# Baseball is the most boring sport evah! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [October 31, 2013, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752 "2013-10-31T15:00:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/101 "2013-11-02T03:16:45Z")
Today is the final match of 7 match series of 50 overs matches between India-australia tied at 2-2 with 2 matches rained off. It will start at 0800 GMT, can be watched at [crictime.com](http://crictime.com) for free. (Just close the ad links). ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/102 "2013-11-02T04:30:00Z")
At least baseball is more exciting than cricket. Slightly. Well, OK, not at all. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/103 "2013-11-02T04:44:24Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I’m convinced the average American football fan is confusing the beer commercials and cheerleaders for the action on the field. I gotta admit I preferred the cheerleaders to the action on the field. Let’s face it - big blokes crashing into each other vs young women wearing very little. The chicks with pom-poms win every time. But really, if I want to watch girls in short skirts, I have the internet. Oh boy, do I have the internet. I just find it weird that the actual NFL game seems somehow…unnecessary. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/104 "2013-11-02T04:51:46Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > **Parkhead** -I love baseball, can’t stand soccer (or hockey for that matter). I have zero patience for soccer, not enough meaningful action for me. I’m a Yank FWIW No reason why you should like soccer. People like different sports (or no sports at all) for different reasons. But there’s plenty of “meaningful action”, and I think that’s what annoys soccer fans: people who don’t understand the game complaining about it. It’s an American thing, really - I mean, they don’t play much soccer in India, but we’re not overwhelmed by Indians who have no clue what they’re talking about telling us how awful the game they don’t understand really is. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/105 "2013-11-02T05:12:40Z")
I find it odd that people who don’t like baseball have to point out that they don’t like baseball. It’s the same with people who feel the need to point out they don’t like soccer. It’s like starting a thread to proclaim that Russian literature is way too complicated for them. The appeal of baseball is that its esoteric, it’s not for everyone, because it requires patience and attention, two things that a lot of Americans don’t have. ---
**Author:** ![truthSeeker2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7cd45c/32.png) [@truthSeeker2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/truthSeeker2)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/106 "2013-11-02T06:48:14Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > No reason why you should like soccer. People like different sports (or no sports at all) for different reasons. > > But there’s plenty of “meaningful action”, and I think that’s what annoys soccer fans: people who don’t understand the game complaining about it. > > It’s an American thing, really - **I mean, they don’t play much soccer in India, but we’re not overwhelmed by Indians who have no clue what they’re talking about telling us how awful the game they don’t understand really is**. I dont know, I guess these days many Indians follow EPL, My brother is a crazy chelsea fan. And those who do not follow, most of them also would concede that soccer\>all sports including cricket in terms of workout. Its just that most of us enjoy watching cricket more. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/107 "2013-11-02T15:56:19Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > Also, when did they start wearing baggy pants? I think around the same time basketball players started wearing culottes. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/108 "2013-11-02T16:10:08Z")
That is one thing I hate about baseball - the players who look like unmade beds ([Manny Ramirez was one of the worst examples of this in my opinion).](http://cdn.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-product-image/1-t2099654-.jpg) As my husband has pointed out, help the umpire out - show him _exactly_ where your knees are! ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/109 "2013-11-02T18:06:54Z")
I find watching any sports on tv to be dull. I’d much rather be out doing something than watching others do it. Of course, I also can sit through some of the lamest, low budget, B-movies and enjoy them, so to each their own. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/110 "2013-11-02T18:09:59Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > That is one thing I hate about baseball - the players who look like unmade beds ([Manny Ramirez was one of the worst examples of this in my opinion).](http://cdn.sportsmemorabilia.com/sports-product-image/1-t2099654-.jpg) As my husband has pointed out, help the umpire out - show him _exactly_ where your knees are! I’m a fan, but I’ve got to say this new “mountain man beard thing” is pretty off-putting. Jesus, I’m getting old… ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/111 "2013-11-02T20:07:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I find it odd that people who don’t like baseball have to point out that they don’t like baseball. It’s the same with people who feel the need to point out they don’t like soccer. It’s like starting a thread to proclaim that Russian literature is way too complicated for them. > > The appeal of baseball is that its esoteric, it’s not for everyone, because it requires patience and attention, two things that a lot of Americans don’t have. Baseball draws more fans than any other sport in North America. More people attend MLB games than attend any other sports league in the world. The National League is the oldest of all professional team sport leagues and MLB has been a mainstay of North American major sports for over a century, playing the sport is essentially the same fashion the entire time. Baseball and its offshoot softball forms are the most popular outdoor team participation sport in the United States. It’s not “esoteric” by any measure. Anyone can enjoy it and understand it. Millions do. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/112 "2013-11-02T21:02:12Z")
