Poll on Americans' favorite sports/What is sj.com's favorite sport?

1. Baseball (for the storytelling, if nothing else; I've always enjoyed sitting in the bleachers and listening to the radio broadcast)

2. Football (college by a bit over the pros, but having grown up and spent most of my career in Texas means high school is just as important; I attended roughly 30 games prep, college and pro this fall)

3. Golf (almost as good as baseball for storytelling; odd how I enjoy covering it more than playing; someday I hope to attend a major)

Most of the rest, I only pay attention to as it pertains to my job. Of the choices on the poll, hockey and cricket are the only sports I've never staffed.

 

The TV ratings and this poll show we're out of touch with our readers as far as hockey interest. Having said that:

1. Hockey,
2. College football (until bowl season, then I lose a lot of interest).
3. NFL.
4. Baseball.
5. College basketball (but couldn't care less until tournament time).
6. Wimbledon.
7. Tie among almost all the others.
999. Poker.
1,000. NBA.

 

1. Competitive cheerleading

2. Horse jumpin'

3. Karatie tournaments (just the national tournaments)

4. Band competitions

5. America's Cup

 

In today's performance, the role of the non-sequiter poster will be played by Buck's understudy, expendable.

 

It's the SportsJournalists.com Canuck factor.

Interesting column by Dave Feschuk in today's Star. He interviewed Mark Cuban who was in town Sunday to see the Mavericks.

Cuban says that if you took the Hollywood model, where screens in both Canada and the U.S. are counted for opening weekends and applied it to sports, the NHL has a much bigger audience than the NBA.

http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/171418


The naysayers will chime in, "Well, TV doesn't work that way." And TV, to be sure, is a changing business, too. Challenging the conventional wisdom is Cuban's specialty. And in the delicate game of creating perceptions of value, Cuban – who sold Broadcast.com for about $5 billion – has some experience.

"The perception among regular sports fans is going to be, `Wow. I didn't realize hockey was that big.' Nobody's going to do the division and say, `Well, that's in Canada so that doesn't count.' It's just like a box office. They don't say, `Well, it was stronger in Canada.' We've had movies stronger in Canada per screen than they were in the U.S. No one cares. It's just total box office. Advertisers don't care. You guys drink beer. We drink beer. You guys play video games. We play video games. You guys wear stupid sneakers and pay too much money for 'em. We do the same."

OK, everybody pile on.

 

Does this mean I should add curling to the list?

 

Absolutely.

As I've said before, you gotta love a sport where the WINNER buys the beer.

 

I'll do my best to be a worthy fill-in.

 

Soccer goes at the top. MLS, SPL and the international game is where I follow the most.

After this, I would put the pro sports first with MLB then NFL then a little drop-off to NBA and NHL and another drop-off to college sports.

I will watch just about any athletic event and give it a chance. I would only place auto racing in the bottom as a sport that just doesn't interest me. I don't quite get the appeal but that is just me.

 

What was it Babe Ruth said when they gave him a day at Yankee Stadium when he was on his last legs ... The only game I think in the world ... baseball.

 

1. College basketball
2. Golf
3. College football
4. NFL
5. Baseball
6. NHL
7. NBA
8. Tennis
9. Soccer
10. Poker (I know it's not a sport, but I enjoy watching the pros play)

 

You can guys seriously sit through a whole game of baseball?