DR. BRETT SCHMOLL
OFFICE: FACULTY TOWERS 201A
OFFICE HOURS: TUE AND THU 12-1
OFFICE PHONE: 661-654-6549
BASICS OF THE COURSE EACH WEEK
These are time sensitive. You do not receive credit if you write them after the deadline each week. Furthermore, if you are in the habit of writing everything on Saturday you will not receive full credit. Why? There would be no time for others to interact with your writing. Write early; write often! Right? Right!
First, there's a blog entry (about 250 words) which will have you respond to a hopefully thought-provoking question. Each week, you must do the blog entry with enough time left in the week to be able to enter into dialogue online with your classmates. Write, reply, write more, reply more, and then write and reply more.
Second, there's a reading. There’s no blog entry associated with this. Just read.
Third, there's a written response to the reading. Your reading and writing on the blog must be completed by the SATURDAY (by midnight) of the week in which the reading falls. This entry should be a long paragraph. YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESPOND TO OTHER STUDENTS' PART THREE EACH WEEK.
Monday, October 27, 2014
WEEK SEVEN BLOG ENTRY
Is baseball still the national sport? Does it feel like there is more emphasis and support for professional football? Is that the new national sport?
Baseball is a great sport. We had seen many famous and popular baseball players in history such as Robert Clements, Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa. Baseball is a great sport and notorious for being the national hobby but is not as important as football. Football is ubiquitous in the U.S. and far more important because of the Super Bowl. The whole entire country, or at least 90%, of the population in the U.S. watches the Super Bowl where as people do not watch the World Series as much. The Super Bowl is watched worldwide and even though not every country plays or watches football like they do with soccer, some still watch the Super Bowl. Far more parents and teachers are involved with high school football. If that specific high school goes to the tittle, parents, teachers and students tailgate to go see the game where as baseball, it would be less likely common for that to happen. Baseball is big and fun in the U.S. and in the majority of countries in the Caribbean but not as much as football. I don’t think there is a bigger and rougher crowd of fans than the Oakland Raiders. Those Oakland Raiders fan are no to be messed with and notorious for being hard core and supportive with their team. Baseball is important but not as much as football.
I like how you organized your thoughts. You gave baseball the love it deserved by stating its influence and significance in the beginning and then delved into how its not as popular. You are also right about the popularity of football in high school.
Your mentioning of Babe Ruth reminded me of his 'appearance' in the movie, The Sandlot. I had played softball as a kid and I remember how fun it was, but as you get older, the sport definitely dies off. There aren't really any high schools that offer softball, but there are some that have mock 'powderpuff' games for football.
I agree with you that football is becoming more popular than baseball. I actually didn't know that the Superbowl was watched world wide. I thought that was very interesting considering, as you mentioned, that many other countries do not really spend their of time playing football as much as Americans do. Something that my family does is before we eat dinner on Thanksgiving we have a football game in the backyard. Football is a sport we even play on holidays.
Gilberto, Yes I agree. Football is watched worldwide. Did you know that NFL ticket sales are increasing in the United Kingdom? I believe the NFL’s marketing strategies are more aggressive than MLB.
Each sport is more prevalent in different countries. As a general rule, Europe is enticed by tennis, Latin America adores soccer, and we are obsessed with football. Football pulls our country together. People get overly excited over tickets and claim a team like its their child. I’m not a sports fan, but even in my attempts to be ignorant I know a lot. Its impossible to ignore. Football has become part of our culture. For example, If I am at a sports bar, almost 100% of the time football will be blaring on the television. My friends also play fantasy football which is a game where you build your own team and gamble. We even make a secret holiday over Super Bowl sunday. The same cannot be said about baseball. Baseball is not the glue of this country. It does not seem to attract as many people as football. This starts early on. For example, in high school a lot of attention is geared towards football players. More students and staff attend the games. Baseball does not draw as much attention.
I think the popularity of football stems from how it is marketed to the general public. The media heavily glorifies football in commercials and movies. The media has melded masculinity with football because we view masculinity as rugged. Football is a contact sport that is dangerous and rough. Baseball is exciting, but it is not as violent. As a result, there seems to be a higher demand for football.
I'm going to steal a line from X-men: First Class here and mutate it to my preference, "Ignorant and proud". Yep, that is what I am when it comes to sports. Since I work at a grocery store every Super Bowl means mountains of sales of: beer, hard liquor, chips, dip, burger things, frozen pizza, and deli food. I do agree with your statement on masculinity and violence which I believe to be a total waste.
Yes, because football is such a physical sport, it attracts more viewers and fans. However, I feel like both sports are equally popular because I am surrounded by both on a daily basis.
I like how you mentioned that football is related with masculinity because of roughness. And yes, football has become part of our culture because of the Super Bowl and advertising.
This is such a difficult question! I do not like sports, at all, period. The only time I watch baseball or football is on Saturdays or Sundays during family time if there is nothing else on or we aren't doing something outside. Even then while we're all sitting there watching the television I've got a book in my lap so I don't go crazy from boredom. I couldn't say whether one tops the other, but I do know that spousal abuse is highest during football, if that says anything at all. Personally I do think that there is more emphasis for football since I remember high school seemed to be wrapped around it. It has always bothered me that grown men will run around on a field catching a ball and get paid a ridiculous amount of money while nurses, teachers, and scientists aren't making even half of what the most famous players get. Our priorities seem to be a little off.
I agree with your comment about family gatherings seeming to have a game on for the men to watch. I also do something else to entertain myself when sports are turned on.
You are so right to say that our priorities are off when it comes to sports. It so strange to say that a professional football player makes so much more than other occupations that deserve what they put into the communities
I also found this post difficult because I don't watch sports, but you know you are skilled writer when you have something to say about something you know little about.
I am not a big sports fan, so this question might be a little difficult to answer. From what I have gathered or experienced in my environment, it is that football is a bigger sport then baseball. I see commercials more for the football season and the fantasy football gambling or whatever that is. I don’t ever hear about baseball or see commercials for baseball. Even when I go out to eat, I see one TV playing for soccer, one for baseball, and two or three for football. I know my dad was more of a football fan so he is the only reason I recognize football more than baseball. So my influence could have easily been baseball if I had people who enjoyed and watched more baseball shows. I even have my work that has displays for the playoffs or for the super bowl. This is also another factor that shows the football might be taking over as the national sport.
These are sports that I don’t care to watch, so I don’t have a big input besides what I have observed around me. Again from what I have seen, the national sport is possibly turning to football. There seem to be many people in Bakersfield who talk about players and teams and all the gambling things that you can do with these players. You can probably do the same thing with baseball players, but I have only heard of fantasy football. It also depends on the area, because I know Brazil is famous for soccer, so the U.S. can be football. Again I have no idea.
I can see where football might have favoritism amongst advertisers. The Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the country. I agree that there are more advertisements for football. I think that the media also plays a role in making football more popular than baseball. I also agree with the demographic and location being a factor for which sport is more popular and praised.
Football and baseball are both very popular sports in the United States. They both have huge fan bases and not a day goes by that I don’t see a Dodgers shirts or a Chargers jersey on random people on campus or around town. Although the World Series is currently being broadcasted, it does feel like football may becoming more popular. From my living room, it looks like every seat was full in the Giants and Royals stadiums for these past few games and many of my residents in the residential halls on campus have been keeping track of the games and having World Series parties in the lobby. However, on Sundays there are many, many people that show up to football games with painted faces and cups of beer to watch their team take home the win. Both sports have given America multiple great athletes who have become role models and idols as well as some who were not so great, but either way both baseball and football are popular sports in our nation. I personally do believe though that because football is a more contact, exciting sport throughout the entire game and not just during a few innings as has happened during the World Series, football is becoming more of a national sport than baseball.
