The Major League Baseball logo. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
First off, let’s get something straight: I like football. I watch it often. And, if you look at television ratings, the NFL rules the roost. I’m not going to deny those things. Instead, I’ll say I prefer baseball over football. Yes, that game you think is only relevant for your grandpa is better than the NFL, and here’s why.
1) It’s Played In the Summer
Baseball is more than a sport, it’s a gathering. It has this social appeal that football can’t come near to because the majority of it is played in the warmth of the sun. There’s a reason they call them the “Boys of Summer.” We gather with family and friends, eat hot dogs, drink beer, and enjoy time with our family with the kids out of school. The NFL gets rain and snow, for those with outdoor stadiums. Yes, it’s cool to watch the NFL… literally.
2) Baseball Is Played Daily
If you’re a super, hardcore sports fan, baseball is the ultimate fix. Games are played daily, and with it, no matter what day it is on the calendar during the season, you have fresh game stories to talk about the next day around the water cooler. At best, you get Monday, Thursday, and Sunday in the NFL. If you’re sports junkie, that’s too long to wait.
3) Every Ballpark Is Different
No rectangular playing surface for baseball. Every ballpark has its uniqueness, which means not only is there games every day, every game can have its own unique twist. Whether it’s the Green Monster, or Tal’s Hill, no fan can say, “If you’ve been to one ballpark you’ve seen them all.”
4) MLB.com, MLB.TV, and MLB “At Bat” for Mobile Devices Rules Online
While the NFL rules television, when it comes to online offerings MLB Advanced Media is considered the gold standard by which all other sports are measured. MLB.com’s At Bat for mobile devices has been Apple’s top-grossing app in the App Store. Not content with just iOS offerings, MLB.TV allows you to watch games via your standard computer, and At Bat is available for Android and Blackberry 10.
5) No Lockouts or Strikes
It’s odd to say this, but the league that once was the most dysfunctional will see 21 years of uninterrupted labor peace. The NFL, NBA, and NHL all had work stoppages when their collective bargaining agreements ended, and they all look very much like MLB did back in 1994-95 when the game was in danger of losing fans by the droves due to the lockout that caused the World Series to be cancelled.
6) Baseball Doesn’t Have Concussions Threatening the Game
While the NFL has settled with players to the tune of $765 million, the issue is not in the league’s rearview mirror. And while fans will continue to watch, the visibility of the concussion issue is bound to have fewer kids entering football and trying other sports. For baseball, while there is a concussion policy, it appears that as soon as 2014 collisions at the plate may be banned.
7) Baseball Fans Care About the Numbers
For all those reading and saying MLB has a steroid problem, what’s really being said is that baseball fans care about the sanctity of the game and the records that are produced. When a player is suspended for performance-enhancing drugs, it’s front page news and causes an uproar. In it’s a player in the NFL it’s relegated the back pages. Why? Because, deep down, if you ask fans of football whether they care if players are using PEDs, they’ll say no.
8) Baseball Is Cerebral
You don’t see books and movies made about computer geeks in the NFL revolutionizing the game (see Moneyball as the example). That’s not to say they aren’t there and that’s not to say they don’t deserve their due. It’s to say, baseball is a numbers game and sabermetrics, the analytics of baseball, is seen as where advanced sports analytics was spawned. Bill James made TIME’s Top 100 in 2006, Nate Silver took advanced analytics that he fostered at Baseball Prospectus, jumped to The New York Times, and became a media sensation when predicted the outcome of the last presidential elections. Baseball geeks are cool.
9) Baseball’s Got Amazing History
Part of the reason fans get upset about the molestation of the sacred records in baseball by PED users is some of them have been around for over 100 years. In fact, the origins of baseball are now being traced back to the 18th Century and later. While the birth of pro football dates back to as early as 1862, the NFL didn’t start till August 20, 1920 in Canton, Ohio. By then, Major League Baseball had been around since 1871 with the National League.
10) Free Baseball
This may drive some fans nuts, but the saying, “It ain’t over till it’s over” is born out of baseball. There is no clock. The game continues for as many innings as it takes to break ties. In that, baseball harkens back to when we used to not be on the clock. When every second of our lives weren’t counted like rare gold pieces. Most baseball fans love extra innings games. Whether it’s on Twitter or Facebook, the saying, “Free baseball,” is a sign that you’re getting more than you paid for.
The NFL is great. I, and millions of others will watch it. But, if I have a choice between baseball or football, I’ll play Terence Mann in Field of Dreams and say as he did at Fenway Park, “I’ll have a dog and a beer.” Baseball rules.
Follow Maury Brown on Twitter @BizballMaury
from Forbes.com: Most popular stories http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2013/10/26/10-reasons-why-major-league-baseball-is-better-than-the-nfl/
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق