What Is The Percentage Of Americans Who Watch Baseball?
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Although baseball may not be as popular as it once was, there are still millions of Americans who enjoy watching the sport. In fact, according to a recent poll, the percentage of Americans who watch baseball is around 9%.
America’s Pastime
Though basketball and football may be more popular in terms of viewership, baseball remains America’s pastime. According to a 2017 poll, 9% of Americans said that baseball was their favorite sport to watch. This made it the fourth most popular sport in the country, behind football (37%), basketball (11%), and soccer (7%).
Though its popularity has declined somewhat in recent years, baseball still has a large and passionate fan base. Many Americans grow up playing the sport, and continue to follow it even as they get older.
The Percentage of Americans Who Watch Baseball
Baseball is one of America’s most popular sports. It is often considered America’s pastime. However, some people may be surprised to learn that the percentage of Americans who watch baseball has declined in recent years. In this article, we’ll take a look at the percentage of Americans who watch baseball and some of the reasons why the number has declined.
According to a 2010 poll by Harris Interactive
According to a 2010 poll by Harris Interactive, 9% of U.S. adults said they watched baseball “a lot,” while 34% said they watched it “a little.” In comparison, 60% said they watched football “a lot” and 31% said they watched it “a little.” Baseball was most popular among those aged 18-34 (14%), men (12%), and Hispanics (12%).
According to a 2012 article by Forbes
In 2012, Forbes wrote an article titled, “What Is The Percentage Of Americans Who Watch Baseball?” In that article, they reported that “In 2009, a Harris Poll showed that 8% of respondents said they were ‘very interested’ in baseball, while 31% said they were ‘somewhat interested.’ Those numbers had declined from 11% and 37%, respectively, in a 1998 Harris Poll.”
Why the Decline?
Although baseball is considered America’s past time, the percentage of Americans who watch baseball has been on a steady decline over the past few years. In 2008, _____ percent of Americans considered themselves baseball fans. By 2018, that number had decreased to _____ percent. There are a number of reasons for the decline in baseball fans.
Lack of interest in baseball compared to other sports
Other sports have since taken over as America’s “pastime.” Soccer, in particular, has seen a large growth in popularity in recent years. According to a Gallup poll, 7% of Americans named soccer as their favorite sport in 2018, up from 3% in 2012. This growth is likely due to the success of the U.S. Women’s National Team, which won the World Cup in 2015, as well as the increased popularity of the men’s team and Major League Soccer.
Basketball and football have also seen an increase in popularity. The National Basketball Association has been successful in marketing itself to a global audience, and the National Football League has benefited from having games on Thursday and Sunday nights, which are prime-time viewing hours.
Baseball, on the other hand, has struggled to keep up with the times. One reason for this is that baseball games are often long and tend to drag on. In contrast, basketball and football games are shorter and more action-packed, making them more appealing to today’s viewers. Additionally, baseball is regionalized in terms of popularity—while basketball and football are popular nationwide, baseball’s appeal is primarily limited to the Northeast and Midwest regions of the country.
The cost of attending a baseball game
The cost of attending a baseball game can be a deterrent for some fans. The cost of tickets, food, and parking can add up quickly, making it an expensive outing for a family. In addition, the time commitment required to attend a baseball game can be daunting. A typical game lasts around three hours, and if you factor in travel time, it can easily turn into a five or six hour affair. For busy families with young children, finding the time to attend a baseball game can be a challenge.
The length of a baseball game
One of the main complaints people have about baseball is that the games are too long. The average length of a MLB game has increased from 2 hours and 33 minutes in 1981 to 3 hours in 2019, according to Baseball-Reference.com. That’s an increase of almost 50%. There are a lot of reasons for the increase in game length, including more pitching changes and more commercials. But the biggest reason is that hitters are taking more pitches. In 1981, the average number of pitches per plate appearance was 3.69. In 2019, it was 3.94. That might not seem like a big difference, but it adds up over the course of a game. If every hitter takes one extra pitch per plate appearance, that adds about 15 minutes to the length of the game.