Baseball
Play – The game is slow. Stand in the field and wait to see if someone hits the ball to you. Hitting requires you to wait through at least 8 batters. Lots of waiting and not a lot of doing. Little physical strength is necessary. Extreme pressure placed on the individual. Bill Buckner knows what I’m talking about.
Watch – Painfully slow. 162 games makes the players tired of playing. Since it’s always on in season, it gives people something to do which I think is it’s biggest allure.
Basketball
Play – Pick up games can make for decent basketball. Everyone can get involved because there are the right amount of people on the court. You can be a good role player even if you aren’t good at offense. Requires a decent amount of endurance which keeps the heart rate up.
Watch – The NBA has gotten pretty lame. The players play when they want to and you can tell that they don’t give it their all during the regular season. Watching the Sixers shows how teams can really D up and produce low scoring games. Where is that defensive effort during the season? College bball is fun to watch because they are giving 100% every game.
Football
Play – Fun to play but relatively hard to get games. Getting a good amount of people together who all want to play football doesn’t seem to happen all that often. A good QB is essential to having a good football teams. A bunch of average joes can’t have a good football game without a Q. Physical ability and speed come into play as it is easy to expose your defender if you are a superior athlete.
Watch – Easily the best professional sport & collegiate sport to watch. Fast paced. Big hits. Action packed. Fantasy stats are also making the game more exciting. The best sport to bet on as well.
Hockey & Soccer
Play – Nope.
Watch – Nope.
Does “Watch” imply live – or simply on tv?
I happened to find myself in Holland during the Euro Cup – when a young Dutch team went to the final. It was literal bedlam. People were turning over boats (yes boats – or capsizing I suppose) prior to the game. While we were not able to acquire tickets – the town (Amsterdam) was writhing with enthusiasm. I have never seen anything like it – Phillies WS or Eagles Super Bowl trips or celebrations…
There is something lost with the MLS that is possibly gained with the Euro or World Cups. Imagine The Eagles playing for 4 years straight – just to have the opportunity to get eliminated in one game. That is a lot of build up…
Soccer is unpopular in America because Americans like rebirth and second-chances – things not found usually in the international games. In Baseball, there is (seemingly always) another day – in Golf, another shot, another round. America thrives on the notion of a “second-chance” – thus in Football there are 4 chances to succeed.
I think the American audience craves speed – thus the success of Football and Nascar. Sports like Baseball (once a spectator sport) and Soccer get lost. The EPL plays 38 games per team – roughly once a week. If your team is good – then you get more games to play in various invitational tournaments ranging throughout Europe – potentially playing 2-3 games per week in multiple countries – stakes continually rising. The travel alone would be exhausting for a professional athlete. The wonderful thing about the English soccer system is the notion of promotion/relegation. For instance – if the Pittsburgh Pirates finish last in MLB they are demoted – while the best team from the “farm system” is promoted to the majors. It is what allows small-market cities (which are littered through Europe) to be equitable as sports franchises.
b.
Interesting…
http://online.wsj.com/public/resources/documents/Comparing-Four-NFL-Games.html
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703843804575534102219239786.html