Editor: Bill is a pastor in East Texas and blogs at Broken and Undone.
Enjoying some good banter over at SBC Voices, somebody made the argument that football was better than baseball AND that it would continue to replace baseball as America’s Nat’l pastime.
Obviously that is insane… over a century of baseball cannot possibly be overrun by mere decades with the pigskin. So, having consulted with other baseball lists, here are substantive reasons (unlike those offered in support of football) for the supremacy of baseball over other sports (in no particular order).
- Spring Training.
- Opening Day — the ceremony of baseball’s opening day is unparalleled.
- Ballparks — The venues in baseball are far superior. There is simply no football equivalent to Wrigley or Fenway. More intimate, more friendly, better atmosphere… again, no comparison.
- The “Seventh Inning Stretch” & “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” — enough said.
- Stats… baseball has better stats.
- “The Clubhouse” vs. “The Locker Room” — the way teams come together in baseball is far superior to the way teams operate in other sports.
- 27 outs. It doesn’t matter if a team is down by one run or ten runs, their opponent still has to get that 27th out. Without a clock in charge, there’s always a chance, however small. You can never “run down the clock”
- Every Day — There is baseball every day. A grueling schedule is demanding and also gives a better gauge of who the best teams are.
- Extra Innings — the only sport that really knows how to break a tie.
- Pennant Races
- No-hitters, shut-outs, and “The perfect game”
- Playing Catch — This is related to the ballpark argument and really goes has more to do with the whole nostalgia of the game… no other sport compares with it.
- Baseball cards.
- SKILL — Baseball is a much better “skill” sport. You have to field AND hit. And hitting a baseball is arguably the most difficult thing to do in sports. It is the hardest sport to play at the MLB level. Almost never do you find a guy from high school or even college come right out and make an immediate impact.
- Minor League Baseball
- the College World Series
- the Little League World Series — Setting aside my animosity for committing too much family time to a sport at that age, the fact remains — I have never heard of a PeeWee Football Super Bowl.
- Better movies — The Natural, Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, the Sandlot, even For the Love of the Game and Bad News Bears.
- Better Heroes — I recognize greatness in other sports, but not one has the same legacy of baseball: Cal Ripkin, Jr., Ernie Banks, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson.
- Simply put… Baseball builds better men. Just a fact.
21. “Pride of the Yankees”
22. The only sport where the defense has control of the ball.
23. The only sport where it can truly be said “it ain’t over til it’s over.”
24. The 1969 Mets has to be a result of Divine intervention.
25. Singing a prayer – “God Bless America”.
#1 Should be the New York Yankees
Win or lose – and recently, it’s been mostly lose.
As a Cubs fan, I respect team-loyalty, but still must vehemently disagree.
A Cubs fan? Can you be a Christian and a Cubs fan?
Short answer: No!
Thoughtful answer: Not hardly.
Theological stretch answer: Maybe.
Ouch… I would expect that of a White Sox fan, but what do the Bombers have against the Cubbies?
CB… the Braves and the Cubs spent a lot of time on the bottom of the NL together. Surely there is some love there? What about Maddux? Can’t he be the ‘tie that binds’ our two clubs in some sort of peace accord?
I thought everybody loved the “lovable losers.” Be honest, deep down every baseball fan want to see the Cubbies break the drought.
You know, I used to like the Bulls (a little) and the Cubs, some. But living in Cedar Rapids and listening to the Chicago sports radio talk shows and games just made me turn on any team that has Chicago on the jersey.
I don’t even think hockey is a sport, but I still cheer against the Blackhawks. Is there a Chicago-based MLS team? I will cheer against them.
Listening to Chicago sports announcers and games turned me!
I lived in Chicago exactly one year. A cold place in the winter. I never was a Cubs fan, but I did think and still do think Michael Jordan was and probably will be the best basketball player who ever walked on a court.
He was also nice to my sons when he played baseball for the Birmingham Barons, but he was one sorry Baseball player.
Hmmm… Jordan – the best basketball player ever was a sorry baseball player. Sounds like more proof that baseball is the best sport ever.
I spent my childhood in Chicago before moving to Dallas in the 6th grade. Been in TX ever since. Never got into the Bulls (though I do agree concerning his on-the-court prowess. I was into the Cubs and da’Bears. I thought Harry Carey was awesome… never listened on the radio.
Dave – it sounds like you feel about Chi-town sports what I feel for everything Los Angeles. Except, I don’t have such a sophisticated reason.
Phillip Yancey wrote a book called “Where Is God When it Hurts?” I’m pretty sure he stole that title from a Cub fan.
