I can’t take credit for the above thought, I heard it from one of the talking heads on ESPN’s Around The Horn — yeah, I tune in from time to time.

But, wow it certainly is true.

When did baseball fade away from America? How did the NFL become to powerhouse, year-round league that it is today? Can baseball ever redeem itself? Is this only true in cities like Baltimore?


Image Courtesy of the Baltimore Sun

I don’t know all the answers to these questions, but the transformation has definitely taken place.

Think about it. Baseball probably gets 25 days of peace and quiet from the NFL before they start their next season.

The football season ends in February after the Pro Bowl, spring training starts shortly after, but who honestly follows that like they do football’s training camp?

By the time the season starts in April, they have 25 games before the NFL draft. The NFL steals their thunder for the two day prime-time even held at Radio City Music Hall. The build up to the event starts earlier every year and recaps last even longer. Especially the 2009 draft, I never thought Mel Kiper would stop whining about how his mock draft was virtually destroyed four picks into the draft.

Football takes a little more time off to allow baseball to play up until just before the All Star break. If you’re in a city like Baltimore, you still get fans that call in the talk shows to discuss football trade rumors or expectations of the draft picks, etc.

After the All Star Break, the baseball season slowly fades away as the the NFL teams take the practice field at public/free training camps. ESPN bounces around in their fancy Madden-like RV to the different camps and the reporters have daily updates and tweets of the latest dropped passes or missed field goals from various camps.

All the while, the wild card race is heating up in Major League Baseball. Yet football has already taken over.

The preseason has a little interest, it takes over in cities like Baltimore where the baseball season is meaningless after the second half. But, late August is full of fantasy football drafts and discussions of the upcoming season.

When September rolls around, baseball is nothing more than a second thought. The NFL has already consumed it through their snowballing method that began way back in April with the draft.

Yup it’s true, football is the new national past time. I love the game, but hate the current state of baseball.