What's the real "American past time"?

[Guest Rabbi_wilson13]

In the "Why do people like the NFL thread" there was a debate going on about the appeal of various sports, mainly the NFL and MLB.

 

Well, and this has been mentioned on PTI before, which is really the national past time? It's said to be baseball, but football really has quite a case. What's your opinion, as sports fans?

[Guest meanmaisch]

While football is more popular now, I still think that baseball will always be considered the nation's past time. Past time is the correct wording for baseball though, as it is past its time as the main focus of American sports.

 

 

Are there any other PTI fans on here other than myself? I love that show.

[Guest bob_barron]

If baseball strikes AGAIN- then football

[Guest razazteca]

#1 Football

#2 Basketball

#3 Baseball

#4 is tie between Hockey and Soccer

 

Football is the true favorite American sport, here's why:

 

1 from Little Leagues to High School to College the sport is more than just a game. In my local town, city management is repairing the football stadium before they even consider repaving the streets.

 

2 High School Football is the center of attention in the school system, there are pep rallys, boosters fund raising, and the sport has the best stadium/field/gym.

 

3 The College championship season of bowl games are nearly as big as the NFL Superbowl

 

4 I see more people wear football jerseys than baseball jerseys or MLB baseball caps

[Guest The Man in Blak]

Baseball will always be America's Past Time, but Football is easily the more popular sport. Though the points that Raza mentioned could be area-specific (happen to live in Texas/Midwest?), it is fairly obvious that the different forms of football, from college to NFL, draw more attention than baseball.

 

And yeah, PTI pWnz all.

[Guest geniusMoment]

lets see baseball has 81 home games that average 25,00 to 30,000 fans per game in most cities and is on television almost every day for almost 7 months. No wonder football ratings are higher if baseball games only happened once or twice a week the games would sell out and the ratings would be higher

[Guest Some Guy]

Football is currently the more popular sport, but only has been for about 10-15 years. All the strikes and lockouts since the 70s have really hurt Baseball. But I still think that Baseball is America's past time. Football is played in the winter and is a violent sport, it appeals to mostly really macho men who want to watch big guys kill each other in 20 degre weather, Baseball appeals to a much more diverse fanbase. Men, Women, and Children all watch Baseball, women for the most part don't like Football.

 

Plus Baseball is played everyday, so you can go to games or watch them on TV to "pass the time" during the summer. Football games are more like a weekly event than a past time.

 

BTW Baseball is still the superior sport.

 

Razateca, how can you say that Basketball is more popular than baseball? Have you seen the ratings and attendence for B-Ball? They're way lower than Baseball, Basketball might be a more populat pick up game on the playground but Baseball is still more popular as a whole.

[Guest bob_barron]

How is baseball the superior sport?

 

I like hockey and football better

[Guest Some Guy]

I think it is the superior sport, I thought that was clear enough.

 

Footbal and Hockey are pretty boring to me for the most part.

[Guest Rabbi_wilson13]

Don't know where you're getting the theory that women and children don't like football as much, because I've never seen too many girls show up for a World Series party. And not every stadium sells out 30 to 40k tickets all year long. You're talking the big, big markets with the quality teams.

 

And I'll argue the point that college basketball is twenty times better than baseball til I'm blue in the face, because it is.

 

I think NFL is becoming the new American past time, because other than the replacement teams over a decade ago, the NFL solves its problems before they happen. Even if the game on the field isn't as crisp as baseball, it just seems to be because things are flowing so smoothly off the field.

 

And I'm saying this as a fan of baseball. I've watched every Braves game this year that I could, and I'll watch whatever game is on usually. It's great to sit down and watch a 2-1 pitcher's duel, but if I had to choose between that and Dolphins/Pats on Sunday night football or a Sweet Sixteen game, forget about it.

[Guest razazteca]

Yes I live in Texas, a few hours away from San Antonio. And football is not just a sport its as much part of the daily life just like religion is, in Texas. The big talk today is about the University of Texas being in the top spot for national title and Emmit Smith going for the rushing record.

 

Baseball is just an after thought to me, when I was in Fort Worth, I paid more attention to the Cowboys and Mavericks and the Stars than the Rangers. Alex Rodriguez gets $300 million contract and now wants to go on strike!! bah so what.

 

In a league that is considering to disolve some teams and the players threating to strike for whatever reason, does not make it the National Past Time. Hell its just an old catch phrase, that has people brain washed into thinking that the sport of Baseball is the greatest game on the planet. Baseball is just a relic of the past, its only good in little league where the kids play for fun, but even it found a way to besmirch the game by having players older than 12yrs.

 

Baseball is a corrupted game

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

The answer is none of the above.

 

It depends where you live.

 

If you live in Texas...football is life.

 

Hell if you live in Buffalo, football is way out ahead of baseball...cause there is no baseball team here.

 

But my vote would go to baseball if I had to choose.

 

When Emmit Smith breaks the all time rushing record this year...it won't have half the coverage or celebration as when McGwire broke the homerun record, or Ripken beat Gehrigs streak.

 

And those things happened not long after the strike.

[Guest razazteca]

As The King of the Hill, Hank Hill would say "What Would Tom Landry Do?"

