There was a time in the distant past when baseball was the undisputed numero uno of American sports. Nothing was bigger than MLB – after all how else would a sport be called America’s Favorite Pastime? But then as televisions became more widespread, the NFL crept into the space and captured that throne. Ever since then, MLB has been trying to hold on to that no.2 spot but then with the NBA’s quick rise – a battle has ensued between the two leagues. Now another person has explained why the NBA “kicks the s*** out of baseball.” 

Chicago Sports talk radio host Danny Parkins recently appeared in The Colin Cowherd Podcast. The two talked about how the current generation of basketball players are immensely more talented and athletic than at any time in history. However, while talking about their raw athleticism and unpredictability, Parkins decided to throw a little shade at baseball. 

“Even if I can’t tell, I could see Steph Curry drop 50 on a given night,” Parkins said. “You can go to an NBA game in person and you’ll see something amazing, which is another reason why it kicks the sh*t out of baseball. Because when you go to a random baseball game, it’s three nothing, you see nothing that’s impressive. ‘Okay! what the hell did I go other than have some beers in the sun.’ But then you go to any NBA game, you’re gonna be seeing something amazing.” 

It’s an argument as old as time – more action = more excitement. However, one can’t deny that the notion does hold some truth to it. After all, why else would MLB introduce pitch clocks and consistently try to speed up the game’s proceedings? 

However, one also can’t deny the fact that the distance between MLB and the NBA is closer than is being indicated here. One only has to look at some stats to understand how the pendulum keeps on changing sides in this rivalry.

MLB and NBA – the rivalry that continues to rage on 

According to Statista, the NBA’s revenue in the 2022-23 season was around $10.58 billion – a good increase from $10.02 billion in 2021-22. On the other hand, MLB’s 2022 revenue stood at $10.8 billion. On January 15,  Joe Pompliano of the Huddle Up newsletter revealed that MLB had crossed the $11.6 billion mark in 2023. So one can see, how neck and neck the two leagues currently stand when it comes to revenue.

While MLB dominates in total attendance figures, NBA’s TV ratings have continued to trend upwards against baseball. That can be seen by the fact that the World Series 2023 averaged 9.082 million viewers with a 4.7 rating. On the other hand, the NBA Finals averaged 11.64 million viewers with a 6.1 rating. In fact, baseball will have to go back to 2021 to find the last time the World Series had more viewers than NBA Finals. So with such a steep battle between the two leagues, is it a surprise that fans are always at war with each other?

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