This question is hard to answer especially if you are not a baseball or football fan. I do like sports but not these two. Although I believe that football is the National Sport of the United States because of its popularity. Half of the country watches football and baseball is mainly the second most popular sport, but not many people follows it as they do with football. For example, when the football season starts fans start to wear their team jerseys and you do not see that in baseball. Honestly, baseball is kind of boring for me I do not see the point of it. Football is more enjoyable because of the plays they do and more. I only watch football when they are in the playoffs and the super bowl. All my brothers like football except me. Every time I’m in school I hear my friends talking about football, especially Mondays. So, yes I think that football is the National Sport. Baseball is something else. Although we have to respect all sports because they are all significant to their fans. I love soccer and I know how it is to be a big fan of any sport. I can say that football is the second sport worldwide and soccer being the number one. I am not saying this because I have a passion for soccer. Baseball gets interesting when the world series starts and as of today not many watches the World Series anymore as they used to. But this is only my opinion and I might be wrong about football being the National Sport but that is the way I see it.
I agree with you as well. It seems like there are way more people who support football than baseball. Its not a rare thing to see someone in a football jersey but its kind of rare for me to see someone wearing a baseball jersey. I usually don't see people wearing baseball jersey but I often see plenty of people wearing football jerseys even in the off season.
Just as a boy cannot forget his first love, America cannot forget about baseball being its national sport. Even though there is no doubt that football is a crowd favorite, it does not mean that baseball is no longer the national sport. Baseball has many positive aspect about it that influence me to believe that it still is America`s sport. There seems to be a better kind of accessibility when it comes to attending professional games in baseball. On social media, I constantly see people post about going to the games and having a great time. I hardly see that with football, unless it’s a high school or college football game. With football, there are many opportunities to get interested in it. Football, I believe, is very hyped up due to all the players themselves; it is no longer just about the sport. I do not want to condone football as our nation`s sport because of all the publicity it has been dragging along with it. With issues ranging from drug problems to domestic violence, I do not see football representing our nation in a positive way. It is not to say that baseball players are exempt from those issues, but because football is in the spotlight more, it has a larger influence. I believe that it is more than just a popularity contest when it has to do with our nation; it has to do with what we want our image as a whole to be. So with that, baseball should still be our national sport.
I didn't even think about accessibility aspect but it is true. Even I've managed to make it to a Dodgers game and loved it, but I can't see myself getting to a professional football game anytime soon because of the prices and the rowdy stories you hear about that happen in the parking lots. Baseball does have a very nostalgic feeling and should remain our national sport however as you stated their is so much hype with football causing it to become more popular.
This is a hard question because I haven't really paid any attention to baseball and I prefer football more for a long time. I can't say that I don't know anyone who doesn't know about baseball but the majority of people that I hang out with prefer football more than baseball. Having discussed this topic with my friend he says that there really isn't any right or wrong answer and depends if you're a traditionalist or a modernist. Baseball is considered America's past time but in recent times if you ask someone on the streets you will probably here football as the answer. I will have to say that football is more of a national sports for America then baseball because even if you don't know anything about either you know when it's time for the super bowl. The reason I say this is because when it's close to the super bowl there is a lot of advertisement such as: sales for televisions, chips, sodas, and beer which have the logo for the super bowl. Then there's the advertisement on televisions such as the man of the house getting a big televisions to watch the game on. Overall, the advertisement and sales that go on during the week for the super bowl can't be touched by the World Series.
Robert, I agree. It seems like there is less advertising and hype when it comes to the World Series. It makes sense that the advertisers follow the viewers.
Lol Luis, it's funny that you made a comment about that because I couldn't figure out the name for the baseball finals and the best I could think of was the Series. Had to ask a friend for the rest because I knew there was more to it but couldn't figure it out because I don't really watch t.v. so don't get to see the advertisment about the World Series.
I agree. Football is definitely more popular. I only watch the world series if a team from California is in it. Luckily that been a couple times in the past few years. When is comes to the superbowl, that is almost a national holiday. I'm asking for that day off from work or trying to get it covered. It doesn't matter who is playing in it either.
Baseball is never going to disappear. Baseball is part of American culture, and other nations have adopted the sport like Japan. Unfortunately, baseball is losing its momentum as a national sport. The World Series has had a sharp decline in viewers over the past years. Recently, game 6 of the World Series only had 12 million viewers compared to the 19 million viewers for the Sunday night Packers and Saints REGULAR season game. The lower ratings are a good indicator that newer generations are more attuned to a fast high impact sport that requires less attention throughout the year. The National Football League is a perfect fit for the nations fast lifestyle. Football gives its viewers more time off between seasons, and this time off allows fans to get excited for the upcoming season. The season break keeps fans interested in the sport. Baseball has much longer seasons that span 180 days a year vs. football’s 119 days, and new fans don’t have the availability to even follow one team. Each baseball team plays 162 games per season compared to 16 games per season for each football team. Football demands less time from its fans. People are busier now, because of technology, than they ever have before. There is much more media to follow today than there used to be in the past. The nation in general seams to be outgrowing baseball. It seems that baseball’s longer seasons are diluting the validity of the sport for the new generation. The Major League Baseball needs to recognize and adapt to the new generation’s lifestyle and needs in order to keep up with the NFL that seems to be the new national sport.
After reading your comment I have to agree with you and I even liked your statistics. I havn't realized how long the baseball season is but your right that people don't want to dedicate their time to a sport for half the year because we all are living at a faster pace then say the '80s.
Football, undoubtedly, has taken the place as the new national sport of America. You don't have to be an expert in sports to notice the popularity of football over baseball. A great deal of emphasis is put on football in social media, television and during social gatherings. Scrolling through Facebook, countless post can be seen about football. People bash each others teams and in some instances conversations become quite heated. This can also be seen with baseball during the season, but not as frequently as football. On television, ex football players put on suits and talk about football as if it were a discipline necessary to be studied. Also 111.5 million, give or take a few, people tune into to the Superbowl each year. Advertisers air their prized commercials, knowing Americans are watching and deciding which commercial will be most memorable. In doing a quick search on ratings, revealed baseball spectators, even during the World Series have declined drastically over the years. In fact, the World Cup appears to attract more American viewers than baseball and the popularity of soccer is on the rise. Lastly, each year millions of Americans gather together with their best potluck dished and packs of soda and beer to view the Superbowl. Men, and some women, passionately scream at the television in disapproval or clap and yell with happiness as the game is played. Football has become a big part in the lives of many Americans, whether warranted or not. Baseball has become an old pastime, loved and appreciated but nonethless neglected.
I must agree with you I have noticed the increasing support television and social media has emphasized on football. Yes, the Superbowl can not be compared to any sports playoffs nor championship game. The thrill one gets during each play is unbeatable, and the simple fact that anything could happen during the pass keeps you at the edge of your seat.
I feel that baseball is still the national sport when there is playoffs. Same with football, a lot of people don't really start posting stuff about sports online unless its playoff season. I still consider baseball to be a good 'ol American pastime. Soccer on the other hand, has increased in popularity. I think social media has played a huge role in the increase of popularity. At the end of the day, it really matters on what sport an individual likes to watch the most. You have some people who watch ESPN all day and almost every game they can, and you have those that tune it during playoffs (which there is nothing wrong with it), but sports will always have an impact on people. I think there's nothing like attending a baseball game though. Football games, hockey matches, and basketball games don't compare. Baseball games are an experience that everyone should experience at least once in his or her life.
