning in for as many playoff games as I can manage come Autumn.

[Shade8780]

Definitely the biggest reason people hate or love a sport. If you don't understand the intricacies, tactics, etc of a sport... kind of hard to appreciate it. Like I know family members who live, breathe soccer but they can't stand NFL games because to them it's just a bunch of fat guys aimlessly running into each other. :lol
As someone who doesn't watch NFL, Madden is an incredibly hard game to pick up with all the playbooks and tactics you need to know.

I don't know how it's so popular. FIFA feels so simple compared to Madden.

[JohnnySic]

When Field of Dreams came out in 1989, it was a celebration of the game of baseball in American history. Ironically, that was right about when football overtook it as the national pastime.

[DeuceWallaces]

It has no other sport to compete with.

[christian1923]

i love my baseball, I love my mets. But if it's not the playoffs, I don't have much urge to watch a baseball game aside from the mets unless one of the new young stars is pitching or at bat. Or Arod, killing it. (Eat shit Bud Selig)

Which baseball is actually getting lucky with, a nice new crew of white superstars are all coming into the majors right now. Harper, Trout, Bryant, Harvey. Etc they need to market the **** out of these guys, give the kids someone to gravitate toward.

[Jameerthefear]

if u watch baseball in 2015 please out urself

[imdaman99]

It's simple, if the Mets are good or competing I will love baseball and will be thankful I have something to pay attention to over a long hot summer. If the Mets suck, than I don't really give a shit about baseball and can't wait for the season to end. It's a dying sport, Football has been America's sport for a while now.

In terms of top sports, it's #3.

Football
Basketball
Baseball
Golf
Hockey

[warriorfan]

baseball, you either get it, or you dont

[NBAplayoffs2001]

It's simple, if the Mets are good or competing I will love baseball and will be thankful I have something to pay attention to over a long hot summer. If the Mets suck, than I don't really give a shit about baseball and can't wait for the season to end. It's a dying sport, Football has been America's sport for a while now.

In terms of top sports, it's #3.

Football
Basketball
Baseball
Golf
Hockey

Last time I went to a Met game was like 2000 lol. All I remember is Pizzata or whatever was my Dad's favorite player.

[DeuceWallaces]

It's simple, if the Mets are good or competing I will love baseball and will be thankful I have something to pay attention to over a long hot summer. If the Mets suck, than I don't really give a shit about baseball and can't wait for the season to end. It's a dying sport, Football has been America's sport for a while now.

In terms of top sports, it's #3.

Football
Basketball
Baseball
Golf
Hockey

Baseball is undeniably #2 in the USA. And golf has no ratings. Are you retarded?

[imdaman99]

Baseball is undeniably #2 in the USA. And golf has no ratings. Are you retarded?
LOL no I'm not retarded, I stated my opinion. Golf has better ratings than Hockey. And I hate golf. But all it needs is a Tiger appearance and the ratings jump.

Explain to me the pathetic ratings that the World Series gets nowadays? This isn't the 90s anymore, with steroid guys breaking HR records and bringing everyone to the park or their television. Basketball playoffs trumps baseball playoffs in ratings, even with the stinkers we have had this postseason. I don't consider that retarded assessment, I consider that logical reasoning.

[Lakers Legend#32]

Only simple minds don't understand baseball.
Go Angels!

[outbreak]

Definitely the biggest reason people hate or love a sport. If you don't understand the intricacies, tactics, etc of a sport... kind of hard to appreciate it. Like I know family members who live, breathe soccer but they can't stand NFL games because to them it's just a bunch of fat guys aimlessly running into each other. :lol
Exactly. My girlfriend hated cricket until we watched it together and i explained what was going on tactics wise and how crucial it is to be aware of what state the match is in. Most sports have things like this going on that people miss then call boring, my dad for instance just sees basketball as one team shooting then the other team shooting their turn because he doesn't notice the plays and screens being run or half the rules.

[DeuceWallaces]

LOL no I'm not retarded, I stated my opinion. Golf has better ratings than Hockey. And I hate golf. But all it needs is a Tiger appearance and the ratings jump.

Explain to me the pathetic ratings that the World Series gets nowadays? This isn't the 90s anymore, with steroid guys breaking HR records and bringing everyone to the park or their television. Basketball playoffs trumps baseball playoffs in ratings, even with the stinkers we have had this postseason. I don't consider that retarded assessment, I consider that logical reasoning.

It's not based on any evidence or real logic.