 

or like "I tell you what, dig dag ding man that Nolan Ryan, should come out of retirement so the Rangers can win a game"

[Guest Strike Force!]

It's football. Baseball is dead.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

When Emmit Smith breaks the all time rushing record this year...it won't have half the coverage or celebration as when McGwire broke the homerun record, or Ripken beat Gehrigs streak.

The two records that you reference stood for decades (the HR mark lasted for 40+ years, and the games played streak lasted over 70) and no one thought that they'd ever get broken. The rushing record is relatively recent (only 15 years or so) and people always knew it wouldn't last forever. So, the older (and more "unbreakable") record would obviously get more publicity.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

Baseball is the National Past Time, but Football is the passion for alot of Americans.

 

What else is there to talk about in Texas. The Astros might be getting some pub, but other than that Baseball really doesn't deserve to be talked about in Texas.

[Guest bob_barron]

I think football is the past time cause baseball has just damaged itself a lot.

[Guest LexLugerRules]

When Emmit Smith breaks the all time rushing record this year.

HE WONT BREAK IT! I WILL MAKE SURE OF IT!

 

Actually I like Emmitt, I think hes a great guy. BUT I really wanted Barry Sanders to break it.

[Guest razazteca]

just curious, is Baseball the big major sport in your region or does Basketball, Football, Hockey get the most attention?

[Guest LexLugerRules]

just curious, is Baseball the big major sport in your region or does Basketball, Football, Hockey get the most attention?

Are you talking to me?

 

If so, no one gives a shit about baseball here.

 

It's football and hockey here.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

It's all football here.

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

Oh...on the comment about the fact that the baseball records I mentioned were held for longer and that is why people care more...

 

 

Ricky Henderson broke the all time run scored record last year, a record previously set in 1928...decades before the NFL...

 

and no one cared nearly as much about it as the other baseball records I mentioned.

 

I would think that the all time run record would have been the most important individual record in baseball...since scoring runs is how you win games...

 

but it didn't matter how important, or how long it stood...

 

it mattered how much people cared about homeruns and games played streaks.

 

So I think my argument stands as is.

[Guest alkeiper]

As far as the baseball records argument goes, how many casual fans can tell you how many home runs Hank Aaron had, or how many wins Cy Young had, or Roger Maris' record breaking season? And how many casual fans know the best football records? Probably not even 1%.

 

And for those who say baseball has damged itself, yes they've horribly mismanaged their sport, but its not to the point where smart management could bring it back within 5 years or so. The elements are there, it just needs some smart buisnesspeople.

[Guest Vern Gagne]

The Vikings get most of the talk here. But with the Twins probably making the postseason there will be alot of Twins talk.

[Guest razazteca]

the thing about breaking records is good for a sport but its a team sport and people doing unreal things on losing teams or just hanging around just to break the record really does nothing but make the fans follow the star not the team.

 

And when the star leaves town, does that mean that team is no longer good? And I think that Emmit Smith should of retired in the same fashion as Barry Sanders did.

 

the 1% of the records that I follow is if the RB can break get 1000s yard receiving and rushing or if the QB TD totals, and maybe the kicker longest field goal beyond 50 yards.

[Guest Kahran Ramsus]

Hockey is the most popular sport in Ottawa, but football is right up there.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

Oh...on the comment about the fact that the baseball records I mentioned were held for longer and that is why people care more...

Ricky Henderson broke the all time run scored record last year, a record previously set in 1928...decades before the NFL...

and no one cared nearly as much about it as the other baseball records I mentioned.

I would think that the all time run record would have been the most important individual record in baseball...since scoring runs is how you win games...

but it didn't matter how important, or how long it stood...

it mattered how much people cared about homeruns and games played streaks.

So I think my argument stands as is.

Point well taken. I think one of the reasons that baseball gets more hype today is it was the national pastime forever ... and it's just the younger generation of fans that're a little cynical of it. I know this is a major generalization, so I apologize in advance, but it just seems older generations appreciated baseball more than the younger generations. And since most announcers, programmers, etc. are of the older generation, they still force baseball down everyone's throats.

 

And in answer of what sport dominates the area that we live in, I live in Boston, where people would rather see the Sox win the world series than discover a cure for cancer, so that might explain some of my distaste for baeball.

 

BTW, who's record did Henderson break? (I haven't followed baseball in like 20 years, so I'm not the most knowledgable of the record book)

[Guest Some Guy]

Rickey broke Ty Cobb's record for Runs scored and Babe Ruth's record for walks last year and it was barely a blip on the radar screen despite being a far greater achievment than 70 or 73 HRs.

 

Why would Bostonian's passion for the Sox give you a distaste for Baseball? Did our passion for the Pats give you a distaste for Football?

 

In Boston it's Sox first and Pats at a close second followed by the Celts and Bruins as a distant 3rd and 4th on the popularity scale.

[Guest bob_barron]

Where I live its-

Football, Hockey, Baseball and no one cares too much about basketball

[Guest LexLugerRules]

Where I live its-

Football, Hockey, Baseball and no one cares too much about basketball

REALLY? I always assumed BBall was big, in the NY area.