Yes, you're right. I must agree with you at the end of the day its really up to what sport the certain individual likes to watch that he/she will believe is the national sport. Although attending a baseball game is an amazing experience, I have to disagree that it beats a football or hockey game the thrill of those games just doesn't have a comparison with baseball.
You did made good points I never thought about it in that way. I do see a lot of people wear their gear during the playoffs. That's when all the fans come out.
I think as generations are growing and new ones are being created, the world’s national sport is changing. Personally, I thinking that today there is more support and emphasis towards the NFL and it’s not only from broad castings but also from the public. Networking sites is a perfect demonstration on how younger generations like mine are more anxious for football season to start than baseball. The support and interest on the NFL has grown rapidly this season that instead of being aired once a week, it is now aired three times a week. I remember a time when people would talk all the time about baseball and go to bars and get crowded but now I feel like the NFL generates a bigger crowd and much more hype. For example, the World Series just past and I have barley heard anyone talking about it but if it was the Super Bowl then everyone would be hosting barbeques and debating about who would win and gather everywhere to watch it. So in a way I do think that professional football has become the new national sport.
I agree with you as well. I think that there is more support for the NFL especially now with all the social media websites. I feel like more people are talking about football way more than baseball.
Baseball has the World Series best out of seven. People do not have the time to sit and watch every game out of the season. Baseball they play many games in the season. The teams play the best out of three. Unlike football they play one game a week and the game is a lot shorter than baseball. People do have more time to watch football. Football is a popular sport. For example, on super bowl you see the store ads. They have a big sale during football season. You always people wearing their sport gear every Sunday or when their team plays. Football does have higher rating than baseball because it is less time consuming sport. During super bowl they pay a lot of money to do the commercials. The commercials are sex based toward the men because they are the ones watching the game. They do pay a lot more money super bowl than the World Series. During the football season families get together and watch the game. Some families have a weekly deal where they watch the game. For example, my family did not get together for the World Series we just one or two games together. Most of the time we watched it on own time. When it is super bowl we go all out and have everybody over to watch the game. Football is becoming the new national sport because it is less time consuming. Another reason is in football you just one game to find the win not the best of three.
Thanks for all the information about baseball. I didn't know how exhausting watching baseball could be. No wonder why I never watch it or any sport really, although I can tolerate basketball well. I think people now a days need more action and hype to catch their attention and baseball just doesn't make the cut.
I can't tolerate any sport. Running from one end of the field to the other with not much happening in between is boring. If there were fireworks pointed at the players to dodge, now that would be entertaining.
Was baseball ever the national sport? And since when was having a national sport a thing? These are the questions that I thought of from this week’s blog question. I was never interested in baseball or football. Both sports bore me to death. All I know about baseball is that it involves a guy throwing a ball another guy hitting that ball with a bat and running around. And for football, an oddly shaped ball is thrown and rarely kicked and some running around. Since this ball is rarely kicked, then why is it called football and not something like handball? I don’t understand how watching this for hours is entertaining. I tried reading about each sport earlier this week, but the rules for each made little sense to me. Just reading about these sports bored me to death. I do believe that football has more support than baseball. Mainly because of all the advertisements and time people spend talking about it in the media. This becomes obvious once the super whatever it’s called is on. This show or super game (isn’t it obvious that I don’t know what it is?) is mainly commercials and some sort of musical entertainment, at least that is what my brother told me when it was aired. He is a big football fan and he told me all about the funny commercials and who was singing during the game. I asked him how long was the game and how long a single match runs and figured out that a majority of the game was mainly commercials. And does baseball have a version of football’s super game? I don’t know, and maybe it’s due to the popularity of football.
I agree, football is more entertaining partly because of the advertisements. I'm one of those people who watches the Superbowl for the commercials and the half time performances.
Although baseball has been dubbed “America’s pastime” for quite a while now, statistics show that baseball hasn't been at the top of Americans fans’ lists for several decades. The Harris Poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals the most popular sport by our nation’s fans every year since 1985. According to an article by ESPN in January of this year, the Harris Poll revealed that (as much as it kills me) professional football is the most popular sport in America for the 30th year in a row. Yes, football has topped the list every year since ’85. This year’s poll showed that 35% of fans call football their favorite sport, followed by baseball at 14%, college football 11%, auto racing 7%, basketball 6%, hockey 5%, and college basketball 3%. After reading these stats it’s safe to say that football is America’s most popular sport. I believe the reasoning for this lies in the fact that there are next to no countries outside of the US who watch football, and more importantly, “football” isn't even the same sport in every other country in the world, as soccer has been widely regarded as the world’s sport for quite some time. Baseball, unlike American football, has attracted attention outside of the US, especially in Central and South America. However, the NFL is pushing to expand their fan base to foreign nations. In the 2013 NFL draft, 10 drafted players were born outside of the US. In short, yes, the NFL can boast the most popular sport in the country.
I love all the statistics you have in here. You really know your stuff, and I knew that football had been the favorite sport for at least a decade now, but I had no idea it had been 30 years, That is very interesting,
The National Football Association and Major League Baseball are two of the most popular sports in the United States today. Baseball has been, for decades, Americas past time. And although baseball is still an extremely popular sport, football has been shown to be quite popular as well, if not more popular than baseball. In my group of friends and family, there has been a greater emphasis on football rather than baseball. I grew up playing baseball along-side my peers, but nowadays is seems like everyone would rather throw a football around than catch a baseball. I think many people see football as a more exciting sport to watch and play because of the full body contact it requires. It is a more physically demanding and challenging sport when compared to baseball therefore giving football an upper hand when deciding its popularity. When observing the sport of baseball, there are nine players out in the field while one person is batting. The majority of the game consists of the players standing around waiting for a hit by the batter, which doesn’t always happen, and when it does, only a few players are needed to make a play. In football, every play requires a great effort by every player out on the field, and there is always a good chance that an amazing catch by the wide receiver or a great run by the running back, or even a defensive play that can turn the tide of the entire game can take place, giving football fans a rush of adrenaline on almost every snap the quarterback takes. My personal opinion is skewed over towards football as being the nation’s favorite sport, but I think that the decision can go either way because after all, baseball and football are two amazing sports to a part of.
I believe that baseball and football are still to this day some of the most popular sports, however I no longer believe that baseball is the national sport. Yes there are many baseball fans, but I think football has more fans than baseball. I believe that football has slowly but surely transitioned into being the national sport. I feel like it is more of a bigger deal than baseball is. Playoffs are already a big thing and super bowl is pretty much like a national holiday to most people. People celebrate and do more things to celebrate Super Bowl than they do for other national holidays such as labor day and Saint Patrick's Day. I think football has became the national sport because it is way more entertaining than baseball is. I personally have never been able to watch more than five minutes of baseball because it is boring to watch. The game announcer's voice makes it even more boring. Football is way more entertaining and nerve wreaking as well. This is why I think football has become a bigger deal now than baseball because it is way more entertaining and more fun to watch. The game can change any minute depending on the play and its very nerve wrecking to watch because at any moment there could be an interception that can end up changing the whole status of the game. I personally believe that football has become the national sport instead of baseball.
I agree, it is not longer a national sport. Super bowl is the next big thing. It is even more bigger than the world series. Football is less time to watch rather than baseball.
