During the week, I get a daily phone call from my brother in Lubbock and we discuss some of the bigger working in sports among other things. One the the things I love the most about our conversations are the discussions regarding some of the underlying aspects of sports and the way they are viewed. There are many times when we have discussed doing a podcast, but I also understand the bundles that are out there and the rarity of being listened to. Regardless I hope to do one soon with another writer here and provide a different twist on the way we watch, listen, and consume sports around us. The issue brought up this past week was the balance(or lack thereof) of sports coverage being consumed week in and week out. Being a worker that is out in the field, I get to listen to sports radio daily and honestly it’s beginning to drive me bonkers. I am not going to get into much detail regarding my feelings regarding NFL coverage which you can read what I wrote last year here. Here is what I see: NFL coverage is non-stop and tiresome. Awesome-An NFL player said this about his team in the off-season-okay? Why is this news? I enjoy the draft, training camp, and the regular season but can we stop with all this nonsense about the details of what somebody did or didn’t do.
Then we have the NBA which is interesting to listen to and talked about appropriately until it gets to the point of annoying. Did we really need to spend 2 days discussing LeBron James and his bad game? He is not a choker, he missed a bunch of free-throws that night versus Houston, and he is a two-time Finals MVP/Champion. NBA and College Basketball are truthfully only interesting when it comes to post-season or the last four minutes of a regular season. If you must know I would vote Harden as MVP this year with 5 deserving players. I would then compare each one who is vying for that title and then move on. Does it deserve a day? Absolutely not and better yet it doesn’t warrant a week or even month long debate. Here is my question: Why do we not discuss MLB and NHL more? They are part of the 4 headed monster that we call major sports and it is unequally covered.I understand NHL and Soccer are on the same level in the eyes of most fans but is there anything better than the Stanley Cup playoffs? I would defend that point vigorously to any fan and challenge you to watch it.
If we drew up a pie chart of sports media it would go something like this: 79% NFL, 20% NBA and 1% MLB. Is MLB and pace of play really that big of an issue that the talking heads won’t even talk about what happens. I’ve heard that the season is too long, too many games, regular season doesn’t matter, and etc. Yet I have heard the same thing regarding NBA, but we still discuss it. Is it the lack of stars in the MLB or the fact they are not “promoted” well enough? Maybe it’s because I’ve gotten older, or maybe it is because in a world of constant movement baseball brings a certain sense of slowness that I have begun to enjoy baseball more and more. Do I watch every game? No, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t enjoyable. Baseball is making a ton of money, so anyone who is stating it’s a dying sport is stating that based off the fact that they are bored and are uninterested. Okay, I will still sleep well whether or not you enjoy it.
Maybe it’s because they actually play defense and can pitch well that you don’t enjoy it and it leads to 2-1 games rather than the steroid induced 14-13 games. I truly believe most people much rather watch a great defensive game that offense is earned rather than a score-fest. I also believe that baseball is a mature game and requires patience to consume. It doesn’t matter what you do to increase the “pace-of-play” the younger generation still will be more interested in football, basketball and video games. MLB stadiums across the nation are filled all summer unless you are the Yankees and charge a mortgage to attend a game.
If you are yet unfamiliar with the pace of play rules let me give you a quick break down: No stepping out of the batters box, less mound visits, less time between innings, and no more managers coming out of the dugout to challenge. I like some of the rules but for the most part it won’t make that big of a difference in the timing of games. I encourage you to sit back, relax and enjoy this baseball season with all of it’s intricacies. It is America’s Pastime and it’s beautiful just the way it is.
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Justin Neely
Just a dude with a voice talking sports. Husband, Father and a 116 lifestyle. Don't mess with Texas
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