Sports are an essential part of most American’s lives, and many would even consider them sacred. According to Live Sports Statistics, around 70 percent of Americans, or 229.6 million people, watch some level of college or professional sports. While sports are a form of entertainment, they serve a much bigger purpose for Americans. They allow families to spend time together, unite communities and rally cities and states. It’s more than wins and losses. It’s about being part of a team, about coming together as one.
The Harvard School of Health found that 73 percent of Americans played at least one sport growing up. This begs the question: What is America’s favorite pastime?
Historically, baseball has been regarded as America’s pastime. From the early 1900s to the mid-1970s, Americans’ favorite sport was baseball. However, that is not the case anymore. According to Pew Research, in a 2019 survey of American sports fans, football emerged as the favorite with 53 percent of votes, followed by baseball at 27 percent. Basketball garnered 8 percent, while soccer and auto racing each received 3 percent.
Football has a much larger fan base than other popular spectator sports, contributing to the argument that football is America’s pastime. Statista, a German database company, states that Americans watched 974.7 billion minutes of football from November 2022 to November 2023. Baseball was next, with 329.9 billion minutes watched. While there is overlap because many Americans watch both football and baseball, baseball has a much longer season and still fewer minutes watched. Each baseball team plays 162 regular-season games, while football teams play just 17. Despite many more games, Americans still watch much more football than baseball.
If football has more fans, and Americans prefer football, why do many still argue that baseball is America’s pastime? It’s the history. Baseball has been America’s favorite sport since its creation and rise to popularity in the 19th century. For many, the first sporting event they attend is a baseball game. I remember going to my first Giants game — sliding down the giant Coca-Cola slide, sitting in the hot summer sun and eating cotton candy for the first time. The history of baseball is so important to many people and will continue to be. As Americans, we will always remember the history of baseball — catching foul balls, home runs and diving plays — but it’s not the favorite anymore. People just don’t love it the way they used to.
Not only do Americans favor football, but football also brings in significantly more money than baseball. Money Incorporated, an online financial advisor website, found that the National Football League brings in $16 billion while Major League Baseball brings in $10.7 billion. The figures for football don’t even include college football, valued at over $1 billion.
According to Gallup News, football took over polls as America’s favorite sport in 1972 and has retained that title ever since. Football makes more money and has more fans. Despite baseball’s history, football is America’s favorite sport — a sport popular in the present, not the past.