I do not think that baseball is the national sport anymore. I am sure that different sports are more prevalent in different countries, but for the United States, I think football takes the cake in the popularity contest. Walking through the mall, I notice that the sports stores usually have more football paraphernalia on display, even on the off seasons; and I tend to see more people wearing football jerseys than baseball jerseys. I do not know a lot about sports, except for what I observe from my boyfriend and his family. I know that football is more talked about among them and on news channels. Football brings in more attention and revenue than baseball. Super Bowl commercials alone bring in $8 million for 30-60 seconds and World Series only brings in $450,000 for 30-60 seconds of commercial time. Even though football only takes up five months of our lives a year, it still touches more lives in that short amount of time as opposed to the eight months of baseball a year.
I agree that football does get a lot of attention, but I do not believe football should be considered the national past time. My boyfriend does watch football religiously but only because we grew up playing it. Most children start off in t- ball a more gentle sport.
I also agree with you. Football can also be considered an American past time. I think poeple focus too much on the negatives of it. My dad coatched football for years and it takes great physical and mental toughness for these athletes. It's also a huge money maker for America.
Baseball, the national past time. I believe that baseball is the nations sport. When a child comes of age, the first thing a parents do is sign up their children to recreational baseball. It is safer for a child to play baseball or Tee-ball, rather than play a rough sport like football. Yes, I believe that football gathers more attention in a national scale; however, It's not the nations past time. Here is another example, when that child that started playing Tee-ball becomes an adult, they join a softball league or a baseball league - why? Football is a rough sport to play and injury is at a higher risk. Football does gather more attention and people love to see the sport where the gladiator charges down their opponent towards victory; nevertheless, it's the sport that all males sit and watch with fascination of their high school and college years of playing the sport. It's a reminiscent sport of triumph of an adolescents past. When we all gather together at the super bowl parties, there are stories of what once was - " I remember when," they would say, and cheer their favorite team toward victory. There is a bond between people when placed in a battle field of choices. The relationship between those troops and what they do in order to maintain their ranks towards victory or lose - it's not winning or loosing that mattered, it was the brotherhood and trust between brothers that made this sport what it is today. A game of war, chess, or capture the flag. Baseball does have it's perks and still holds its ranks as the national past time, but foot ball hold more.
I agree, when I have a child, he/she will be signed up for t-ball. I will not sign them up for football. Football is rough and I would like them to be reminded why baseball is the national past time.
Baseball is still the national past time. Personally, I am a baseball fan. At work, we had spirit week and for sports day many people did wear football jerseys; but a lot of people wore baseball t-shirts. Baseball seems to have more meaning to it, as the national past time. When thinking about baseball, I think of Jackie Robinson, an American who had to overcome so much just to play the sport he loved. Baseball reminds America how must we have grown as a country. We survived prejudice and racism in baseball, now we have players from all countries and origins with ambition to play America's sport, baseball. For football, I can not think of a historical figure that has a story like Jackie Robinson's. On April 15th, players are allowed to wear Robinson's number, 42, for national observance of Jackie Robinson day. I don't believe that there is a day comparable to this observance in football,
I believe that baseball is still the national sport due to the fact that it is played everywhere and not only for adults but for kids. There is the baseball classic where countries play against each other and there is also the little league world series that countries also participate in too. I feel there is more emphasis on the NFL due to the fact that the NFL wants it to go world wide and not only in America. They are emphasizing it so much that there are games played in London now which never used to be before. I believe baseball is still the national sport and football is an up and coming sport that will be world wide in years to come.
I think that baseball is our national sport too. But I feel like more and more of the people in our country are favoring football. And I think it will be interesting to see how football would pread internationally.
Baseball is and always has been a national sport. There are so many great legends and stories in baseball. It's a big part of the American sport culture. When I think of America and symbols for it, I think of baseball being a huge part of it. I, as well like to think of Jackie Robinson and how that was a start for diversity and equality in the world of sports. Now football has become bigger and more popular than baseball, trying to become a national sport. I personally think that football has gained more fans simply because the sport is more intense and suspenseful to most people. Also, they have more insight to players and teams on a personal level which connects with the fans. I think its cool but, still have respect to the class baseball still represents.
I do agree that baseball is our countries national sport. And I do also believe that people have a closer and more person connection when it comes to baseball rather then football.
I think the legends is what makes baseball so special. There's been movies of baseball players who overcame all odds for the games. I think they're more special then other sport movies because it shows a glimpse of the past and the struggles athletes had back then compared to the present.
I think that baseball is still a national sport. I think this because everyone knows what baseball is and most people know the name of at least one professional baseball team. But I feel like it is still the All American Sport because it seems all little boys imagine themselves in their back yard with a baseball glove and their Dad practicing with them. Teaching them to catch and throw the ball correctly. There is nothing like going to a baseball game eating peanuts and watching a home run. Though to me this is all true I do think that our nation is starting to lean towards football. I do not really watch sports but it seems as though when football season starts it is a really big deal to everyone. That everyone picks their teams and people are ready to fight and argue that their team is the best. And for those who change their teams depending on who is winning are just made fun of. I have also noticed that in restaurants and bars they will usually have specials on nights there are football games for food and drinks, but I hardly ever see any that have these specials for nights when there are baseball games. So though I think baseball is our nations sport I do believe that our nation just might be changing their favoritism towards football.
These are really good comments this week. I was hoping some of you would consider issues related to sports, like masculinity, commercialism, violence--all worth thinking about! I also knew that some of you would not be sports fans which, as was mentioned above, makes the writing even more interesting to read, So, well done!
I’m definitely not a big sports fan. So I cannot say with certainty that either football or baseball are the national sports. However, from what I’ve seen advertised year round on television football is extremely popular. In contrast, only in recent weeks I’ve seen baseball advertised and has only been mentioned a lot more because of the World Series. I do believe there is more support for professional football because I see that there’s millions of dollars to be made in the sport. Overall, if I have to give my opinion then yes football is the new national sport based on how much football advertisement there is on television. I’m confident that it is the national sport because companies do not spend millions advertising their products during football games unless they know a lot of people are watching the sport.
When it comes to sports I really have no idea which sport would be called the national sport for the reason I don’t really like watching them. When I do go to bars most of the things they have on is football and baseball. But if you really think about what sport people enjoy more and pay more to see I would say its football. I think there is more emphasis on football. There is more ads with football players, like with Nike or milk ads. I think there was a time when baseball was really popular and watched by a lot of individuals. When I did watch a baseball game I find it to be very boring for anyone who watches the sport. I think you would really have to love watching people play sports, something I don’t enjoy. I also do know that football players make more money than most baseball players unless you are a very well known. Another reason I think people enjoy football better is the physical pain that the players do to their selves. It’s a pretty violent sport. There is a lot of people that get hurt playing that game then I think any other game out there. They do have pads and helmets but that can only protect you so much. The people do follow what they see in TV and ads, I think that is why football has become our new national sport. I think it will stay our national sport for good.
I would still consider baseball the national sport because although football has grown in popularity within the last century, baseball continues to be the staple of the American tradition. You can see this in the way its portrayed in the media as a humble and unconditionally loved sport in our country. Besides media, you can also tell in our everyday lives how baseball is the favorite past time of many older folks which encourages the younger generations to follow suite. This holds a sentimental value which surmounts that of football.
