Which major sport (MLB, NFL, NBA) is most attached to the fabric of American cities?
I'm not talking about which one is most popular. What I'm going for here is wheich one has teams that most affect the city's heart and the way that a city functions. Which has teams that are not just there, but an integral part of their cities?
For me, I'd eliminate the NBA and focus on MLB and NFL.
On game day, nothing is as rabid as an NFL game. No sport is more likely to have folks stay home to watch than NFL. None will draw a larger crowd (with the NBA not even in the same....sorry...ball park on this one). Of course, that's because so few games are played. During the play-offs, a city is totally drawn into the next game, a real event, with week-long hoopla.
That said, to me, nothing is part of a city as much as an MLB team. There is a tradition in MLB that far exceeds any other sport. MLB plays frequently throughout the week. Baseball crowds are far more a part of the neighborhood (or downtown) environment than NFL fans, who come, tail gate, watch the game and go home. Baseball fans stick around.
I'm not talking about which one is most popular. What I'm going for here is wheich one has teams that most affect the city's heart and the way that a city functions. Which has teams that are not just there, but an integral part of their cities?
For me, I'd eliminate the NBA and focus on MLB and NFL.
On game day, nothing is as rabid as an NFL game. No sport is more likely to have folks stay home to watch than NFL. None will draw a larger crowd (with the NBA not even in the same....sorry...ball park on this one). Of course, that's because so few games are played. During the play-offs, a city is totally drawn into the next game, a real event, with week-long hoopla.
That said, to me, nothing is part of a city as much as an MLB team. There is a tradition in MLB that far exceeds any other sport. MLB plays frequently throughout the week. Baseball crowds are far more a part of the neighborhood (or downtown) environment than NFL fans, who come, tail gate, watch the game and go home. Baseball fans stick around.