Watched a bit of Arsenal vs Liverpool on NBC this afternoon (couldn’t compete with _From Russia With Love,_ though) and it made me realize that if I wanted to become a soccer fan I’d need a bigger, wider TV to monitor what was going on on the rest of the field (pitch?). There seemed to be some strategy going on, though most footie player don’t seem capable of much strategizing on their own. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![the\_diego](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@the\_diego](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_diego)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/113 "2013-11-02T21:41:37Z")
No one’s ever watched an All-Japan Karate finals wherein the two combatants just stood there watching each other for 5 minutes of regular time, and for the next three five-minute extensions? It was a ruled a draw. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/114 "2013-11-03T02:49:20Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > Someone has never watched a marathon. Those are more exciting nowadays, as Boston taught us. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/115 "2013-11-03T03:51:01Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Baseball draws more fans than any other sport in North America. More people attend MLB games than attend any other sports league in the world. The National League is the oldest of all professional team sport leagues and MLB has been a mainstay of North American major sports for over a century, playing the sport is essentially the same fashion the entire time. Baseball and its offshoot softball forms are the most popular outdoor team participation sport in the United States. > > It’s not “esoteric” by any measure. Anyone can enjoy it and understand it. Millions do. Then why are there always these threads that make it sound like no one follows baseball? It takes a certain kind of ‘intellect’ to assume that just because he doesn’t understand something, it has no value. ---
**Author:** ![fjs1fs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9e8a1a/32.png) [@fjs1fs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fjs1fs)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/116 "2013-11-04T21:24:11Z")
> [@leftfield6](#): > > Baseball fan here, as if my member name doesn’t give that away. > > So for those dissing baseball because of all the “non-action” time spent between pitches, try this on for size. > > The typical NFL game takes 174 minutes to broadcast from kickoff till final whistle. Out of that **11 minutes** in actual play. [Cite](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748704281204575002852055561406) > > A typical MLB game takes 178 minutes, and out of that **18 minutes** is actual play. [Cite](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323740804578597932341903720) > > So, could it just be that you **prefer** football over baseball? Cause the numbers actually show that baseball has a slightly higher percentage of time “in play”. But wait! (and I apologize if someone else has pointed this out). The inclusion of foul balls and pickoff attempts inflates this “action” calculation. That’s action? The WSJ reached this number by taking the stopwatch to three different games and timing everything that happened. We then categorized the parts of the game that could fairly be considered “action” and averaged the results. The almost 18-minute average included balls in play, runner advancement attempts on stolen bases, wild pitches, pitches (balls, strikes, fouls and balls hit into play), trotting batters (on home runs, walks and hit-by-pitches), pickoff throws and even one fake-pickoff throw. This may be generous. If we’d cut the action definition down to just the time when everyone on the field is running around looking for something to do (balls in play and runner advancement attempts), we’d be down to 5:47. ---
**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/117 "2013-11-05T03:14:03Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I like curling. Me, too. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/118 "2013-11-05T03:27:49Z")
I love both soccer and baseball, but they are very different viewing styles. I watch a baseball game while doing something else, usually reading or playing apps on my iPad. Soccer is 100% focus until halftime, then a 15-minute break, then 100% focus for the second half. Because the ball is constantly in play, constantly moving, and it’s always in a state of either building for an attack or attacking, which means that something could happen at any second. Baseball has its own excitement but it comes in much more predictable spurts with downtime in between. About the only downtime during a soccer match is either immediately following a goal or when someone has gone down injured. Although this summer I did see, for the first time in my whole life, timeouts during a soccer match: during the Bayern-BVB SuperCup the referee blew the whistle at 25’ and 75’ for a water break because it was too hot. It was kind of funny. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/119 "2013-11-05T03:40:24Z")
> [@chizzuk](#): > > About the only downtime during a soccer match is either immediately following a goal or **when someone has gone down injured.** So there’s about as much downtime as baseball. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2013, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752/120 "2013-11-05T08:47:33Z")
I certainly the appreciate the concept of having some sports as a backdrop to other things. One of my real simple pleasures is catching the end of a southern hemisphere Ashes test match on the radio, early morning UK time. Pottering around making breakfast with["test match special"](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Test_Match_Special) on in the background. I reckon if anyone really wants to know what makes the English tick then just tune in to TMS for an Ashes series and all will become clear. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-is-the-most-boring-sport-evah/672752.md?page=5)