Baseball is a great sport. We had seen many famous and popular baseball players in history such as Robert Clements, Babe Ruth and Sammy Sosa. Baseball is a great sport and notorious for being the national hobby but is not as important as football. Football is ubiquitous in the U.S. and far more important because of the Super Bowl. The whole entire country, or at least 90%, of the population in the U.S. watches the Super Bowl where as people do not watch the World Series as much. The Super Bowl is watched worldwide and even though not every country plays or watches football like they do with soccer, some still watch the Super Bowl. Far more parents and teachers are involved with high school football. If that specific high school goes to the tittle, parents, teachers and students tailgate to go see the game where as baseball, it would be less likely common for that to happen. Baseball is big and fun in the U.S. and in the majority of countries in the Caribbean but not as much as football. I don’t think there is a bigger and rougher crowd of fans than the Oakland Raiders. Those Oakland Raiders fan are no to be messed with and notorious for being hard core and supportive with their team. Baseball is important but not as much as football.
ReplyDeleteI like how you organized your thoughts. You gave baseball the love it deserved by stating its influence and significance in the beginning and then delved into how its not as popular. You are also right about the popularity of football in high school.
DeleteYour mentioning of Babe Ruth reminded me of his 'appearance' in the movie, The Sandlot. I had played softball as a kid and I remember how fun it was, but as you get older, the sport definitely dies off. There aren't really any high schools that offer softball, but there are some that have mock 'powderpuff' games for football.
DeleteI agree with you that football is becoming more popular than baseball. I actually didn't know that the Superbowl was watched world wide. I thought that was very interesting considering, as you mentioned, that many other countries do not really spend their of time playing football as much as Americans do. Something that my family does is before we eat dinner on Thanksgiving we have a football game in the backyard. Football is a sport we even play on holidays.
Deletegreat blog Gilberto...
DeleteGilberto,
DeleteYes I agree. Football is watched worldwide. Did you know that NFL ticket sales are increasing in the United Kingdom? I believe the NFL’s marketing strategies are more aggressive than MLB.
So people from the UK purchase these football tickets and airplane tickets just to watch a single match? That sounds crazy to me if it's true.
DeleteEach sport is more prevalent in different countries. As a general rule, Europe is enticed by tennis, Latin America adores soccer, and we are obsessed with football. Football pulls our country together. People get overly excited over tickets and claim a team like its their child. I’m not a sports fan, but even in my attempts to be ignorant I know a lot. Its impossible to ignore. Football has become part of our culture. For example, If I am at a sports bar, almost 100% of the time football will be blaring on the television. My friends also play fantasy football which is a game where you build your own team and gamble. We even make a secret holiday over Super Bowl sunday. The same cannot be said about baseball. Baseball is not the glue of this country. It does not seem to attract as many people as football. This starts early on. For example, in high school a lot of attention is geared towards football players. More students and staff attend the games. Baseball does not draw as much attention.
ReplyDeleteI think the popularity of football stems from how it is marketed to the general public. The media heavily glorifies football in commercials and movies. The media has melded masculinity with football because we view masculinity as rugged. Football is a contact sport that is dangerous and rough. Baseball is exciting, but it is not as violent. As a result, there seems to be a higher demand for football.
I'm going to steal a line from X-men: First Class here and mutate it to my preference, "Ignorant and proud". Yep, that is what I am when it comes to sports. Since I work at a grocery store every Super Bowl means mountains of sales of: beer, hard liquor, chips, dip, burger things, frozen pizza, and deli food. I do agree with your statement on masculinity and violence which I believe to be a total waste.
Deletehaha your reference to xman was funny!
DeleteThat is one aspect of sports I noticed also, that it depends where you are in the world and how you grew up or where.
DeleteI agree... every country has their own sport
DeleteYes, because football is such a physical sport, it attracts more viewers and fans. However, I feel like both sports are equally popular because I am surrounded by both on a daily basis.
DeleteI like how you mentioned that football is related with masculinity because of roughness. And yes, football has become part of our culture because of the Super Bowl and advertising.
DeleteI have been told several times that I am not man enough because I hate sports. If sports had more explosions I would be watching all the time.
DeleteThis is such a difficult question! I do not like sports, at all, period. The only time I watch baseball or football is on Saturdays or Sundays during family time if there is nothing else on or we aren't doing something outside. Even then while we're all sitting there watching the television I've got a book in my lap so I don't go crazy from boredom. I couldn't say whether one tops the other, but I do know that spousal abuse is highest during football, if that says anything at all. Personally I do think that there is more emphasis for football since I remember high school seemed to be wrapped around it. It has always bothered me that grown men will run around on a field catching a ball and get paid a ridiculous amount of money while nurses, teachers, and scientists aren't making even half of what the most famous players get. Our priorities seem to be a little off.
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment about family gatherings seeming to have a game on for the men to watch. I also do something else to entertain myself when sports are turned on.
DeleteYou are so right to say that our priorities are off when it comes to sports. It so strange to say that a professional football player makes so much more than other occupations that deserve what they put into the communities
DeleteI did not care for sports myself, but my family are huge fans. I always in the other room watching tv.
DeleteI also found this post difficult because I don't watch sports, but you know you are skilled writer when you have something to say about something you know little about.
ReplyDeleteI am not a big sports fan, so this question might be a little difficult to answer. From what I have gathered or experienced in my environment, it is that football is a bigger sport then baseball. I see commercials more for the football season and the fantasy football gambling or whatever that is. I don’t ever hear about baseball or see commercials for baseball. Even when I go out to eat, I see one TV playing for soccer, one for baseball, and two or three for football. I know my dad was more of a football fan so he is the only reason I recognize football more than baseball. So my influence could have easily been baseball if I had people who enjoyed and watched more baseball shows. I even have my work that has displays for the playoffs or for the super bowl. This is also another factor that shows the football might be taking over as the national sport.
ReplyDeleteThese are sports that I don’t care to watch, so I don’t have a big input besides what I have observed around me. Again from what I have seen, the national sport is possibly turning to football. There seem to be many people in Bakersfield who talk about players and teams and all the gambling things that you can do with these players. You can probably do the same thing with baseball players, but I have only heard of fantasy football. It also depends on the area, because I know Brazil is famous for soccer, so the U.S. can be football. Again I have no idea.
I can see where football might have favoritism amongst advertisers. The Super Bowl is one of the most watched sporting events in the country. I agree that there are more advertisements for football. I think that the media also plays a role in making football more popular than baseball. I also agree with the demographic and location being a factor for which sport is more popular and praised.
DeleteFootball and baseball are both very popular sports in the United States. They both have huge fan bases and not a day goes by that I don’t see a Dodgers shirts or a Chargers jersey on random people on campus or around town. Although the World Series is currently being broadcasted, it does feel like football may becoming more popular. From my living room, it looks like every seat was full in the Giants and Royals stadiums for these past few games and many of my residents in the residential halls on campus have been keeping track of the games and having World Series parties in the lobby. However, on Sundays there are many, many people that show up to football games with painted faces and cups of beer to watch their team take home the win. Both sports have given America multiple great athletes who have become role models and idols as well as some who were not so great, but either way both baseball and football are popular sports in our nation. I personally do believe though that because football is a more contact, exciting sport throughout the entire game and not just during a few innings as has happened during the World Series, football is becoming more of a national sport than baseball.
ReplyDeleteThis question is hard to answer especially if you are not a baseball or football fan. I do like sports but not these two. Although I believe that football is the National Sport of the United States because of its popularity. Half of the country watches football and baseball is mainly the second most popular sport, but not many people follows it as they do with football. For example, when the football season starts fans start to wear their team jerseys and you do not see that in baseball. Honestly, baseball is kind of boring for me I do not see the point of it. Football is more enjoyable because of the plays they do and more. I only watch football when they are in the playoffs and the super bowl. All my brothers like football except me. Every time I’m in school I hear my friends talking about football, especially Mondays. So, yes I think that football is the National Sport. Baseball is something else. Although we have to respect all sports because they are all significant to their fans. I love soccer and I know how it is to be a big fan of any sport. I can say that football is the second sport worldwide and soccer being the number one. I am not saying this because I have a passion for soccer. Baseball gets interesting when the world series starts and as of today not many watches the World Series anymore as they used to. But this is only my opinion and I might be wrong about football being the National Sport but that is the way I see it.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well. It seems like there are way more people who support football than baseball. Its not a rare thing to see someone in a football jersey but its kind of rare for me to see someone wearing a baseball jersey. I usually don't see people wearing baseball jersey but I often see plenty of people wearing football jerseys even in the off season.
