A recent Gallup Poll caused some concern among baseball fans. The survey of American sports fans found baseball rank had fallen below basketball when it came to their favorite sport to watch.
Also, the survey found soccer has almost caught baseball in popularity.
Lower Baseball Rank
The survey, released in January, found football still ranks first in popularity among all sports. The numbers broke down as follows. The number represents the percentage of respondents who voted for each sport as their favorite.
- Football, 37%
- Basketball, 11%
- Baseball, 9%
- Soccer, 7%
That 9% figure is the lowest baseball rank since Gallup first started asking this question in 1937.
Is this survey an accurate reflection of how American sports fans really feel?
Breaking It Down
Baseball ranked as the most favorite sport among Americans in 1948 and 1960. They’ve trailed football since 1972.
However, the drop to 9% below basketball and almost even with soccer came as a bit of a surprise.
There are issues to note, however. The first is that the terms themselves are a bit deceiving. If someone is asked about baseball, they most likely think of teams in Major League Baseball. Other forms of baseball – the minors, college baseball – have very little presence on television.
Football, on the other hand, includes both the National Football League and college football, two of the most prominent sports on television. Basketball includes both the National Basketball Association and college basketball. The latter is highlighted each year in the popular March Madness college basketball tournament.
Other Surveys
Other polls more accurately rank fans’ interest by league. For example, polls from ESPN actually provide a much more granular breakdown of the popularity of individual sports leagues. Their latest poll, which covers 2016, found the NFL ranked as the most popular sport, followed by MLB, college football, the NBA and international soccer.
A 2017 survey from Scarborough also found the MLB ranked second behind the NFL, followed by the NBA, NASCAR, the National Hockey League and Major League Soccer.
And there’s this poll, which found MLB is the most popular league in the country. That conclusion was based on the percentage of respondents who had an “unfavorable” view of each sport. The NFL, mired in a controversy about players protesting police violence during the National Anthem, had high unfavorable ratings.
For those who really want to get down to the details, the 538 blog a few years ago looked at individual team popularity based on Google searches. The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox came out on top.
Bottom line: Certainly, baseball is not America’s favorite sport and hasn’t been for a long time. But with more than 72 million tickets sold to games in 2017, it’s far from disappearing from the American sports landscape.
The numbers should not cause panic by MLB but they do make a case for pace of game rules. The games,are,getting longer and America’s attention span is,getting shorter. And MLB needs,to remember baseball is not about relief pitching.
FOOTBALL=LIFE
BASEBALL=LIFE
I left baseball because of the constant camera movement, from privacy invading closeup shots of the players, to spitting and nose picking coaches, to fans you wouldn’t want to sit near. Repeat until you are dizzy, have a headache or want to puke. And the announcers fill every second of air time with stupid babble. And now I see the same thing happening in football. I guess if you have 10 cameras; you use 10 cameras. More is always better, Right?
Another reason could be that football games are broadcast over the air, so viewers don’t have to pay to watch them, whereas MLB has exclusive contracts with cable companies, thereby excluding many would-be viewers and fans.
exactly
I don’t care for football or soccer. Baseball is life and that of all five of my sons as well.
I think we’ve all knew this for sometime now. It’s been all about soccer moms, not little league dads.
Baseball always has been, is now, and always will be the number one sport for me and that’s what matters in my world. MLB continues to rake in the cash so I think it will be around long after I’m gone.
FOOTBALL SUCKS!!!!!!!
Football rakes billions in every year football is bigger than baseball basketball hockey racing combined football rules
Let’s be honest watching a baseball game with the guys is ok better with the wife because Baseball is romantic However with the guys it can get a little boring if both teams have a good defense. Now watching a football game with the family has gotten very expensive maybe now its low because of the pandemic but if you have a 5 or 6-year-old and you stop on your way to the sets at the lower levels and just turn the kids to the line as they hike the ball you have never seen eyes get so bugged out as they do watch their first football game also where is Hockey it also makes the kids eyes pop i took my boy Chris to see Wayne Gretzky and Mario lamure the score was 6 to 7 and I’m telling you Wayne was at his Greatest form ever the man was the most graceful skater I’ve ever seen and he is PURE finess with the puke !Also a 60 yard pass thrown by mathews of the Lions and a few runs by Billy Sanders and Herman Moore catching a pass over the heads of two players in the end zone for a touchdown .there is nothing in hackey as pronouned in Canada or baseball like it. there was a time that Baseball was 7 dollars a game . Football has always been a little to much but it keeps the family happy. Basketball is a little to expensive but its worth it no one can hassle dad for the rest of the week after a good race or game ! we are Floridians so we enjoy fast cars , beer and Gator football.Tampas bay is the most welcoming city in the world! And not just because i was born here Ive lived in many states
whatever happened to bat day or ball day the kids loved getting a signed by a player baseball, bat or some sighed foam finger or a bobble head we watched my brothers Hank Arons bobble head bounce around in the car for years. If the game is slow and the kids get a little restless one small cheap item makes their day ,it doesn’t have to be signed there don’t care . also, I had to miss games as our home teams got good and the tickets went up or some big quarterback star was in the other team , the NFL has to remember that its the kids who you need to love the sport , Even the games we saw in the pouring rain all four of us under the poncho’s those were the best games .maybe free tickets for your kids one day a year Hell disney used to give the grosery stores free tickets to Disney world and the cruise ships gave us free tickets for a three-days and nights ride from fort Lauderdale to Free Port Bahamas .if they can do it why not the NFL ,or the Baseball league, and the basketball and hockey teams . Seriously after this pandemic why not a couple of free football games for the entire family, Come on Tampa bay you know we love you ! It sure would make some permanent fans for life! If you cant fill the stadium all the way up give the left over tickets to the grocery store or even better the food bank or a homeless shelter .One good game could turn a person around ! especially with this depressing pandemic, many people have lost loved ones ! well I’ve given you a lot to think about God bless and Merry Christmas
Baseball is about history.read some quotes from famous players and love Baseball again . especially hall of famers 😃