Is baseball the only true majorly popular professional sport left in America?

[ShotgunDMB]

Baseball is amazing. I don't know that many people around my age that are into it hardcore though.

Where as with the NFL, it seems like everybody is always talking about it.

[FromTheMorning]

I have to imagine a lot of it has to do with fantasy. If I wasn't in a league, I know I wouldn't waste my Sunday laying around watching the NFL. But when there's money on the line, it kind of sucks you in.

[TheLastPig]

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

I have to imagine a lot of it has to do with fantasy. If I wasn't in a league, I know I wouldn't waste my Sunday laying around watching the NFL. But when there's money on the line, it kind of sucks you in.

Has nothing to do with fantasy for me. I love it, dont get me wrong, but I would sit around and watch football all sunday regardless.

[hailtopitt]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

Has nothing to do with fantasy for me. I love it, dont get me wrong, but I would sit around and watch football all sunday regardless.

same here

RedZone pretty much ruins my Sundays

[FromTheMorning]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

Has nothing to do with fantasy for me. I love it, dont get me wrong, but I would sit around and watch football all sunday regardless.

There are too many breaks in the action with nothing happening. Incomplete pass down the field, everyone jogs back to the line of scrimmage, do it over but this time a guy runs 2 yards into a wall of people. Also doesn't help that the Bears are an embarrassment to the game. For me, fantasy is the only thing keeping it interesting.

[TheLastPig]

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

There are too many breaks in the action with nothing happening. Incomplete pass down the field, everyone jogs back to the line of scrimmage, do it over but this time a guy runs 2 yards into a wall of people. Also doesn't help that the Bears are an embarrassment to the game. For me, fantasy is the only thing keeping it interesting.

I mean, not sure you can really use that argument when youre talking about how great it is to watch baseball

[FromTheMorning]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

I mean, not sure you can really use that argument when youre talking about how great it is to watch baseball

Any time someone is on base though, the infield at the very least has to remain vigilant. Sure it's the least exciting part of the game and it's annoying watching guys like Price take an eternity between pitches. But it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the time between plays in football.

[TheLastPig]

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

Any time someone is on base though, the infield at the very least has to remain vigilant. Sure it's the least exciting part of the game and it's annoying watching guys like Price take an eternity between pitches. But it doesn't bother me nearly as much as the time between plays in football.

Sure, but most of the time you cant even see the guy on base while youre watching. A double gets hit into the gap and youre watching the ball get chased down and cant even see the base runner. Thats why I said before its great in person but is awful on TV. You literally miss half of the action when the ball is in play.

[rickyh24]

What is going to happen to the runner while the ball is in the gap that you need to see? I would argue you are really not missing anything. Except a dude running. Would be like complaining they are not showing the qb while a wr is running with the football.

[TheLastPig]

Originally Posted by rickyh24

What is going to happen to the runner while the ball is in the gap that you need to see? I would argue you are really not missing anything. Except a dude running. Would be like complaining they are not showing the qb while a wr is running with the football.

Not really, one affects the play much more than the other. I get what youre saying, but my point is just youre only seeing half of the whole picture.

Watching the timing of a runner going from 1st to 3rd with a ball in the gap and a throw coming in on him is much more enjoyable and satisfying sitting in a stadium seeing it all happen then just seeing the throw get to 3rd and the tag.

[rickyh24]

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

Not really, one affects the play much more than the other. I get what youre saying, but my point is just youre only seeing half of the whole picture.

Watching the timing of a runner going from 1st to 3rd with a ball in the gap and a throw coming in on him is much more enjoyable and satisfying sitting in a stadium seeing it all happen then just seeing the throw get to 3rd and the tag.

I agree. Baseball is better live. They show replays of the runners scoring all the time though. Your not missing much on tv and it's not realistic to attend every baseball game you want to watch. They show what's more important live during the broadcast.

[recentlyJTR41]

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

I have to imagine a lot of it has to do with fantasy. If I wasn't in a league, I know I wouldn't waste my Sunday laying around watching the NFL. But when there's money on the line, it kind of sucks you in.

I try to watch every single Falcons game, but if they're playing MNF or SNF I'll just have NFL on for background noise. For me, 75% of the time it's like watching paint dry. Like the Bills and Dolphins? Shoot me in the face. It's so unbelievably boring compared to CFB. No flair, no build up, no student sections or bands to give it the pageantry and tradition like CFB has. I do love watching the Playoffs though. Divisional and Conference Championship games are the pinnacle of the sport. Super Bowls usually suck ass because it's so damn corporate and the crowd is nonexistent.


When I'm at the house on Saturday's I'm watching each game (especially SEC games) as close as I watch Auburn games.

It's like I posted earlier almost everyone (males ages 18-40) are obsessed with it because they have money on the line. Whether it's fantasy or regular ole gambling.

[SqueeBaBooSquee]

Poorly phrased question, my apologies. You guys seemed to have figured out what I was getting at though.

Originally Posted by M. Steng

As for the subject matter of the thread, I can kind of see what OP is getting at here. Baseball seems like it has the least amount of interference from the top end, meaning the commissioner/owners.

In the NFL, the owners control everything and Fuhrer Goodell makes it happen. There are so many mandates handed down from the commissioner's office. Rules are changing/being added every season, there are very strict guidelines about uniforms, it's the most fun to watch on TV but it's also easily the most regulated.