Naw,
He got that title from Mickey Mantle. He was a Yankee and he always played hurt. Can you imagine how he would have played had he not been so prone to getting injured?
yep. Mantle was phenomenal and inspite of nagging injuries and alcohol abuse, still hit 536 home runs and is the greatest power hitting switch hitter of all time.
HA! That’s good.
Speaking of playing hurt, did you see that 3rd baseman last week? Dislocated his shoulder, popped in back in, stayed in the game, and later hit a double? All athletes are tough — I mean, not one sport has a monopoly on toughness.
Didn’t see it. But to do what they do day in and day out and especially after age 30 is amazing.
I saw that. It was gross.
Football is a game of brute force – low IQ preferred.
Baseball is a thinking man’s game. Ignorant people do not know that, but those who have played or watched the game and come to understand the intricacies appreciate this face.
Oh, and #2 ought to be the designated hitter rule. What a stroke of brilliance.
I wish the lesser league (known as the national league) would get into the spirit and adopt the rule.
Biggest game of the season for the boys in pinstripes today.
It is my learned Sports Genius opinion, that there is room in the Baptist Blog World for both Baseball and FOOTBALL, just as there is room for both Trads and Cals in the SBC.
Therefore, I shall refrain from this debate, for I know from years of experience in Baptist Blog World comment threads, there is no Baptist who will change his or her mind about theology or Sports even when the evidence is overwhelming that they should.
ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! and GO BRAVES!!! Down with the Yankees and what on earth is an Iowa Hawkeye?
In conclusion, what could a person from East Texas know about Sports other than the great Nolan Ryan who is the most famous Texan in the world since Sam Houston and the most hated man in New York which makes him a Baseball Icon ’cause Yankees and Yankee fans dread to sleep at night ’cause they fear dreaming that Ryan is playing once again and is throwing baseballs at their empty heads as they sit on the seats of a dunkin’ booth filled with Liquid TIDE?
I love the article. Here are my responses in brackets.
1.Spring Training. [agree, better than mini camp or preseason]
2.Opening Day — the ceremony of baseball’s opening day is unparalleled. [this is a push, opening day of college football and NFL is great. I am watching three games right now]
3.Ballparks — The venues in baseball are far superior. There is simply no football equivalent to Wrigley or Fenway. More intimate, more friendly, better atmosphere… again, no comparison. [agree but its not a runaway, Lambeau Field and Soldier Field are something else]
4.The “Seventh Inning Stretch” & “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” — enough said. [agree, although fight songs make it close]
5.Stats… baseball has better stats. [very much agree; i know that Pete Rose has 4256 hits and Joe DiMaggio hit in 56 straight; I know Emmit Smith is the all time leading rusher and Kareem is the all time leading scorer but I can’t tell you the exact number of yards or points.]
6.“The Clubhouse” vs. “The Locker Room” — the way teams come together in baseball is far superior to the way teams operate in other sports. [disagree, When my Hogs run through the A charging out of the locker room and the fight song plays, that beats the fielders taking the field. The locker room is more macho than a clubhouse]
7.27 outs. It doesn’t matter if a team is down by one run or ten runs, their opponent still has to get that 27th out. Without a clock in charge, there’s always a chance, however small. You can never “run down the clock” [push, the clock forces you to face the pressure and get it done on time ]
8.Every Day — There is baseball every day. A grueling schedule is demanding and also gives a better gauge of who the best teams are. [agree, but its close, 16 NFL games and the playoffs get you the best team, maybe college will work their playoff kinks out}
9.Extra Innings — the only sport that really knows how to break a tie. [disagree, you’ve played long enough, first team to score wins, or play 5 minutes like basketball]
10.Pennant Races [push]
11.No-hitters, shut-outs, and “The perfect game” [agree]
12.Playing Catch — This is related to the ballpark argument and really goes has more to do with the whole nostalgia of the game… no other sport compares with it. [push, you can play catch with a football also, my sons and I do both]
13.Baseball cards. [agree. but the whole card industry went nuts in the late 80’s and early 90’s and now cards have depreciated so much unless you have cards made before 1980.
14.SKILL — Baseball is a much better “skill” sport. You have to field AND hit. And hitting a baseball is arguably the most difficult thing to do in sports. It is the hardest sport to play at the MLB level. Almost never do you find a guy from high school or even college come right out and make an immediate impact.
[agree with the skill part but DISAGREE STRONGLY with the rest]
Pro football is by far the hardest of the major three sports to make an immediate impact. The sheer physcial difference in a high school kid and an NFL man are huge. Baseball is the easiest of the three to make an immediate impact. Every year there is a rookie phenom fresh out of college or high school. Look at Bryce Harper. Look at Doc Gooden in the 1980’s. Bob Feller was a high school kid when he ptiched for the Indians. You could not take the best high school QB and put them up against an NFL defense.
