Is baseball becoming more despised and why? (playoffs, finals, game)

[Mr Yuk]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Football and basketball have been televised and they are more popular than ever.

I still think MLB is more popular overall than the NBA. I think in terms of popularity, baseball is second only to the NFL (but in my book, baseball is first).

[AuburnAL]

I think baseball is growing just not MLB or at least MLB isn't growing at the same rate as the rest of the game. Minor league baseball is more popula rnow than it has been in a long time, and college baseball is more popular now than ever before.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

I still think MLB is more popular overall than the NBA. I think in terms of popularity, baseball is second only to the NFL (but in my book, baseball is first).

I don't know. At my university, more people get excited over the NBA finals or March Madness than the World Series. More and more people are knowing less about baseball these days, at least where I'm at.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by AuburnAL

I think baseball is growing just not MLB or at least MLB isn't growing at the same rate as the rest of the game. Minor league baseball is more popula rnow than it has been in a long time, and college baseball is more popular now than ever before.

Maybe, but I identify with MLB more than I do the minors or college baseball. And I don't know many people who know of minor league baseball.

[AuburnAL]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

Maybe, but I identify with MLB more than I do the minors or college baseball. And I don't know many people who know of minor league baseball.

Yes, but you live in the metro area of a city with an MLB team. Despite the presence of the Gwinnett Braves and Georgia Tech, the Atlanta metro area is an MLB area. You have to go to areas which do not have MLB teams within easy driving distance to see the interest in minor league teams and to a lesser extent college teams.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by AuburnAL

Yes, but you live in the metro area of a city with an MLB team. Despite the presence of the Gwinnett Braves and Georgia Tech, the Atlanta metro area is an MLB area. You have to go to areas which do not have MLB teams within easy driving distance to see the interest in minor league teams and to a lesser extent college teams.

I do live in an MLB city. I don't root for the Braves, or any minor league or NCAA team. I still watch major league baseball. I identify with MLB because I identify with a certain city.

On the other hand, I notice that football is still drawing more people than baseball, or at least that it what I notice. This is just where I live. The Braves are still popular, but popularity is waning.

With Braves fans, you have people like me, who root for other teams. I once lived in Seattle, so I still root for the M's. I know some Yankees and Phillies fans.

My big question is about baseball in general. I still like baseball. I am noticing over the years that less people like baseball.

[jtur88]

Baseball transcends mere sport -- it is the essence of the universe. But baseball has been taken over by an administrative construct, which has dragged it back down beyond mere sport and into oligarchy economics.

Beginning right at the Little Leagues level. No longer do kids play ball spontaneously on any suitable space, adjusting the rules to suit the conditions of play. They now have to be driven there in Mommy's minivan, in uniforms supplied by an insurance agent, wearing batting helmets, with umpires paid out of municipal recreation funds.

Baseball is the most conspicuous casualty of an era in which parents are afraid to let kids play outdoors, so they've become addicted to their video games and texting socialization, so that now baseball intrudes in their lives, rather than enriching it.

[Mathguy]

Originally Posted by Mr Yuk

I still think MLB is more popular overall than the NBA. I think in terms of popularity, baseball is second only to the NFL (but in my book, baseball is first).

Yes, the typical NBA franchise is worth about 2/3 of the typical MLB franchise.

However, 30 years ago it would have been laughable to even think of comparing the two.

NBA will pass MLB in the US within 20 years....which speaks volumes.

[Westsidelife]

MLB really suffers from a PR perspective because there's no salary cap. Yankees/Red Sox and Angels/Rangers already have their respective divisions and the two wild cards locked up. The other division winner, Detroit, is shelling out the big bucks as well.

The other major negative factor is the long duration of the regular season. The matchups feel a bit diluted and anticlimatic due to the fact that they're organized in series.

[Westsidelife]

Originally Posted by Mathguy

Yes, the typical NBA franchise is worth about 2/3 of the typical MLB franchise.

However, 30 years ago it would have been laughable to even think of comparing the two.

NBA will pass MLB in the US within 20 years....which speaks volumes.

I don't know about that, but the NBA is certainly gaining in popularity while MLB is becoming increasingly lackluster (that will change if the Dodgers and Cubs consistently make the playoffs and the latter finally wins a World Series). I think a lot of it has to do with the generation gap and how the NBA has absolutely mastered the use of social media to galvanize a younger audience. The star-driven matchups/storylines also generate a buzz that is sorely lacking with MLB.

I still think MLB is solidly #2 among the four major leagues and that the only way the NBA even comes close to overtaking MLB is if the Knicks become a powerhouse franchise. That's the one major advantage MLB has over the NBA -- the Yankees are far and away the most popular team.