Golf ratings and revenue are abysmal; that was a retarded statement. Even compared to hockey.

Basketball still barely beats baseball world series ratings despite baseball bringing shit markets to the table such as KC, and the Bay area while the NBA has trotted out the most visible athlete in America for 5 years running now.

Furthermore, the thread wasn't only a question of ratings. Baseball revenue easily outpaces, in fact nearly doubles that of the NBA, while the NHL is barely behind the EPL and easily crushes the PGA's revenue that estimates say barely eclipses 1 billion.

[JohnnySic]

It's not based on any evidence or real logic.

Golf ratings and revenue are abysmal; that was a retarded statement. Even compared to hockey.

Basketball still barely beats baseball world series ratings despite baseball bringing shit markets to the table such as KC, and the Bay area while the NBA has trotted out the most visible athlete in America for 5 years running now.

Furthermore, the thread wasn't only a question of ratings. Baseball revenue easily outpaces, in fact nearly doubles that of the NBA, while the NHL is barely behind the EPL and easily crushes the PGA's revenue that estimates say barely eclipses 1 billion.
Yeah baseball is doing great financially. The whole "baseball is dying" argument is waaayyyy off.

[TheMan]

if u watch baseball in 2015 please out urself
If you died today, seriously, nobody would give a shit and no one would miss you.

[Smook A.]

LoL baseball. I only watch a game when a team is one win away from winning the championship. Other than that, I really don't give a shit. I might catch an Astros game or two from time to time. I just can't sit on my ass and watch the games. There's really no action other than seeing the ball fly. The next best thing is seeing a bubble gum pop.

Props to the people who can sit and watch an entire game of baseball without getting bored. If you saw me watching a full game of baseball, you'd see me yawn more times than the people stuck in a crazy traffic jam on a highway. Baseball isn't my sport. It never will be. I like playing it though.

[Jameerthefear]

If you died today, seriously, nobody would give a shit and no one would miss you.
your mom would

[imdaman99]

It's not based on any evidence or real logic.

Golf ratings and revenue are abysmal; that was a retarded statement. Even compared to hockey.

Basketball still barely beats baseball world series ratings despite baseball bringing shit markets to the table such as KC, and the Bay area while the NBA has trotted out the most visible athlete in America for 5 years running now.

Furthermore, the thread wasn't only a question of ratings. Baseball revenue easily outpaces, in fact nearly doubles that of the NBA, while the NHL is barely behind the EPL and easily crushes the PGA's revenue that estimates say barely eclipses 1 billion.
There's a big reason why baseball's revenue is twice the NBA's. 162 games compared to 82 + more than twice the amount of available seats at each venue. I'm not saying that basketball could go to a 162 game season and make the same because everyone is getting sick of even an 82 game season in the NBA and want to shorten it. But baseball is the least taxing on the body, which is why they can have 3-4 game series.

It might be wrong to judge the popularity based on ratings, but that's all I got for sports I don't follow : golf and hockey. The major events in golf get a lot of attention from NYC media while hockey only gets it if the Rangers are deep into the playoffs. We get a few highlights of the golf, while they will only really tell us the score for hockey cup finals.

The youth are no longer gravitating towards baseball anymore. It's sad times, because baseball was the first sport I learned how to play. I no longer see kids calling each other up to play it like we did back in the day. Of course that might not be fair either to judge it on.

There is still Red Sox - Yankees, that gets ratings. And probably Dodgers - Giants as well. I know the Mets-Yankees world series in 99 got one of the worst National ratings ever even though it did well in NYC for obvious reasons.

So I agree with you on it matters who is in it, if it was Hawks-Warriors in the Finals this year, the ratings would hurt.

[senelcoolidge]

People are just getting dumber and need instant gratification. Reading a book or watching a baseball game requires too much patience and brain use. I don't watch baseball anymore, but I respect the game. It's my Dad's sport. I grew up watching a lot during the 90's. If there is a sport I want my kids to play it's baseball than basketball.

[Jameerthefear]

People are just getting dumber and need instant gratification. Reading a book or watching a baseball game requires too much patience and brain use. I don't watch baseball anymore, but I respect the game. It's my Dad's sport. I grew up watching a lot during the 90's. If there is a sport I want my kids to play it's baseball than basketball.
What the ****? Baseball is the dumbest and simplest sport. You hit a ball run bases. That's ****ing it.

[TheMan]

What the ****? Baseball is the dumbest and simplest sport. You hit a ball run bases. That's ****ing it.
Dios mio are you go a ****ing retard