15.Minor League Baseball [agree]
16.the College World Series [disagree, college football champsionships wins that]
17.the Little League World Series — Setting aside my animosity for committing too much family time to a sport at that age, the fact remains — I have never heard of a PeeWee Football Super Bowl. [agree, but they do have Pop Warner Championships, ESPN just does not cover it , , , ,yet 🙂 ]
18.Better movies — The Natural, Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, the Sandlot, even For the Love of the Game and Bad News Bears. [agree]
19.Better Heroes — I recognize greatness in other sports, but not one has the same legacy of baseball: Cal Ripkin, Jr., Ernie Banks, Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron, and Jackie Robinson. [agree]
20.Simply put… Baseball builds better men. Just a fact. [disagree, If that were the case then Facing the Giants would have been about baseball 🙂 ]
Thanks for the article . . .
m.b.
Fair and reasonable response… Although I remain unconvinced by your arguments, they are very well presented (points fo the Soldier Field reference).
Considering #14, your point is well taken. You would almost never see someone go from hs to pro. So you have a sold point, but as a general rule there is a reason football does not have a farm system. But basketball is the easiest to make an immediate impact.
Also… Kudos on the Facing the Giants line. Well-played.
Thought of another this week…
Cultural Impact – when people do well at something they “hit a home run” or “knock it out of the park.” When they fail, they are said to have “struck out.” There are others, but you get the picture.
In science fiction, when you have to explain the nature of linear time to timeless creatures, you use baseball references, not football.
good stuff from the late George Carlin on the differences in the two games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmXacL0Uny0
HAHAHA…. A little skewed, but very funny.
He also had a bit on sports in which he said that there were three ways to make baseball better.
1. If you get hit by a pitch, you’re out. He said with to accurate pitchers you could be in nd out in thirty minutes an then ge home to watch football.
2. Landmines in the outfield. “there’s Johnson settling under he ball…. KABOOM…”
I can’t remember no. 3.
I alo remember his comments on hockey.
Bill,
I am assuming you have see Burn’s doc on Baseball including the extra innings. George Will’s point is that Baseball is the ulitmate game which displays American democratic ideas. Thus why it is the national pasttime. And to add to the aura , home plate is even shaped like a house. Safe at home!
m.b.
I’ll have to check that out… I would love the history and trivia. Thanks.
If you do check it out, its more than 20 hours or so of viewing. So you will have to watch it in segments. Each of the nine innings is about two hours and the extras are another three or four. Great stuff.
Installments? 20-hours sounds like marathon material to me!
Seriously though… will check it out.
Speaking of baseball, the Yankees needed a win today – as badly as any point in the season – and they managed to steal one from the Baltimore Zeroes.
Way to go, Yanks.
Dave,
I still dream of a WS between the Yankees and the Braves.
It’s happened.
In 1996 we spotted the Losers 2 games just to make them feel good about themselves and then spanked them 4 straight. Then, of course, in 1999 we just went ahead and swept the lesser team four straight.
After 8 straight losses, do you really want a rematch?
Dave,
I know the history. I watched it happen. That was then. This is now.
It is in the now that dreams come true. The past is but for memories.
But it was still fun to gloat.
Nice list Bill. Since I’m the guy who said that football has replaced baseball as America’s National Past Time. I’d love to respond.
?
1. Spring Training- I’ll take the NFL Draft and all of it’s hype over lame games played in 2 or 3 venues in warm climates. Thanks anyway!
2. Opening Day — Yeah, the first game of a long, boring 162 game season versus the start of a 12 or 16 game regular season where each game counts because there are not many of them. I’ll take football for $1000 Alex.
3. Ballparks — Wrigley and Fenway vs. Lambeau and Soldier Field…not to mention The Big House, The Horseshoe, and Memorial Stadium in Norman. And how many people pack into those stadiums? Close to 100,000 each. Why not that many in a baseball stadium? No one cares.
4. The “Seventh Inning Stretch” & “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” — They have to have these moments in baseball to wake everyone up. It’s easy to fall asleep at a baseball game. At a football game, you stand most of time yelling your lungs out. The only people yelling at a baseball game are the beer and peanut vendors.
5. Stats- ah yes, you have stats. Records made by guys on steroids. Nice.
6. “The Clubhouse” vs. “The Locker Room” — the clubhouse where people take shots before games or play video games while the rest of the team is out playing? No thanks. Give me the locker room.
7. 27 outs. – that take FOREVER! Once again the snooze fest reveals itself. Pitching changes where people have to “warm up” and endless tossing of the ball to first…makes me want to scratch my eyes out!
