Ok, for fun , 10 reasons (among many dozens) why Baseball is Better than football at top pro levels: I did borrow some of these from Thomas Boswell's "99 reasons why Baseball is better than Football ". I also tend to agree with Hero that football might be the ultimate team sport.
1) NFL players play either offense or defense....very specialized. 89% of MLB players in a line up must play offense AND defense requiring more versatility.
AJ Rebut: Wouldn't it be better if we had baseball players be either hitters or fielders and not necessarily both. That we would not be forced to watch a bad hitter simply because he has a great glove
2) Nets are put up to keep footballs from the fans in FG and PAT attempts. Fans are allowed to catch and keep foul balls and home runs in Baseball.
AJ Rebut: Baseball has now add nets all over the place and now there are very few seats where you can legitimately catch a ball.
3) There are 18 opportunities to pee or grab a beer or hot dog at a Baseball game without missing anything. Football fans can spend an entire halftime or more in the bathroom lines.
AJ Rebut: I like to wait in the long lines at football games. Gives me the opportunity to meet new people.
4) An average 2.5 hour Baseball game features about 15.5 minutes of athletic activity. A typical 3.5 hour football game features about 11.5 minutes of actual 'play'.
AJ Rebut: The 2.5 hour Baseball game does not exist. When the Reds are bad and I am obligated to go it is more like a 4 hour torture chamber.
5) Sports scientists determine that hitting the major league pitch ( particularly fastballs) may be the single most difficult task in all of sports. That's why the best talent must still play many seasons in the minors before reaching the show. Gifted athletes with 3 years of college aged ball can go directly onto all pro NFL teams. Baseball skills are just , flat out, harder to master.
AJ Rebut: I played in a softball league this year and batted 615. Wasn't very hard form me.
6) There are far more sophisticated stats to measure individual performance in Baseball than in Football.
AJ Rebut: I know what all the stats mean in Baseball. Football is beyond my analytical capabilities. I can calculate Slugging % and Batting average. Can you provide the formula of a QBR Rating
7) Faces are better than helmets, and Baseball players look more like normal human beings. Many football players have breasts.
AJ Rebut: OK I will concede this one.
8) 162 regular season games beats 16 regular season games.
AJ Rebut: If you had season tickets and were required to go to all games I think you would feel differently.
9) Baseball means Spring is here !. Football means Winter is coming.
AJ Rebut: OK you win this one as well.
10) There is no clock in Baseball......none of this 'run out or milk the clock' crap to win games as in Football. Gotta get 27 people out to win a 9 inning Baseball game no matter how long it takes.
AJ Rebut: I went to a Bachelor Party for a Reds game that had a long rain delay and then went into extra innings. A clock to end the torture would have been appreciated.
Bunus reason : Baseball features 2 hours of pre-game batting practice. Football features 2 hours of pre-game traffic jams.
AJ Rebut: 2 additional hours at a baseball stadium is not a selling point to me.
Now you guys should know how much I enjoy both sports or I wouldn't be on a FB chat site..right ?
I would have to say MLB is probably my third most watch sport but when the Reds are bad my interest goes towards non existent.