The NBA had the Stern conspiracy theory going for forever. There is also one confirmed case of a ref taking some scratch to have an impact on the games regarding spreads and totals. So there will be that shadow over the league for a long time.

I don't follow the NHL quite as closely but I feel like people absolutely despise Gary Bettman.

Baseball, for all its flaws with steroids/PEDs, at the moment seems to be the most "pure" regarding outside/upper level interference. The stuff about the umps is just silly, though, there are umpiring decisions involved on literally every single pitch, so to say that it's the least officiated sport is factually inaccurate. Also, Jim Joyce/Armando Galarraga shows just how much impact an ump can have on one game.

Yes much along these lines I'm speaking.

Umpiring in the MLB is some of the most accurate officiating I've ever seen and I've been watching sports my whole life. Yes there's the occasional missed call but most of these umps are extremely good at their jobs. Now with pitch tracker it's even more accurate and you'll see that if an ump calls a low inside strike for one team he'll surely call it on the other. It seems to me like the NBA and NFL are so much more pick and choose when something is a foul when nearly every single play COULD be considered one depending on the ref's decision to call it.

Originally Posted by Roose13

I think baseball is the most well-run league of the four major sports while football is still the most popular.

Originally Posted by kelchlsm

Really confused what this thread is about. I mean, golf is about as fair, competitive, and less interfering than baseball does that count?

Or can we even simplify it even more, and say track and field? Cross-country? just run fast that's about it, no need for refs in that sport.

Never considered golf. That is a major sport but I'd imagine that the NBA NHL NFL MLB are much more popular. Golf really is a sport that needs almost no officiated I agree.

Originally Posted by drop2d

I think it seems worse b/c they make a call on every single pitch. So, there's probably at least 2-3 calls in a game that you disagree with. That's out of hundreds of calls. Given that the error rate is pretty low. 1-3% maybe? Compared the the NFL where every call they make seems like the wrong one.

I agree.

Originally Posted by lockman21

NBA is BY FAR the worst.

Idk NBA and NFL are pretty close in WTF moments for me.

Originally Posted by mthawk07

That's not even remotely accurate. NBA and NFL have a monopoly on horrific officiating. NHL I can't say because I'm not as familiar with the rules of hockey or how well they enforce them, and I really only watch the playoffs. But NBA and NFL officiating are laughably bad.

If you watch MLB at all, most broadcasts have some type of "K-zone" now, and home plate umpires are remarkably consistent with keeping their calls in line with that technology. Sure, they'll miss the occasional call, but when you're dealing with well over 200 pitches per game, you're going to miss a few. When you think about watching a small ball come at you from 60 feet away at 75-100 mph and movement, and you have to accurately judge not only if the ball went over the plate, but if it was between the knees and letters on the hitter, being that accurate is insanely difficult.

Yes yes yes

Originally Posted by hailtopitt

"Is baseball the only true majorly popular professional sport left in America?"

no

/thread

gtfo

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

Still not sure the exact question. But I gave up watching NBA about 8 years ago. Pretty damn close with the NFL now. Garbage leagues. NHL and MLB have their issues. I guess I'd say MLB is most well-run. Plenty of things they could do to make it better though.

Like what?

Originally Posted by TheLastPig

This is really to anyone:

If you truly "gave up" on watching a league/sport. Did you really have a favorite team? Or were you more just a casual fan?

Is this really a question?

Originally Posted by hailtopitt

baseball on the radio is fucking awesome

absolutely my favorite thing to listen on the radio ever

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

What I love about baseball is how unique it is compared to basketball, football, hockey, soccer, etc...
- There's no goals at opposing ends of the field.
- The layout of the field at every stadium is different.
- In baseball, a pitcher can give up a two-out triple that clears the bases and he's still not out of trouble. Whereas in football for example, you drive down and score a touchdown and that's that. The tension just builds on itself.
- In baseball, the defense has the ball
- Total team sport. The best baseball player on the planet can't save the Angels.
- And most of all, "You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all." - Earl Weaver

Originally Posted by hailtopitt

yea @ FTM: baseball is the only sport that truly has a home field advantage

Wrigley field baby!

Originally Posted by neumdogg

So has anyone figured out what this thread is about?

Nah

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

Baseball circlejerk, and I love it.

Yep

Originally Posted by FromTheMorning

There are too many breaks in the action with nothing happening. Incomplete pass down the field, everyone jogs back to the line of scrimmage, do it over but this time a guy runs 2 yards into a wall of people. Also doesn't help that the Bears are an embarrassment to the game. For me, fantasy is the only thing keeping it interesting.

This is exactly what urged me to spawn this thread. Football is almost completely unwatchable to me now unless it's two really shitty teams scrapping it out with back up quarter backs and unknown rookies.

All football seems to be to me now is just one gigantic commercial. It's just, 3 second play... 30 seconds of commentary plus flashing ads... another 3 second play...HOLDING! wait another 30 seconds pan around to angry fans and players, announcers hucking more advertisements or TV spots. Oh cool a big pass play!... OFFENSIVE PASS INTERFERENCE... k time to punt and lets go to another commercial!.... And were back! On and on until somebody scores. Holy shit points! Play must be reviewed we'll right back after a word from our sponsors *Play is under review for 20 minutes, call is completely wrong* COOL!!!!

There's just too many bad calls and too much waiting around with nothing happening in football.

[rickyh24]

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