DeleteI can't tell the difference between a football shirt or baseball shirt. To me they both look the same.
DeleteJust as a boy cannot forget his first love, America cannot forget about baseball being its national sport. Even though there is no doubt that football is a crowd favorite, it does not mean that baseball is no longer the national sport. Baseball has many positive aspect about it that influence me to believe that it still is America`s sport. There seems to be a better kind of accessibility when it comes to attending professional games in baseball. On social media, I constantly see people post about going to the games and having a great time. I hardly see that with football, unless it’s a high school or college football game. With football, there are many opportunities to get interested in it. Football, I believe, is very hyped up due to all the players themselves; it is no longer just about the sport. I do not want to condone football as our nation`s sport because of all the publicity it has been dragging along with it. With issues ranging from drug problems to domestic violence, I do not see football representing our nation in a positive way. It is not to say that baseball players are exempt from those issues, but because football is in the spotlight more, it has a larger influence. I believe that it is more than just a popularity contest when it has to do with our nation; it has to do with what we want our image as a whole to be. So with that, baseball should still be our national sport.
ReplyDeleteI didn't even think about accessibility aspect but it is true. Even I've managed to make it to a Dodgers game and loved it, but I can't see myself getting to a professional football game anytime soon because of the prices and the rowdy stories you hear about that happen in the parking lots. Baseball does have a very nostalgic feeling and should remain our national sport however as you stated their is so much hype with football causing it to become more popular.
DeleteThis is a hard question because I haven't really paid any attention to baseball and I prefer football more for a long time. I can't say that I don't know anyone who doesn't know about baseball but the majority of people that I hang out with prefer football more than baseball. Having discussed this topic with my friend he says that there really isn't any right or wrong answer and depends if you're a traditionalist or a modernist. Baseball is considered America's past time but in recent times if you ask someone on the streets you will probably here football as the answer. I will have to say that football is more of a national sports for America then baseball because even if you don't know anything about either you know when it's time for the super bowl. The reason I say this is because when it's close to the super bowl there is a lot of advertisement such as: sales for televisions, chips, sodas, and beer which have the logo for the super bowl. Then there's the advertisement on televisions such as the man of the house getting a big televisions to watch the game on. Overall, the advertisement and sales that go on during the week for the super bowl can't be touched by the World Series.
ReplyDeleteRobert,
DeleteI agree. It seems like there is less advertising and hype when it comes to the World Series. It makes sense that the advertisers follow the viewers.
That's what the big game for football and baseball is called? The super bowl and world series? Why such strange names?
DeleteLol Luis, it's funny that you made a comment about that because I couldn't figure out the name for the baseball finals and the best I could think of was the Series. Had to ask a friend for the rest because I knew there was more to it but couldn't figure it out because I don't really watch t.v. so don't get to see the advertisment about the World Series.
DeleteI agree. Football is definitely more popular. I only watch the world series if a team from California is in it. Luckily that been a couple times in the past few years. When is comes to the superbowl, that is almost a national holiday. I'm asking for that day off from work or trying to get it covered. It doesn't matter who is playing in it either.
DeleteBaseball is never going to disappear. Baseball is part of American culture, and other nations have adopted the sport like Japan. Unfortunately, baseball is losing its momentum as a national sport. The World Series has had a sharp decline in viewers over the past years. Recently, game 6 of the World Series only had 12 million viewers compared to the 19 million viewers for the Sunday night Packers and Saints REGULAR season game. The lower ratings are a good indicator that newer generations are more attuned to a fast high impact sport that requires less attention throughout the year. The National Football League is a perfect fit for the nations fast lifestyle. Football gives its viewers more time off between seasons, and this time off allows fans to get excited for the upcoming season. The season break keeps fans interested in the sport. Baseball has much longer seasons that span 180 days a year vs. football’s 119 days, and new fans don’t have the availability to even follow one team. Each baseball team plays 162 games per season compared to 16 games per season for each football team. Football demands less time from its fans. People are busier now, because of technology, than they ever have before. There is much more media to follow today than there used to be in the past. The nation in general seams to be outgrowing baseball. It seems that baseball’s longer seasons are diluting the validity of the sport for the new generation. The Major League Baseball needs to recognize and adapt to the new generation’s lifestyle and needs in order to keep up with the NFL that seems to be the new national sport.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your comment I have to agree with you and I even liked your statistics. I havn't realized how long the baseball season is but your right that people don't want to dedicate their time to a sport for half the year because we all are living at a faster pace then say the '80s.
DeleteFootball, undoubtedly, has taken the place as the new national sport of America. You don't have to be an expert in sports to notice the popularity of football over baseball. A great deal of emphasis is put on football in social media, television and during social gatherings.
ReplyDeleteScrolling through Facebook, countless post can be seen about football. People bash each others teams and in some instances conversations become quite heated. This can also be seen with baseball during the season, but not as frequently as football. On television, ex football players put on suits and talk about football as if it were a discipline necessary to be studied. Also 111.5 million, give or take a few, people tune into to the Superbowl each year. Advertisers air their prized commercials, knowing Americans are watching and deciding which commercial will be most memorable. In doing a quick search on ratings, revealed baseball spectators, even during the World Series have declined drastically over the years. In fact, the World Cup appears to attract more American viewers than baseball and the popularity of soccer is on the rise. Lastly, each year millions of Americans gather together with their best potluck dished and packs of soda and beer to view the Superbowl. Men, and some women, passionately scream at the television in disapproval or clap and yell with happiness as the game is played. Football has become a big part in the lives of many Americans, whether warranted or not. Baseball has become an old pastime, loved and appreciated but nonethless neglected.
I must agree with you I have noticed the increasing support television and social media has emphasized on football. Yes, the Superbowl can not be compared to any sports playoffs nor championship game. The thrill one gets during each play is unbeatable, and the simple fact that anything could happen during the pass keeps you at the edge of your seat.
DeleteFootball has taken the spot over baseball. I believe their are a lot more football fans.
DeleteI feel that baseball is still the national sport when there is playoffs. Same with football, a lot of people don't really start posting stuff about sports online unless its playoff season. I still consider baseball to be a good 'ol American pastime. Soccer on the other hand, has increased in popularity. I think social media has played a huge role in the increase of popularity. At the end of the day, it really matters on what sport an individual likes to watch the most. You have some people who watch ESPN all day and almost every game they can, and you have those that tune it during playoffs (which there is nothing wrong with it), but sports will always have an impact on people. I think there's nothing like attending a baseball game though. Football games, hockey matches, and basketball games don't compare. Baseball games are an experience that everyone should experience at least once in his or her life.
ReplyDeleteYes, you're right. I must agree with you at the end of the day its really up to what sport the certain individual likes to watch that he/she will believe is the national sport. Although attending a baseball game is an amazing experience, I have to disagree that it beats a football or hockey game the thrill of those games just doesn't have a comparison with baseball.
DeleteYou did made good points I never thought about it in that way. I do see a lot of people wear their gear during the playoffs. That's when all the fans come out.
