I think a lot of it has to do with the habits of baseball players. It’s easy to relate to NASCAR because they’re the children of former booze-running outlaws. Add in it’s rowdy, beer-swilling redneck fanbase and you have a populist’s wet dream.
The NBA has a different kind of allure. It’s a mix of the hard-scrabble blacktop game along with the finesse and graceful elegance of of today’s elite players. Is there any other league that has more marijuana violations than the NBA? I’m guessing no and that reflects an America that has also grown more lenient towards the “devil weed.”
Baseball? You’ve got PED’s and frat boys drinking overpriced beer. That’s the America we laugh at, not the America we want to be part of. We like our sports to have a bit of an edge. The reason people hate Mark Sanchez isn’t because he’s a sub-par quarterback with a questionable work ethic. We’d put up with that if he inspired us. But he spends more time posing for magazines than he does winning football games.
Yes, I know he’s led his team to the AFC Championship game twice but I think we can all agree that it wasn’t so much that he led them as it was him following them there.
Baseball right now is kind of like Mark Sanchez. It doesn’t have the edge. It doesn’t make you believe.
That’s why it’s fun to hate the Yankees but its so much more fun to hate the Heat. My solution? Bring back Manny and give him lots of weed.
-A
Tagged: Heat, Manny Ramirez, MLB, NASCAR, NBA, NFL, Yankees
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**Site note**
Those who know me, know that I love baseball. I came across this article/editorial note and found it to be an interesting perspective. I think that this is what many people believe. They think that they don't like baseball because baseball is "boring", that's it's just not exciting enough.
I disagree, as I think that is a short-sighted view. I believe that baseball has 2 major issues in how the populace relates to it.
The first is that today's sports fan is looking for explosions, rather than tension and drama. They want to see their drama in bursts and with obvious tipping points. Other sports, like basketball, drive to the 'last second shot' in tight games. The tipping point for a baseball game could very easily come in the third inning, but that can only be the case if the leading team can manage to hold their water after that point. People don't want to pay attention, they want to watch the scoreboard. Baseball is about nuances, attention to detail, and drama. It's not about explosions, and in today's ADHD world, people have trouble appreciating that.
The second point is that the most popular sports are those which translate easily and effectively to television. Football is a young sport which developed along with television. Most of the action that takes place is within a 40 yard section of the field, which can be easily fit onto a television screen This is combined with the ball being an easy focus point for the camera man. The latter is also true for basketball, which takes place on a much smaller playing surface where half or two-thirds of the court can easily be shown on the screen. This allows the fan to be able to watch 'all' of the action. Baseball, on the other hand, long pre-existed television. It also takes place on a huge and relatively odd-shaped playing surface with players spread all over it. The traditional POV, from directly behind the pitcher's head, satisfies the purist but appreciating the nuances of the pitcher vs. hitter battles requires a good depth of knowledge around the game. This POV also prevents the fan from seeing the movement and strategy that takes place behind the pitcher, which requires a good amount of knowledge to appreciate in it's own right. Baseball is a thinking man's game, rather than a casual fan's game when you are watching it on television.
I, personally, consider it a sad statement on our society that baseball has become a second-tier sport for the overall populace of sports fans. It is the sport that anyone can play, short or tall, fast or slow. There is a position where you can play. If you can think, and you can work, you can play. It builds a unique sort of self-confidence in the men (and women via fast pitch softball) who play it. You can see it in how they move, and how they interact with the world. Just like you can see the physical nature that football players adopt. Baseball is a team sport in that you are playing for your team. Unlike football and basketball however, your teamates cannot help you. You are presented with opportunities to succeed for your team, or fail for your team, and your teammates can't help you. There are no double teams, are no shot blockers protecting the goal. It is the result of a collection of actions, not the result of a collective action.
And it is a beautiful thing.
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