Why did football overtake baseball and basketball as the #1 most popular sport in America?

Answer 1

Three reasons, the last being controversial:

1. Because it doesn't have so many games.

Baseball has 162 games in regular season and 3 rounds of post-season to determine the champs.

Basketball has 82 games and 4 rounds of playoffs to determine who wins it all.

So the intensity of football (16 games) is incredible. And since they play every weekend in the afternoon, they are accessible to watch on TV.

2. Because unlike in baseball and basketball, EVERY post-season game is DO OR DIE.

Baseball and basketball (and ice hockey) have best of five or best of seven playoffs.

Football is like tennis. You lose but once in the post-season, you are OUT, even though you may have had a 15-1 record like Minnesota some year ago.

3. This is also controversial, but I have to say it:

It is undeniable that Americans are still the best players in American football, while baseball is now dominated by Latin American stars, and basketball is having foreign-born stars also win MVPs and stuff and the Dream Team can't win the gold anymore. Football still has mostly all-American stars.

And unlike basketball and especially baseball, whose fans hearken back to the mythical "old days" when all the best players were playing (Nolan Ryan, Reggie Jackson, then further back to Mantle and Mays, DiMaggio, Ruth and Gehrig, etc; in basketball Michael and Magic and Bird and Dr. J and Kareem and Wilt, etc.), football looks more progressively. The fans don't watch it hoping that Montana was still playing QB for the 49ers, while baseball and hoops fans keep saying stuff like "Bonds is no match to Ruth" or "Kobe can't carry Michael Jordan's josckstrap").

That said, I still prefer the NBA and MLB to NFL but that's just me.

Answer 2

Lots of interesting answers here, but I think there are a couple of big reasons that have been overlooked in this discussion.

Number one is television. Pro football started its rise in the late 1950's, when the nation was getting fully wired for television. It is a great game for television. The field fits nicely on the screen, and the plays -- which in a sense are organized chaos from field level -- begin to make sense from above.

The NFL put the road games on television and blacked out the home games at first. This created familiarity with the home city's players, and created demand for tickets at home since it was the only way (at the time) to see home games. Nothing like sold-out stadiums to get people talking.

Then when the sport was established, the television marketing got better. Double-header games on Sundays were started, which led to fans watching more unfamiliar teams. Heck, they were already in their easy chairs in the den, and the best teams were usually on. When the NFL had 14 teams, you could see 2/7th of the league in one day. That's a great way to sell personalities; it didn't take long for everyone to know who Bart Starr and Johnny Unitas were.

We'll have to throw Monday Night Football in there too, since it turned into an event rather quickly. Another game, another chance to show the excitement of the game to fans.

This leads us to reason number two: gambling. It is very hard to say how much of an effect this has had on the game's popularity. However, it's fair to say it didn't hurt. If people are watching three or four games a week, it doesn't take long to make them "instant experts," at least in their minds, about all of the teams. When that happens, the temptation to bet rises. And the establishment of easy-to-understand point spreads didn't hurt either.

So what about baseball and basketball? Baseball had no idea how to market itself in the 1950's, and no idea what to do with television. It's not an ideal game for TV, although the networks obviously have gotten better at doing it. The league's leadership was weak until at least the late 1960's, and arguably until the 1980's, and it had a bad case of the "We've always done it this way" thinking.

For other examples of this, see horse racing and track, two sports that were hugely important 50 years ago but have essentially fallen off the major sports map (unless you are in Kentucky in May).

Basketball never has been close to football and baseball in popularity. The NBA seems to spurt when there is a dominant team or player in the league, and struggle a bit when there isn't. Is there a true national team right now, with a national following? Probably not. The Celtics and Lakers have had their moments, and of course Michael Jordan packed them in with the Bulls. But you don't run into many Bulls' fans now, even though they are OK.

Answer 3

Football gets ingrained into pop-sports culture from the ground up more so than baseball. Think about all of the kids that play pop-warner football until high school hits, then it's JV, then varsity. There's also the big homecoming game, the huge rivalry with the nearby high school. Oh yeah, and if you go through high school as football player, and your good enough to get noticed, it's on to college, if you are lucky enough, hello big time NCAA team.

From there if you play well enough once again, and you look good in a major bowl game, you get noticed by the NFL. Hello NFL draft, congradulations you have just been signed by the New York Giants, or the Baltimore Ravens, or the San Francisco 49ers etc.

There are a lot more young athletes today going the way of football in this country because it's become so ingrained in pop-society from the ground up, more so than baseball, in large part because high schools especially in Pennslyvania and Texas put a big emphesis on FOOTBALL.

It's more than just the popularity of the NFL itself, it's more than just the superbowl that's all most a national holliday, it's the big time exposure that it gets put on young men growing up through school.

That's my take anyway.

Answer 4

Not at all. I totally disagree. The only reason that he thinks that basketball has surpassed baseball, is because of the whole hype about james, wade, and bosh. It's trading season for the NBA, obviously he's gunna say that, but i think it's a pretty ridiculous remark. *Personally, i can't stand Mariotti on the show. He always goes against what the other 3 say, and his remarks are like totally off, yet he's always on around the horn every episode? I like Woody Paige & Tim Cowlishaw :) BQ: FLIP OUT! But when i calm down, i still have faith in the rays that they will win the next one :) Soriano has only blown 1 save this season, so i havent had to do that really (:

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Answer 6

the football game has more attendance at least 70,000 people watched a game every week. Most people across the America likes to watch the football as the league has strong market with many equipments.

The football is playing during the winter time as the baseball is only playing during both spring and summer time. When the baseball season is over, more people are going to focus on the football.

A game on every week is you wants your team to win the game as going to post season or Super Bowl.

Answer 7

Football is played once a week for sixteen games and each game is very meaningful.The betting on football games also leads to the great interest in the sport. The point spread makes it interesting for some people.

Answer 8

Big-time auto racing has unseated the NFL for the most popular spectator sport in the country. (BTW soccer is the most popular participant sport in America)

Here is a sample of one of the many reports on the poularity of various American sports.

"From it’s humble roots in the South, NASCAR racing has grown to almost unbelievable popularity across the entire nation in recent years. From the first races run in 1948 to the current NEXTEL Cup and Busch series, NASCAR has become arguably the number one spectator sport in America, boasting 75 million loyal fans. And, interestingly, 40% of those are women and 53% work in white-collar or skilled labor jobs. The numbers continue to be impressive; annual attendance at races is over 7 million and upwards of 275 million Americans watch on television"

Answer 9

Sometime around the mid-90's due to the 94 Baseball strike.

Answer 10

A couple of reasons......Baseball has had a lot of strike seasons. It left a bad taste in many fans mouths....Basketball doesn't have near the stars playing today as it did several years ago (Michael,Bird,Karem,Magic,Dr.J..etc) so it's popularity is down. ...Plus, the NFL markets itself very well....Along with the fact that college football has a strong following...leading to the pros.