DeleteI think as generations are growing and new ones are being created, the world’s national sport is changing. Personally, I thinking that today there is more support and emphasis towards the NFL and it’s not only from broad castings but also from the public. Networking sites is a perfect demonstration on how younger generations like mine are more anxious for football season to start than baseball. The support and interest on the NFL has grown rapidly this season that instead of being aired once a week, it is now aired three times a week. I remember a time when people would talk all the time about baseball and go to bars and get crowded but now I feel like the NFL generates a bigger crowd and much more hype. For example, the World Series just past and I have barley heard anyone talking about it but if it was the Super Bowl then everyone would be hosting barbeques and debating about who would win and gather everywhere to watch it. So in a way I do think that professional football has become the new national sport.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you as well. I think that there is more support for the NFL especially now with all the social media websites. I feel like more people are talking about football way more than baseball.
DeletePeople do talk about football a lot. Any chance they get they talk about this sport. I find that really annoying.
DeleteBaseball has the World Series best out of seven. People do not have the time to sit and watch every game out of the season. Baseball they play many games in the season. The teams play the best out of three. Unlike football they play one game a week and the game is a lot shorter than baseball. People do have more time to watch football. Football is a popular sport. For example, on super bowl you see the store ads. They have a big sale during football season. You always people wearing their sport gear every Sunday or when their team plays. Football does have higher rating than baseball because it is less time consuming sport. During super bowl they pay a lot of money to do the commercials. The commercials are sex based toward the men because they are the ones watching the game. They do pay a lot more money super bowl than the World Series. During the football season families get together and watch the game. Some families have a weekly deal where they watch the game. For example, my family did not get together for the World Series we just one or two games together. Most of the time we watched it on own time. When it is super bowl we go all out and have everybody over to watch the game. Football is becoming the new national sport because it is less time consuming. Another reason is in football you just one game to find the win not the best of three.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the information about baseball. I didn't know how exhausting watching baseball could be. No wonder why I never watch it or any sport really, although I can tolerate basketball well. I think people now a days need more action and hype to catch their attention and baseball just doesn't make the cut.
DeleteI can't tolerate any sport. Running from one end of the field to the other with not much happening in between is boring. If there were fireworks pointed at the players to dodge, now that would be entertaining.
DeleteWas baseball ever the national sport? And since when was having a national sport a thing? These are the questions that I thought of from this week’s blog question. I was never interested in baseball or football. Both sports bore me to death. All I know about baseball is that it involves a guy throwing a ball another guy hitting that ball with a bat and running around. And for football, an oddly shaped ball is thrown and rarely kicked and some running around. Since this ball is rarely kicked, then why is it called football and not something like handball? I don’t understand how watching this for hours is entertaining. I tried reading about each sport earlier this week, but the rules for each made little sense to me. Just reading about these sports bored me to death.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that football has more support than baseball. Mainly because of all the advertisements and time people spend talking about it in the media. This becomes obvious once the super whatever it’s called is on. This show or super game (isn’t it obvious that I don’t know what it is?) is mainly commercials and some sort of musical entertainment, at least that is what my brother told me when it was aired. He is a big football fan and he told me all about the funny commercials and who was singing during the game. I asked him how long was the game and how long a single match runs and figured out that a majority of the game was mainly commercials. And does baseball have a version of football’s super game? I don’t know, and maybe it’s due to the popularity of football.
I agree, football is more entertaining partly because of the advertisements. I'm one of those people who watches the Superbowl for the commercials and the half time performances.
DeleteAlthough baseball has been dubbed “America’s pastime” for quite a while now, statistics show that baseball hasn't been at the top of Americans fans’ lists for several decades. The Harris Poll, conducted by Harris Interactive, reveals the most popular sport by our nation’s fans every year since 1985. According to an article by ESPN in January of this year, the Harris Poll revealed that (as much as it kills me) professional football is the most popular sport in America for the 30th year in a row. Yes, football has topped the list every year since ’85. This year’s poll showed that 35% of fans call football their favorite sport, followed by baseball at 14%, college football 11%, auto racing 7%, basketball 6%, hockey 5%, and college basketball 3%. After reading these stats it’s safe to say that football is America’s most popular sport. I believe the reasoning for this lies in the fact that there are next to no countries outside of the US who watch football, and more importantly, “football” isn't even the same sport in every other country in the world, as soccer has been widely regarded as the world’s sport for quite some time. Baseball, unlike American football, has attracted attention outside of the US, especially in Central and South America. However, the NFL is pushing to expand their fan base to foreign nations. In the 2013 NFL draft, 10 drafted players were born outside of the US. In short, yes, the NFL can boast the most popular sport in the country.
ReplyDeleteI love all the statistics you have in here. You really know your stuff, and I knew that football had been the favorite sport for at least a decade now, but I had no idea it had been 30 years, That is very interesting,
DeleteThe National Football Association and Major League Baseball are two of the most popular sports in the United States today. Baseball has been, for decades, Americas past time. And although baseball is still an extremely popular sport, football has been shown to be quite popular as well, if not more popular than baseball. In my group of friends and family, there has been a greater emphasis on football rather than baseball. I grew up playing baseball along-side my peers, but nowadays is seems like everyone would rather throw a football around than catch a baseball. I think many people see football as a more exciting sport to watch and play because of the full body contact it requires. It is a more physically demanding and challenging sport when compared to baseball therefore giving football an upper hand when deciding its popularity. When observing the sport of baseball, there are nine players out in the field while one person is batting. The majority of the game consists of the players standing around waiting for a hit by the batter, which doesn’t always happen, and when it does, only a few players are needed to make a play. In football, every play requires a great effort by every player out on the field, and there is always a good chance that an amazing catch by the wide receiver or a great run by the running back, or even a defensive play that can turn the tide of the entire game can take place, giving football fans a rush of adrenaline on almost every snap the quarterback takes. My personal opinion is skewed over towards football as being the nation’s favorite sport, but I think that the decision can go either way because after all, baseball and football are two amazing sports to a part of.
ReplyDeleteI agree, they are both popular sports. Baseball used to be popular in the older days, but now people prefer football.
DeleteI believe that baseball and football are still to this day some of the most popular sports, however I no longer believe that baseball is the national sport. Yes there are many baseball fans, but I think football has more fans than baseball. I believe that football has slowly but surely transitioned into being the national sport. I feel like it is more of a bigger deal than baseball is. Playoffs are already a big thing and super bowl is pretty much like a national holiday to most people. People celebrate and do more things to celebrate Super Bowl than they do for other national holidays such as labor day and Saint Patrick's Day. I think football has became the national sport because it is way more entertaining than baseball is. I personally have never been able to watch more than five minutes of baseball because it is boring to watch. The game announcer's voice makes it even more boring. Football is way more entertaining and nerve wreaking as well. This is why I think football has become a bigger deal now than baseball because it is way more entertaining and more fun to watch. The game can change any minute depending on the play and its very nerve wrecking to watch because at any moment there could be an interception that can end up changing the whole status of the game. I personally believe that football has become the national sport instead of baseball.
ReplyDeleteI agree, it is not longer a national sport. Super bowl is the next big thing. It is even more bigger than the world series. Football is less time to watch rather than baseball.
DeleteI agree, baseball is boring. Football is just as boring. I can't stand more than two minutes of each game.
