»Noone likes American Football or Baseball. Except USAnians«

I was watching TV and it struck me, that noone really like American Football or Baseball. Although Hollywood is showing these sport types in a lot of movies (there are even movies with these sports as the main theme) noone outside the US and a handful other countries seems to even care.

Superbowl? Booooring.
Baseball? Kiddie play.
Basketball? Yeah, why not, while I am a teenager...

Anyone an explanation?

posted by knn

in-my-opinion.org -> Entertainment & Sports -> Sports topics/news -> Noone likes American Football or Baseball. Except USAnians

arent there quite a few baseball players from other countries...like say japan and elsewhere?

where is yao ming from again?

if you put an entire country together as a whole then that may be true...but im sure there are people in other countries that enjoy these sports...

...just like there are people in the US who do not like them

posted by allone

allone:

if you put an entire country together as a whole then that may be true...but im sure there are people in other countries that enjoy these sports...

Sure. Always. But the ignorance in non-US countries is remarkable.

posted by knn

i don't know if i would call it ignorance. they just may not be exposed to it.

are these sporting events televised as much in other countries as they are in the states?

assuming they arent, that can go both ways:

they arent televised because people don't like them

if they were to be televised, more people would like them (that is assuming that all these people have access to a television)

in the US not a lot of people know a great deal about cricket, it isnt really televised over here...you would have to go out of your way to find out about it, instead of just sitting on the couch...but it is possible

posted by allone

all you really need is 88mph. that's when the flux compacitor starts to work.

Re: Noone likes American Football or Baseball. Except USAnia

knn:

I was watching TV and it struck me, that noone really like American Football or Baseball.
Anyone an explanation?

Japan, Puerto Rico and Cuba are big into Baseball.

One reason other countries aren't into American Football and Baseball because we tout the champions in these sports as "World Champs" even though the only teams that play are from the USA ( with 1 or so from Canada ).

posted by volonteshiva

People who have grown up following cricket find it very difficult to swap to baseball, and vice versa. As a cricket fan I tend to look at baseball as inferior to cricket, as many people do. But I don't doubt I would love baseaball more had it been Australia's national sport. The problem is that I look for the things I love about cricket in baseball, and they are simply not there. But there are things in baseball that are there to be loved that I cannot see.

The variation, both in bowling (pitching) and batting, is greater in cricket and this is something that I focus on every single ball. Looking at speed, swing, bounce, seam, length, line and spin varitationa and how the batsmen interprets each ball and how they choose to play it.

That is not to say baseball doesn't have its own somewhat more subtle variations. But it is IMO less variation than in its cricket cousin.

But for what it lacks, it certainly has many up sides. It is very attacking, eg. every ball (or close to it) is there to be hit out of the park. And there is nothing quite like a home-run, I love the idea that you can have the bases loaded and have your big hitter come in to more or less win the game in one swing. Plus it is 4 and a hlaf days shorter than a test match! Which is nice.

Ultimately it is what you grow up with that leads you to follow a sport, and I dare say Americans don't see a lot of Cricket when they grow up. I know I didn't see much baseball.

posted by Migueldo

I am obsessed with the NFL...but i am american!

posted by Agent Zero

Too many Adds?

As an Australian football fan, I find the amount of adds in American football quite difficult to handle, both watching it on TV and while at the game. Is this something that annoys you guys as well?

I like american football, mainly because of the various tactics that can be employed, but it is nonetheless frustrating coming from an Aussie rules background where adds are only shown after a goal (about 30 adds during a gametime of about 3-3.5 hours).

I can't help but feel that when I go to games/watch it on tv that it is merely a entertainment medium to get people watching adds.

posted by Migueldo

yeah sometimes commercials are annoying but i think alot of the better commercials are during football games! but yeah i understand its annoying most of the time

posted by Agent Zero

It is interesting, every American/Canadian I speak to admits there are too many adds. Surely the sport should look after the fans, and not falter to the pressure of the $$$. I may be wrong but it seems this is unique to american sport, I don't watch much soccer(football... whatever!) does this happen in soccer as well?

Whatabout Baseball/Basketball...

posted by Migueldo

soccer isnt on tv that much...baseball yeah...alot of adds..football is one of the few that has less adds...but yeah...

posted by Agent Zero

With soccer in the UK there are no ads during either of the 45 minute halves of the game. At half time we get two to three minutes of ads, the ten minutes first half analysis, two to three minutes more ads, then back for another 45 minutes of uninterrupted action. This is the same for Rugby as I remember (40 min halves though). The breaks are commercial breaks for the television channel as well, not the event. Any advertising through the game has to be done through the clubs that are playing either by sposoring the kit, or getting an advertising board at the stadium.

We've got a TV show called Soccer AM which has a mock sketch of American coverage of a soccer game. Every couple of seconds an advert cuts in. The whole advert thing is so unnatural to us it's openly mocked on our TV.

I can see that it would make lots of cash, but I just don't think it would be tolerated in the UK. It's very

posted by SamM

That is what I suspected, I asked because I was trying to determine whether it was just the amount of money in the sport that might put the pressure on the decision makers to allow more adds. Clearly this is not the case. It is an interesting difference between American sport and othe sports around the world. Maybe it explains why Baseball players are paid so much, can you imagine how much soccer players would be paid if they allowed a heap of adds!

It is quite remarkable going to an American football game and watching all the players stop for a few minutes and just chat for a bit.

posted by Migueldo

Holy shit! They actually stop playing for the ads? I thought you meant TV coverage went to ads and ignored the play. That's unbelievable. Looks to me like the sport has sold out!

This must also surely reduce the athleticism required if they get additional rests. Football (soccer) is pretty much non stop. Even when not on the ball, you still have to do a lot of work.

That would never be tolerated anywhere except for the USA. There's lots of money in that country, and it talks. How much do Baseball, American Football, and Basketball players get paid then?

posted by SamM

I think Baseball players are the highest paid on contract. I know Tiger and Schumacher are usually the top two.

I guess it just proves that american sport is business first, then sport. I also find it fascinating that teams can be bought and sold by individuals, (I know this happens in football and basketball, not sure about baseball). If someone came along and tried to buy an AFL team and move it to some other city I dare say that person would soon be dead.

posted by Migueldo

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