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Viewpoint: Why do the NFL and NBA dominate TV?

While baseball is technically still America’s game, you might not know it if you look at which sports get the most attention in the media.

For years now, the NFL and, to a lesser extent, NBA have dominated the TV ratings and are, hands down, the most popular sports in the country, but why is it that those two sports have seemed to eclipse the majority of sports in the country?

It seems sometimes that networks would use any excuse to talk about the NFL, even during the offseason. Over the summer, ESPN gave daily updates on what Tim Tebow was doing, even though the season was still months away.

While the media has given a lot of coverage to some sports and teams, it seems to have forgotten about others.

The NHL is currently in its second lockout in a decade, but it’s rare to find coverage of the lockout or a breakdown of what’s happening. Some sports fans who don’t follow the NHL weren’t aware there even was a lockout in the league.

There are also some sports fans who are unaware of how great the MLB postseason has been this year. The Detroit Tigers have swept perennial powerhouse the New York Yankees. With the win, the Tigers booked their place in the World Series. The San Francisco Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are locked up in a tight battle for the other spot in the World Series, and a lot of sports fans have no clue what’s going on.

A lot of people who don’t like baseball say it’s too slow to watch, but there is so much tension, excitement and strategy that goes into a game. If you really watch a baseball game, especially in the playoffs, it’s enthralling.

Sport fans need to get past whatever hangups they have with watching baseball and give it a chance. You might be surprised at how you can get pulled into a game if you only take the time to watch it. While on its surface, baseball might seem boring, watch a game and take the time to understand what is going on.

There’s bound to be more action during a baseball game than an NFL game. Studies have shown that, in the NFL, there are only about 11 minutes of actual playing time during a game. The rest of the time is huddles, timeouts or commercials. During these times when game play isn’t actually happening, the networks keep fans entertained with stats, interviews and other things to keep their attention.

While there aren’t as many big plays or jaw-dropping moments during a baseball game, it’s far more engaging. There are less stoppages in play, less analysis and more action in the game.

Fans who don’t want to give baseball, soccer, hockey or any less-popular sport a chance could miss out on some exciting games. Currently, if you haven’t been following the MLB playoffs, you’ve missed out on a lot, but there’s still time to catch up. The Cardinals and Giants are still fighting for the final World Series spot, and the World Series will start later this week.

Give something new a chance. You might find something new to watch during the summer instead of hourly updates on Tim Tebow’s day.

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