DeleteI agree football is now bigger then baseball but I find both sports annoying to watch. I don't get why so many people enjoy watching the games
DeleteI do not think that baseball is the national sport anymore. I am sure that different sports are more prevalent in different countries, but for the United States, I think football takes the cake in the popularity contest. Walking through the mall, I notice that the sports stores usually have more football paraphernalia on display, even on the off seasons; and I tend to see more people wearing football jerseys than baseball jerseys. I do not know a lot about sports, except for what I observe from my boyfriend and his family. I know that football is more talked about among them and on news channels. Football brings in more attention and revenue than baseball. Super Bowl commercials alone bring in $8 million for 30-60 seconds and World Series only brings in $450,000 for 30-60 seconds of commercial time. Even though football only takes up five months of our lives a year, it still touches more lives in that short amount of time as opposed to the eight months of baseball a year.
ReplyDeleteI agree that football does get a lot of attention, but I do not believe football should be considered the national past time. My boyfriend does watch football religiously but only because we grew up playing it. Most children start off in t- ball a more gentle sport.
DeleteI also agree with you. Football can also be considered an American past time. I think poeple focus too much on the negatives of it. My dad coatched football for years and it takes great physical and mental toughness for these athletes. It's also a huge money maker for America.
DeleteTaylor, a lot of kids do start off playing t-ball, but a lot of children also start playing peewee football or flag football.
Deletetotally agree with you and football being the national sport
DeleteI agree that football is the national sport. now baseball is in the past.
DeleteBaseball, the national past time. I believe that baseball is the nations sport. When a child comes of age, the first thing a parents do is sign up their children to recreational baseball. It is safer for a child to play baseball or Tee-ball, rather than play a rough sport like football. Yes, I believe that football gathers more attention in a national scale; however, It's not the nations past time. Here is another example, when that child that started playing Tee-ball becomes an adult, they join a softball league or a baseball league - why? Football is a rough sport to play and injury is at a higher risk. Football does gather more attention and people love to see the sport where the gladiator charges down their opponent towards victory; nevertheless, it's the sport that all males sit and watch with fascination of their high school and college years of playing the sport. It's a reminiscent sport of triumph of an adolescents past. When we all gather together at the super bowl parties, there are stories of what once was - " I remember when," they would say, and cheer their favorite team toward victory. There is a bond between people when placed in a battle field of choices. The relationship between those troops and what they do in order to maintain their ranks towards victory or lose - it's not winning or loosing that mattered, it was the brotherhood and trust between brothers that made this sport what it is today. A game of war, chess, or capture the flag. Baseball does have it's perks and still holds its ranks as the national past time, but foot ball hold more.
ReplyDeleteI agree, when I have a child, he/she will be signed up for t-ball. I will not sign them up for football. Football is rough and I would like them to be reminded why baseball is the national past time.
DeleteBaseball is still the national past time. Personally, I am a baseball fan. At work, we had spirit week and for sports day many people did wear football jerseys; but a lot of people wore baseball t-shirts. Baseball seems to have more meaning to it, as the national past time. When thinking about baseball, I think of Jackie Robinson, an American who had to overcome so much just to play the sport he loved. Baseball reminds America how must we have grown as a country. We survived prejudice and racism in baseball, now we have players from all countries and origins with ambition to play America's sport, baseball. For football, I can not think of a historical figure that has a story like Jackie Robinson's. On April 15th, players are allowed to wear Robinson's number, 42, for national observance of Jackie Robinson day. I don't believe that there is a day comparable to this observance in football,
ReplyDeleteI believe that baseball is still the national sport due to the fact that it is played everywhere and not only for adults but for kids. There is the baseball classic where countries play against each other and there is also the little league world series that countries also participate in too. I feel there is more emphasis on the NFL due to the fact that the NFL wants it to go world wide and not only in America. They are emphasizing it so much that there are games played in London now which never used to be before. I believe baseball is still the national sport and football is an up and coming sport that will be world wide in years to come.
ReplyDeleteI think that baseball is our national sport too. But I feel like more and more of the people in our country are favoring football. And I think it will be interesting to see how football would pread internationally.
DeleteBaseball is and always has been a national sport. There are so many great legends and stories in baseball. It's a big part of the American sport culture. When I think of America and symbols for it, I think of baseball being a huge part of it. I, as well like to think of Jackie Robinson and how that was a start for diversity and equality in the world of sports. Now football has become bigger and more popular than baseball, trying to become a national sport. I personally think that football has gained more fans simply because the sport is more intense and suspenseful to most people. Also, they have more insight to players and teams on a personal level which connects with the fans. I think its cool but, still have respect to the class baseball still represents.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that baseball is our countries national sport. And I do also believe that people have a closer and more person connection when it comes to baseball rather then football.
DeleteI think the legends is what makes baseball so special. There's been movies of baseball players who overcame all odds for the games. I think they're more special then other sport movies because it shows a glimpse of the past and the struggles athletes had back then compared to the present.
DeleteI think that baseball is still a national sport. I think this because everyone knows what baseball is and most people know the name of at least one professional baseball team. But I feel like it is still the All American Sport because it seems all little boys imagine themselves in their back yard with a baseball glove and their Dad practicing with them. Teaching them to catch and throw the ball correctly. There is nothing like going to a baseball game eating peanuts and watching a home run. Though to me this is all true I do think that our nation is starting to lean towards football. I do not really watch sports but it seems as though when football season starts it is a really big deal to everyone. That everyone picks their teams and people are ready to fight and argue that their team is the best. And for those who change their teams depending on who is winning are just made fun of. I have also noticed that in restaurants and bars they will usually have specials on nights there are football games for food and drinks, but I hardly ever see any that have these specials for nights when there are baseball games. So though I think baseball is our nations sport I do believe that our nation just might be changing their favoritism towards football.
ReplyDeleteThese are really good comments this week. I was hoping some of you would consider issues related to sports, like masculinity, commercialism, violence--all worth thinking about! I also knew that some of you would not be sports fans which, as was mentioned above, makes the writing even more interesting to read,
ReplyDeleteSo, well done!
I’m definitely not a big sports fan. So I cannot say with certainty that either football or baseball are the national sports. However, from what I’ve seen advertised year round on television football is extremely popular. In contrast, only in recent weeks I’ve seen baseball advertised and has only been mentioned a lot more because of the World Series. I do believe there is more support for professional football because I see that there’s millions of dollars to be made in the sport. Overall, if I have to give my opinion then yes football is the new national sport based on how much football advertisement there is on television. I’m confident that it is the national sport because companies do not spend millions advertising their products during football games unless they know a lot of people are watching the sport.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to sports I really have no idea which sport would be called the national sport for the reason I don’t really like watching them. When I do go to bars most of the things they have on is football and baseball. But if you really think about what sport people enjoy more and pay more to see I would say its football. I think there is more emphasis on football. There is more ads with football players, like with Nike or milk ads. I think there was a time when baseball was really popular and watched by a lot of individuals. When I did watch a baseball game I find it to be very boring for anyone who watches the sport. I think you would really have to love watching people play sports, something I don’t enjoy. I also do know that football players make more money than most baseball players unless you are a very well known. Another reason I think people enjoy football better is the physical pain that the players do to their selves. It’s a pretty violent sport. There is a lot of people that get hurt playing that game then I think any other game out there. They do have pads and helmets but that can only protect you so much. The people do follow what they see in TV and ads, I think that is why football has become our new national sport. I think it will stay our national sport for good.
ReplyDeleteI would still consider baseball the national sport because although football has grown in popularity within the last century, baseball continues to be the staple of the American tradition. You can see this in the way its portrayed in the media as a humble and unconditionally loved sport in our country. Besides media, you can also tell in our everyday lives how baseball is the favorite past time of many older folks which encourages the younger generations to follow suite. This holds a sentimental value which surmounts that of football.
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