This is a year old...

 

CHART: The popularity of the NFL is starting to fall in the US - Business Insider

 

That's due in large to all the bogus new rules.

I would guess that watching on tv has went down quite a bit. Outside of the die hard fan, most find it boring and can find other things to do while at home or something more interesting on another channel. I personally will watch all day if I were able to but then again I love baseball that much. Surely there is evidence somewhere showing yearly ratings.

 

I agree. As others have said baseball definitely has more die hard fan bases.

 

I think the sport is definitely much more regional. But in the cities it is a lot bigger than people think. If the team is good, people show up big time. And look at the new cable deals. No way that much money would be invested if they saw a downward trend.

 

In my opinion, the "baseball is dying" is a myth. Just look at the money.

I agree. As others have said baseball definitely has more die hard fan bases.

 

I think the sport is definitely much more regional. But in the cities it is a lot bigger than people think. If the team is good, people show up big time. And look at the new cable deals. No way that much money would be invested if they saw a downward trend.

 

In my opinion, the "baseball is dying" is a myth. Just look at the money.

 

EX: MLB Network

I think that's probably accurate. Many people believe baseball is boring, especially on TV. Personally, I love watching baseball and believe that the game is trending in the right direction (i.e. upwards) in terms of talent/star power, likability and the implementation of technology.

I go by a park pretty much just about everyday. Up front there are two basketball courts, Always seems like there's at least a couple of pickup games going on in the summer. The baseball fields behind them? Empty.

 

i don't remember baseball fields being full when I grew up in the 70's and 80's. I don't think pick up baseball has ever been big, at least in the last 40 years or so. Baseball requires bats, balls, gloves and most importantly a bunch of guys. You don't see a lot of pickup football games either. It's much easier to get a handful of guys together with a ball to play pick up basketball.

 

The biggest difference I see in baseball is that the local, community leagues are dying. In my youth, EVERYONE played little league baseball (another reason why there wasn't many pick up games) up until they were in high school. Travel and select ball has eliminated the recreational baseball player.

It is a regional sport, but it does well money wise with the YES! Network and other regional telecasts that get to broadcast a multitude of games. Outside of NY and Boston, there is just no national appeal, which isn't good, but not necessarily the end of the world. Unless you are die hard nut or in the market, you are not tuning into a Sunday afternoon telecast of the A's and Mariners. Many casual football fans across the country will tune into a Raiders and Seahawks telecast.

I think that's probably accurate. Many people believe baseball is boring, especially on TV. Personally, I love watching baseball and believe that the game is trending in the right direction (i.e. upwards) in terms of talent/star power, likability and the implementation of technology.

 

I'd say a lot of people "have baseball on" just as much as they watch it. I find myself "watching" Reds games during the summer, but I'm actually on my phone, or working on something, or playing with my child, or talking with my wife, or eating ice cream, etc. I'm focused enough to know what is happening, but not living and dying with it.

I don't know what the numbers look like (are we talking aggregate attendance across all events, television viewership, playoff ratings, etc.?), but my sense is that MLB is third on the rung in terms of cultural impact.

 

The game is very tradition oriented. Besides the "unwritten rules," it also means people who didn't grow up immersed in it probably find it more difficult to appreciate. There're a lot of things about the game that are slow moving or procedural that just doesn't make as accessible to the layfan in the way basketball or football are. Add to that the sheer number of games and how long each one can go for and it demands such a time commitment to be a fan. These are a lot of the things I like about baseball; I like the tradition and I find the game oscillates between relaxing and intense at the right moments (it's one of the great joys of summer to have the Reds on the radio while I'm doing something else), but I realize that makes it almost niche in some ways.

 

As mentioned above, the game is also very regionalized. People are fans of their local team and might pay attention to rivals, but I'm not sure are as willing to go out of their way to watch a game involving other teams the way fans of football and basketball might do. I don't know if this is a new thing or not, but it somewhat limits the sport's breadth.

 

Obviously this is just my take and comes from my own bias. I've never gotten into the NBA, largely because I never had a local team to follow and have never adopted one. But I've found over the years I've increasingly paid attention almost exclusively to the Reds during baseball season and I'm not very willing to devote the time to track stats, other teams, or carve out time on weekends to watch marquee games, though I do it for NFL and college BB. I sense that I'm not alone, even amongst baseball fans, and that there are increasingly fewer who have gotten into it.

I do think that the league's effort to reduce the duration of games has helped attract more casual viewers. Even as a baseball fan myself, some games were just too long. MLB has done a good job of fixing that IMO.

It is a regional sport, but it does well money wise with the YES! Network and other regional telecasts that get to broadcast a multitude of games. Outside of NY and Boston, there is just no national appeal, which isn't good, but not necessarily the end of the world. Unless you are die hard nut or in the market, you are not tuning into a Sunday afternoon telecast of the A's and Mariners. Many casual football fans across the country will tune into a Raiders and Seahawks telecast.

Are these people really "fans" or are they watching because of gambling? I guess it really doesn't matter why.

Are these people really "fans" or are they watching because of gambling? I guess it really doesn't matter why.

It doesn't matter, but plenty of people bet on baseball and play fantasy baseball which is what I often hear is the reason football is way more popular. It is a component, but football is the ultimate television sport, baseball is not. Marketed with Monday Night Football and other national rivalries for years, affinities for teams came about long before there was easy accessed gambling or the Red Zone Channel. If the Raiders come to Cincinnati, I assure you there will be loads of people dressed as if they are in the "Black Hole." Even on BGP, I can almost go through every team that has an NFL supporter on here, but baseball we have Reds (regional), Yanks (national), Red Sox (national), Cubs (national), Cards (regional), and some Braves (national-regional). A few others, but not many.

It doesn't matter, but plenty of people bet on baseball and play fantasy baseball which is what I often hear is the reason football is way more popular. It is a component, but football is the ultimate television sport, baseball is not. Marketed with Monday Night Football and other national rivalries for years, affinities for teams came about long before there was easy accessed gambling or the Red Zone Channel. If the Raiders come to Cincinnati, I assure you there will be loads of people dressed as if they are in the "Black Hole." Even on BGP, I can almost go through every team that has an NFL supporter on here, but baseball we will have Reds (regional), Yanks, Red Sox, Cubs, Cards (regional), and some Braves. A few others, but not many.

 

It's sort of a chicken-egg issue too. I play fantasy football and bet on NFL games. But, I only do it with the NFL because I enjoy watching it, watch it a lot, and feel reasonably confident in handicapping it. In the end I tend to watch more games than I otherwise would because of it, but that's only because I'm interested and entertained by it to start with.

 

I could gamble or play fantasy for MLB, NHL, NBA, etc., but I don't. I don't follow them closely enough to be doing much more than flipping a coin. That's not enough to compel me into Tuesday night Phillies/Rockies barnburner.