Baseball Is Gasping Its Last Gasp

[Ray]

According to Newsday.com, interest in televised baseball has been declining for the past five years and is at its lowest level in 14 years.

"Fox averaged 1.8 percent of homes for its Saturday games, which according to the Sports Business Daily was the fifth consecutive year of decline and the lowest figure in its 14 seasons televising baseball."

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ ... -1.1527219

Further, both ESPN and Fox Sports saw their ratings for baseball coverage decline. "ESPN blamed scheduling problems for the drop." They don't want to admit that no one cares about baseball. They're probably trying to keep it a secret until they can sell their sports teams off.

http://sportsjournalism.org/sports-medi ... -ratings/#

Good work, comrades!

[abitagirl]

Cool, maybe football will be next! Ummm, could it be?

[Ray]

We can only hope.

[blackdog4444]

I definitely hope football gets its face farted in! Show those jocks not to be so obsessive, eh?

[Polite24]

Ratings are down, but baseball has 30 teams, not everyone has interest in watching every team.

A better way to judge baseball's interest would to look at local TV ratings and attendance.

[Ray]

That's weak. I give you solid, irrefutable evidence of sharply declining interest in baseball and you give me this? Your opinion?

Weak.

You should have stayed home.

[Polite24]

Baseball isn't what it was in say the mid to late 20th century. Steroids, the growth of the NFL and the strike in 94 almost killed it. But it had a resurgence late this decade and I don't think it's going to decline too much more.

National Playoff ratings should always be taken with a grain of salt. A lot of people aren't going to sit there and watch another team that isn't their own for three hours when they could be out doing something or watching something else.

Anyway, here's some articles to kind of offset your claims. Funny how you post what fits your argument.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02559.html
Division series ratings up from 2008

http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/06/11/b ... nomy-8741/
Local ratings holding steady from 08

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/m ... itv14.html
Seattle Mariners local ratings up 25 percent

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_ ... tings.html
baseball ratings up all around. Wow, if I would have listened to you I would have thought three people were watching.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb
again, tv ratings up from 08 postseason

[Skul]

Blah blah blah

<snip>

Funny how you post what fits your argument.

Who the hell is going to post stuff against their own argument?

Besides, basebore causes more deaths than any other sport.

[Ray]

Baseball isn't what it was in say the mid to late 20th century. Steroids, the growth of the NFL and the strike in 94 almost killed it. But it had a resurgence late this decade and I don't think it's going to decline too much more.

National Playoff ratings should always be taken with a grain of salt. A lot of people aren't going to sit there and watch another team that isn't their own for three hours when they could be out doing something or watching something else.

Anyway, here's some articles to kind of offset your claims. Funny how you post what fits your argument.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02559.html
Division series ratings up from 2008

http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/06/11/b ... nomy-8741/
Local ratings holding steady from 08

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/m ... itv14.html
Seattle Mariners local ratings up 25 percent

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_ ... tings.html
baseball ratings up all around. Wow, if I would have listened to you I would have thought three people were watching.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb
again, tv ratings up from 08 postseason

The first link doesn't work. The others refer to local TV stations and one doesn't even credit a writer. I guess no one wants to be held liable for stretching the truth. Did you stay up all night putting together that flimsy non-evidence? I stand by the links I posted earlier. Most of those links you posted stated that notwithstanding local results, overall, interest in baseball is declining, on TV and in attendance at the games -for one reason or another. Did you not read that?
Now stop wasting my time.

[Ray]

Blah blah blah

<snip>

Funny how you post what fits your argument.

Who the hell is going to post stuff against their own argument?

Besides, basebore causes more deaths than any other sport.

Yeah! They found two guys dead from boredom in my subdivision in the last three weeks! Two separate houses. Expired on the couch in front of the TV. Bored to death. By baseball. Tragic.

[Polite24]

Baseball isn't what it was in say the mid to late 20th century. Steroids, the growth of the NFL and the strike in 94 almost killed it. But it had a resurgence late this decade and I don't think it's going to decline too much more.

National Playoff ratings should always be taken with a grain of salt. A lot of people aren't going to sit there and watch another team that isn't their own for three hours when they could be out doing something or watching something else.

Anyway, here's some articles to kind of offset your claims. Funny how you post what fits your argument.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co ... 02559.html
Division series ratings up from 2008

http://blog.taragana.com/e/2009/06/11/b ... nomy-8741/
Local ratings holding steady from 08

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/m ... itv14.html
Seattle Mariners local ratings up 25 percent

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_ ... tings.html
baseball ratings up all around. Wow, if I would have listened to you I would have thought three people were watching.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... p&c_id=mlb
again, tv ratings up from 08 postseason

The first link doesn't work. The others refer to local TV stations and one doesn't even credit a writer. I guess no one wants to be held liable for stretching the truth. Did you stay up all night putting together that flimsy non-evidence? I stand by the links I posted earlier. Most of those links you posted stated that notwithstanding local results, overall, interest in baseball is declining, on TV and in attendance at the games -for one reason or another. Did you not read that?
Now stop wasting my time.

Should have known that was coming. It's comical how much you stretch things to help them fit your argument. You don't give up, I will give you that.

Bottom line is those links are just legit as yours, ratings are up in some avenues and down in some others. Baseball isn't dying. You're a fool if you truly believe that.

[blackdog4444]

Well apparently the overall average says it's down in popularity.
OVERALL AVERAGE!
OVERALL AVERAGE!
OVERALL AVERAGE!!!
Sheese, I hope you're not as blind as me without my glasses on.

[Polite24]

baseball is down in popularity from what it was in the mid to late 20th century, but it's popularity has remained steady as of late. Baseball isn't going anywhere.

[Fat Man]

baseball is down in popularity from what it was in the mid to late 20th century, but it's popularity has remained steady as of late. Baseball isn't going anywhere.

Oh! You are so right!

Baseball is nowhere, just like all sports!

It's nowhere!

[Polite24]

actually, it's in thousands upon thousands of cities across America. Sucks huh?