Sports in America: Is Baseball Still America's Past-time?

Over the last fifty years, sports in America have changed dramatically. In 1958, baseball, boxing, and the Olympic games were the most watched and the most appreciated sporting spectacles. Now, things are quite different. 

So, in true Sportscenter fashion, I will take the next couple weeks and bracket different sports in America and face them off for a champion. I will try to remain as unbiased as possible, and I expect many people will disagree with me. 

Nevertheless, here are the match-ups:

Round One

NFL/NCAA Football - BYE

Olympics - MMA Fighting

NBA/NCAA/WNBA Basketball - PBV Volleyball

PGA/LPGA Golf - PTA/LPTA Tennis

NHL/NCAA Hockey - Leisure Sports

NASCAR/Formula 1 - Pro Boxing

MLS Soccer - Xtreme Sports

MLB/NCAA Baseball - BYE

Since the NFL/NCAA football gets a bye, in this article, I will examine the Olympic Games versus the newcomer, MMA Fighting.

The Olympic Games are not an American, but a world tradition. By all rights and privileges, the Olympics should be the past-time of every country around the world, but obviously, that is not the case. The Olympics, winter and summer, are a culmination of all the sports across the world. Football is not included in that mixture, which hurts the Olympics' chances in this bracket. 

There are so many events that I cannot go into each individually, but among the high level events, track and field and swimming are the most popular. Michael Phelps and Tyson Gay keep the Olympic Games in the sports section of every paper during the Games. Without individuals like them, the Olympics would be ignored in America.

MMA Fighting is the newest entrant into the American world of sports. It is gradually growing in popularity. It wins out over pro wrestling because it is real, and not scripted. Boxing loses out because it is not as intense or aggressive. At this point, I think MMA is a powerful fad in America that will eventually start to diminish. For now, men like Kimbo Slice and Tim Sylvia make the sport intriguing and fun to watch.

The bottom line—MMA upsets in a very close one. Although this is the year of the summer Olympics with Michael Phelps and Tyson Gay set to break all kinds of records, the Olympics only come around once every two years and are basically ignored up until they begin. MMA is there all year round, every year. I would guess that in about five years or so, this decision will change, as MMA will have lost its freshness and luster.

Keep watching my articles for next couple weeks.  Next up, Pro Basketball takes on the men and women of PBV Volleyball.