On Oct. 5 2014, the Kansas City Royals advanced to the ALCS in Major League Baseball’s post season, after sweeping the Los Angeles Angels.
This is important because at the time was the biggest headline in Baseball, but to most, it means nothing.
My point is, no longer is baseball America’s pastime.
For many people, they don’t even know what the ALCS is or to go further, they didn’t know the MLB was in the middle of playoff season.
Baseball has been around forever.
It became an extremely popular sport during and just after the Civil War.
It was called “America’s Pastime” because during the late 19th and early 20th century it was probably the most widely played sport in the country.
Baseball was to that time period as video games, television and social media are to today.
It’s what everyone did.
After school, after work, on the weekdays and weekends, baseball was America’s pastime because it was literally what people did to pass the time.
During this time, if you asked any random American, they could most likely tell you who is the best in baseball and could hold a conversation about the sport itself.
Baseball was probably one of the few things that every American knew something about.
Consequently, the internet, and the rise of American football, basketball, hockey, NASCAR and other extreme sports have stolen some of baseball’s spotlight.
In today’s America, there are simply too many things that humans are attracted to.
We tend to be very diverse in what we like and don’t like, there are a lot of sports available to the youth.
Not all the focus is just on baseball anymore.
Well if it’s not baseball, than what is America’s pastime? I myself do not think in this day and age we have a “pastime.”
As I said before, there are just too many things that American culture is attracted to.
It’s no longer just baseball.
I would say the most popular sport in America right now would be not only the NFL, but College football as well.
Although it is the most popular, that alone does not make it the pastime.
According to a New York Times article, Bryan Curtis said a Harris Interactive survey asks Americans to name their favorite sport every year.
The NFL has won each of the last 43 surveys, most of the time, winning by a large margin.
Last year, 30 percent of Americans chose pro football as their favorite sport, compared to 15 percent for baseball and just four percent for professional basketball.
However, as I said before I do not define something as a pastime just because of its popularity.
Nation pastime literally means how we pass our time. Its not based on the spectators it has compared to other sports.
You could argue baseball vs. football by the numbers for days. It’s an argument that’s never ending.
When I went back to the Harris Interactive survey, I found a recent post from January 17, 2013 stating that over one-third of adults who follow at least one sport 34 percent say professional football is their favorite sport while just 16 percent say baseball is their favorite.
In my opinion, the national pastime argument is a fail for both parties.
Unlike in the 19th century and the early parts of the 20th century, baseball has to compete with not only other sports, but really any popular hobbies.
Cyrus Lyons can be contacted at clyons@keene-equinox.com