8. Every Day — Did you really call baseball a “grueling schedule?” 162 games where guys spend most of their time setting in the shade or standing in a field. That’s not grueling. That’s a vacation.
9. Extra Innings — It’s called sudden death. Look it up. Much more interesting than an extra 4-5 innings of standing and watching.
10. Pennant Races- Division titles, polls, and wildcards…and a salary cap that keeps most everyone competitive
11. No-hitters, shut-outs, and “The perfect game”- shut outs, 300 yard passing games, Hail Mary’s, trick plays, and BIG HITS!
12. Playing Catch — Teaching your kid to throw a spiral, playing touch football with the fam
13. Baseball cards.- I’ll give you this one. ?
14. SKILL — Ask Tim Tebow if playing football requires skill. There’s a reason that he’s a freak athlete and still not starting- it’s called throwing motion. Ask an offensive lineman about footwork or a wide receiver about how his body can be going full speed one way while he looks another and catches a bullet. That’s skill and they do it with much more success than baseball players hit.
15. Minor League Baseball- What? The only people who care about the farm system are people who don’t have a pro team in town. College football is the ultimate farm system and it makes BILLIONS of dollars a year.
16. the College World Series- the BCS, the bowls, Championship Saturday
17. the Little League World Series — Pee Wee Football will not allow its players to be taken advantage of the way the LLWS players are. So you get the point, but it’s dirty. ?
18. Better movies — Varisty Blues, Necessary Roughness, The Replacements, The Longest Yard, Friday Night Lights, North Dallas Forty, and Brian’s Song
19. Better Heroes — Joe Namath, Walter Payton, Roger Staubach, Joe Montana, Mike Singletary, Peyton Manning, Jerry Rice, Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry, Bill Cowher, Franco Harris, Terry Bradshaw, the list could go on of class guys who little boys want to be and little girls want to marry
20. Simply put… Baseball builds better men.- football teaches life lessons about teamwork and sacrifice that baseball cannot touch.
Football wins 19-1. That’s why a MAC v. CUSA game on ESPN will outdraw the World Series in October. Football, America’s new past time. Now go watch some baseball so you can take a nap! 🙂
I am considering a permanent ban for such heresy.
LOL…I’m glad I could inspire such strong emotion!
This is more fun than arguing about Calvinism!
I’d rather watch an SEC football game than argue about Calvinism.
It’s not like it’s impossible to nap at a football game. My mom did it all the time (and she was about as much a sports fan as my dad, who was no slouch). Of course, Dad had a PhD in Chemistry, and Mom had a Masters in Math. Somehow I contrived to inherit their geek genes, but not their SportsFan genes.
Best discussion on SBCVoices. Have a great Sunday!
Baseball has my head, but football has my heart.
Some rebuttals (sort of).
1. Much superior to NFL’s preseason, inferior to the NBA’s though.
2. For tradition? Yes. But the openers of the NFL and especially college football are more meaningful.
3. Football has more modern and a better variety of venues.
4. Halftime with marching bands etc. blow away the 7th inning stretch.
5. Agreed.
6. Wishful thinking.
7. Agreed.
8. It makes far too many games meaningless. There are plenty of games where the players are obviously physically and mentally exhausted and going through the motions. Meanwhile in NFL and college football, nearly every game counts.
9. No real difference between extra innings and overtime. Sudden death overtime actually is the best way to break a tie, because you are supposed to win the game during regulation. If you didn’t win the game in regulation, you don’t “deserve a fair or equal chance” to win it otherwise.
10. Pennant races = playoff races in other sports.
11. Agreed.
12. Agreed.
13. Agreed.
14. Disagree. There are plenty of teenagers playing in MLB. The only difference is that baseball has its own minor leagues.
15. College basketball and football are more meaningful than minor league baseball.
16. College football and basketball are more meaningful than the CWS because unlike college baseball they have the best athletes in their age group. Also – and this pertains to points 14, 15,16 and 17 – basketball is a much more international (i.e. Olympic) sport.
17. Agreed
18. Agreed, with the caveat there hasn’t been a good baseball movie in decades AND baseball is the only sport that lacks a great documentary.
19. You just can’t take the position that only history matters and contemporary figures are irrelevant. Even if historical figures are more important – a position that I have sympathy for – that baseball hasn’t had a prominent mainstream/crossover figure since arguably Ken Griffey, Jr. hurts.
20. Well … I won’t argue with that one other than to point out that it is true for reasons that have nothing to do with the game itself.
My biggest issue is that you left out the best reason(s): origins. Baseball, though it was influenced by European antecedent sports, can be fairly called an American invention. Meanwhile basketball came from Canada, and as for football, well actual football is either soccer or rugby, take your pick, and the American game is a corrupted version of both.