Friday 10 June 2011

Baseball Vs. Football

Hot dogs, diet coke/pepsi, LCD tv and a baseball game. Oh no, or is it a football tie which has your favorite team playing? What would you choose? American football or baseball? I am sure atleast a few of you must be having really heated debates with your friends or family members, as to which one do you prefer. It is a difficult proposition, right guys? I mean baseball is the national game, you cannot not see it or like it. American football, man that sport is something. It is popular because of its sheer power, brawn and the emotions it derives from the fans. One thing is for sure though. Both these games have a phenomenal fan following. Still, there is this Baseball vs Football divide. Pitch in therefore to get a low down on what it is all about.

Baseball vs Football Debate

How do you determine which sport is the most revered one and which has a better number of followers? Well, there are a few aspects which can throw a light on that and get you 'Home' safely!

Followers Rule
For starters, as George Carlin, a Grammy Award winning stand up comedian has said, "Baseball & football are the two most popular spectator sports in this country. And as such, it seems they ought to be able to tell us something about ourselves and our values." So, we start off with attendance and the number of spectators these sports attract. According to statistics, in the year 2000, the number of spectators at a football game was more than half of a baseball game on an average. That probably explains why National Football League (NFL) is such a huge deal in the USA. This above mentioned figure though, is based on the attendance of an entire year, divided by the total number of games played in these 2 sports. For some, this might seem like a verdict that yes, football is the winner in the tough tiff between baseball and football. But wait up, there is more! Read more on American football rules.

Rating Baseball Out?
Yes, baseball is the national game, though when it is about ratings, NFL, again wins hands down. The NFL masters have formulated the regular season matches and the schedule in a way that it has become a must watch. The reason? Well, the reason is that football happens couple or 3 days in a week, whereas baseball games are on every night. The seasons are also a cause for that. Baseball is played in spring. On the contrary football season commences in fall. This also is a reason for the huge difference in the number of spectators as well as the revenue generated. As more people watch the football matches because it is not on everyday. Obviously, the ratings a channel will get due to football is going to be much more than what it will get from baseball. Another reason for this could be the ticket rates for both the games. A football ticket is much more expensive than a baseball game. Read more on basic baseball rules.

'Role' Models
Again as per observations and studies, baseball players are not hounded much by the paparazzi in case of a controversy or any philanthropic endeavor. On the contrary, if a football player does any of such things, he is sure to get a lot of footage in the media. Then eventually it boils down to what impact these players have on the society. This is another factor in the argument entailing baseball vs football.

Intellect vs Testosterone
Well as it seems pretty evident, baseball needs strategical and intellect more, as compared to football. Football is all about 'coaches' going around in a military like conduct, compelling the players to slog. Baseball has a manager, just like soccer. In addition to this, baseball seems never ending, in comparison to football. It is thus a battle of baseball vs football strategy. Read more on history of American football.

Moolah Matters
Of all the things where baseball gets an edge is the money the players get paid. Baseball players get paid more than their American football counterparts. The difference however, is not too gaping, but it is identifiable. However, its impact on the number of people following these 2 sports is foggy.

Some other factors which add fuel to the fire of baseball vs football are venues, the awards and trophies, the gameplay, playing conditions and so on. Read more on origins and history of baseball.

Last but not the least, these sports are completely different and they cannot be compared in any way. The above were just some of the factors which may help us come to a conclusion as to which is America's favorite past time. It is at the end of the day for the spectators to decide which sport is the one they are crazy about!

This is where I hit the home run and do touch down! Enjoy the game - baseball vs football!

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