Is Football the National Pastime?

[TrustinGibbs]

Baseball is the national passtime. Football is the national obsession.

[WillH]

ESPN should take a poll and put that tired old cliche to rest. I would wager my life that America would vote to rewrite the title to football.

[irish]

Baseball is the national past-time. Football is the national passion.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by irish

Baseball is the national past-time. Football is the national passion.

Well said.

[JoeRedskin]

Let's look at this from another point of view- baseball was known as the national past time long before the explosion of money and exposure that occurred, IMO, sometime in the 80's. Why? Not b/c it was the biggest grossing sport (if it even was), but b/c everyone PLAYED it. When you threw a ball around, it was a baseball - every kid had a glove and baseball and most had bats.

BUT, as football became popular, kids started playing IT instead baseball - hell, you only needed on piece of equipment - the ball. With the advent of cheap footballs in the 70's and 80's (you may laugh at them - but who here didn't have a nerf football growing up?)

Again, as the balls became cheaper and smaller (K-2's anyone?), football got played more as THE pickup game. Almost any place can be a field, you can have legitimate games with as few as 3 people (okay, who's the permanent QB?) and, again, only one piece of equipment needed.

When the weather's nice outside, the kids on my street are playing football. Not baseball. Maybe basketball - but as only one kid's got a net, that's not nearly as often. They ALL have footballs so any 2 or 3 of show up and it's game time. I have NEVER seen them play, or even throw, a baseball.

Whether football became the national past-time b/c of the NFL or the NFL became an obsession b/c football became the national past time, I don't know. I do think that a reasonable argument could be made that the NFL owes its current competitive advantage over other pro sports to the advent of the nerf football.

[irish]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Let's look at this from another point of view- baseball was known as the national past time long before the explosion of money and exposure that occurred, IMO, sometime in the 80's. Why? Not b/c it was the biggest grossing sport (if it even was), but b/c everyone PLAYED it. When you threw a ball around, it was a baseball - every kid had a glove and baseball and most had bats.

BUT, as football became popular, kids started playing IT instead baseball - hell, you only needed on piece of equipment - the ball. With the advent of cheap footballs in the 70's and 80's (you may laugh at them - but who here didn't have a nerf football growing up?)

Again, as the balls became cheaper and smaller (K-2's anyone?), football got played more as THE pickup game. Almost any place can be a field, you can have legitimate games with as few as 3 people (okay, who's the permanent QB?) and, again, only one piece of equipment needed.

When the weather's nice outside, the kids on my street are playing football. Not baseball. Maybe basketball - but as only one kid's got a net, that's not nearly as often. They ALL have footballs so any 2 or 3 of show up and it's game time. I have NEVER seen them play, or even throw, a baseball.

Whether football became the national past-time b/c of the NFL or the NFL became an obsession b/c football became the national past time, I don't know. I do think that a reasonable argument could be made that the NFL owes its current competitive advantage over other pro sports to the advent of the nerf football.

You can also include the rise of TV. A football team plays 1 game per week and everyone can look forward to that game and treat it as an event. Baseball teams play almost every day so the games are less of an event and less build-up surrounds each game and less analysis follows each game. Football also translates better to tv as the action is essentially centered around the ball (unlike baseball) and the ball is easily seen on tv.

[skinsnut]

Baseball is our national PAST-time....yes...50-100 years ago.

Since the first Superbowl, FOOTBALL easily became America's biggest sport and will likely always be..
No other country (except Canada) even plays the sport.
It is truly AMERICAN.

[prinzeofmoval]

with hgh and steriods bring their ugly heads to the table now..i would have to say yes..But i still love my RED SOX

[BleedBurgundy]

I'm with saden on this one, it's like watching grass grow. I can enjoy going to a game, but only because of the atmosphere, the stuff happening on the field? Couldn't care less other than to say "wow he hit that pretty far."

[DynamiteRave]

I used to be a big fan of baseball and I like following the O's and Nats but otherwise, baseball is just boring to me. Baseball used to be the national pastime, along with apple pie. But it's all about football and BBQ now.

[SmootSmack]

MediaPost Publications - Pro Football Remains America's Favorite Sport - 02/06/2008

Just thought I'd update this thread with the link above

[Redskins8588]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

MediaPost Publications - Pro Football Remains America's Favorite Sport - 02/06/2008

Just thought I'd update this thread with the link above

I would agree with the link, I would say football is America's past time and I would think that basketball is pretty high also. For both football and basketball it is a lot easier to get pickup games going than base ball.

[70Chip]

The National Pastime is now officially Internet Porn.

[Longtimefan]

Originally Posted by 70Chip

The National Pastime is now officially Internet Porn.

You have a point, even in the workplace supervisors are facing the challenge of redirecting employees attention back to work assignments.

[Big C]

football for sure. plus college football is much bigger than college baseball...hands down