As a spectator sport, there has been a trend demonstrating that after football, basketball has become the second place favorite. Since the year 2000, basketball has edged out over baseball every year, making baseball the third most popular sport to watch.

Football continues to be the top spectator sport, with some hardcore baseball fans claiming that its association with food, beer and socializing accounts for its large fan base. Football games also offer halftime entertainment and cheerleaders to provide an extra element for fans to enjoy. According to Wikipedia, it is challenging to gauge which sport is more popular due to their inconsistent characteristics, an “apples to oranges” dilemma. Comparing its status with that of football, Wikipedia states that “it is difficult to determine which is more popular because of the wide discrepancy in number of games per season.  For example, the total attendance for major league games is roughly equal to that of all other American professional team sports combined, but football gets higher television ratings, both a function in part of the long (162-game) baseball season and short (16-game) football season” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baseball).

Basketball, with its buzzer-oriented pace, and its constant back-and-forth motion, offers its own unique minute-to-minute drama. As an indoor sport, fan attendance and game time need not depend on the weather. Also, dancers, cheerleaders, and halftime entertainment, such as fan participation in basket shooting contests, bring an additional element of glitz and excitement.

Baseball does not have a clock countdown, buzzers, or dancers to entertain the crowd. Thirty-one percent of non-fans consider the sport “boring/uninteresting,” and 21 percent say that games are “too long/too slow.”  In addition, 14 percent of non-fans cite the “inflated player salaries” and their opinion that players are “overpaid” as less attractive qualities of the pastime. Eight percent simply state that they “just don’t like it/don’t watch it,” as reasons for their non-fan status. Five percent of respondents in this category cite reports of player steroid abuse as reasons they have turned their backs on the game.

Loyal baseball enthusiasts state several reasons as to why they remain interested in the game.  Eighteen percent of fans maintain that they find the game “enjoyable/fun to watch,” while 13 percent cite its status as a staple of American history and its position as the “national pastime.” Unlike the cases of football, which is usually played during the fall and winter, and basketball, an indoor sport, Mother Nature indulges baseball fans. Fourteen percent state that the inviting weather of spring and summer encourages them to go to a live game. Ten percent of fans have no “specific reason” why they like the game; they just like it. Nine percent maintain that baseball is entertaining, while other reasons given are the drama of team rivalries, an admiration of team spirit and teamwork, and an appreciation of players’ skills (7 percent each).

Baseball aficionados are eager to predict top picks for upcoming season. The New York Yankees, a usual favorite, are slated by 25 percent of fans as the World Series winners this year. The Yankees have won more World Series than any other team, and is also notable for its enormous player salaries. According to Gallup, this year the Yankees are spending $47 million more on player pay than the second-highest-spending team, the Boston Red Sox, who 9 percent of fans pick as contenders for this year’s title.

Seven percent of fans maintain that the defending champs, the St. Louis Cardinals, will repeat, while an optimistic and fiercely devoted 3 percent believe that the Chicago Cubs, who have not won since 1908, will win this year.