Which sport is number 3 behind football and basketball?

[Catatonic]

This question came up in a thread on another topic. I didn't want to hijack that thread but it did cause me wonder if there is a consensus number 3 sport, and beyond.

My thought was

1. Football
2. Men's Basketball
3. Baseball
4. Women's Basketball

5 and beyond, varies by school/conference/region of the country.

Lacrosse at school A. Women's gymnastics at school B. Ice Hockey at School C. Track at School D. And so forth, with even very minor sports such as water polo and rodeo getting the nod on a few campuses.

I will hang up and listen. Whatcha got?

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Baseball at 3? Please.

1. Football
2. Men's Basketball
3-24 Everything Else

For some, it's hockey, some, it's lacrosse, some, it's baseball, softball, etc., even wrestling, women's basketball. But it's definitely Football/Men's hoops 1-2, and then a third that can be any of the other sports. IMO.

[DFW HOYA]

No clear #3, likely candidates by attendance include soccer, lacrosse, baseball or women's basketball.

Track & field has fallen off the radar screen.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

If I were to take a guess I'd say women's basketball. There's at least house hold names....

[BluBengal07]

1. Football
2. Men's Basketball
3. Track / Volleyball / Baseball (all about even, but all doing some great things in and outside the conference)

[TheRevSFA]

for SFA

3) a tie with WBB and Baseball.

[bluehenbillk]

Baseball, womens hoops & lacrosse are the next 3.

[dbackjon]

Baseball at 3? Please.

1. Football
2. Men's Basketball
3-24 Everything Else

For some, it's hockey, some, it's lacrosse, some, it's baseball, softball, etc., even wrestling, women's basketball. But it's definitely Football/Men's hoops 1-2, and then a third that can be any of the other sports. IMO.

Yup - depends on the school/region.

A few schools will have a sport like Hockey or Lacrosse #1 or #2

[Vitojr130]

Up north here, I would said men's hockey... But, that's just me..


I would be as daring as to say men's hockey > men's basketball up here...

[Sader87]

In general, in New England and the Upper Midwest (Mich, Minn, the Dakotas etc) it has to be ice hockey at #3, maybe even #2 in New England.

I think lacrosse is on pace to be #3 in much of the country in a decade or two.

[Franks Tanks]

Men's Hockey is number 2 or even number 1 at certain schools. Hockey is probably the number 1 sport at Boston U, perhaps even Maine and UNH and many of the smaler schools in Upstate NY and the Upper Midwest (although for some it is their only D-I sport).

[Sader87]

One of the reasons I think lax may ultimately be #3 nationally is that it is a Spring sport, and outside of baseball, has no real competition for athletes, fans etc.

[ccd494]

One of the reasons I think lax may ultimately be #3 nationally is that it is a Spring sport, and outside of baseball, has no real competition for athletes, fans etc.

Are we measuring this by money, fan interest, what?

[chattanoogamocs]

I would be difficult to get a consensus on a #3 nationally...too many regional biases (hockey in the north, wrestling in the midwest).

It is easier to just go by conference or by school.

In the SoCon, I would say baseball is definitely a strong #3 (and this is coming from a grad of the only SoCon school without a baseball team).

Now at Chattanooga, I would say it is clearly women's basketball. The Lady Mocs attendance average would put them near the middle of the SEC or ACC (there are only 4 SoCon men's teams that have better attendance). And, of course, it never hurts your standing when you beat the Lady Vols like Chattanooga did last November. UTC is consistently one of the top 15 mid major women's programs in the country.

A very close 2nd for UTC is wrestling. Some of the best high school wrestling in the South is in East Tennessee and UTC is the only DI program within a couple hundred miles...Top 10 programs regularly come to Chattanooga and UTC hosts one the best collegiate wrestling tournaments in the county (the Southern Scuffle)

[Bison06]

Up north here, I would said men's hockey... But, that's just me..


I would be as daring as to say men's hockey > men's basketball up here...

I can't think of one Division I school, other than The University of North Dakota, in the Midwest where hockey is bigger than basketball. Minnesota...No, Ohio State...No, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, all no. The only schools that hockey is bigger than basketball are the ones that have division I hockey and a lower division basketball team. At least that's the way it is in the Midwest, some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.

[813Jag]

I'd say baseball. Hell before the last two basketball seasons baseball may have been #2 at Southern.

[MplsBison]

I can't think of one Division I school, other than The University of North Dakota, in the Midwest where hockey is bigger than basketball. Minnesota...No, Ohio State...No, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, all no. The only schools that hockey is bigger than basketball are the ones that have division I hockey and a lower division basketball team. At least that's the way it is in the Midwest, some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.

Nebraska Omaha would probably qualify. They are building a new bball arena, though.

Possibly, Western Michigan and Miami as well.

[MplsBison]

This question came up in a thread on another topic. I didn't want to hijack that thread but it did cause me wonder if there is a consensus number 3 sport, and beyond.

My thought was

1. Football
2. Men's Basketball
3. Baseball
4. Women's Basketball

5 and beyond, varies by school/conference/region of the country.

Lacrosse at school A. Women's gymnastics at school B. Ice Hockey at School C. Track at School D. And so forth, with even very minor sports such as water polo and rodeo getting the nod on a few campuses.

I will hang up and listen. Whatcha got?

If you go by the number of schools that sponsor each men's team sport, then it's pretty cut and dried:

Men's Team Sports
Number Sport Teams Conferences Scholarships per team Season
1 Basketball 347 32 13 Winter
2 Baseball 280 31 11.7 Spring
3 Football 249 23 85 (FBS)/63.0 (FCS) Fall
4 Soccer 203 24 9.9 Fall
5 Lacrosse 63 10 12.6 Spring
6 Ice Hockey 59 5 18.0 Winter
7 Water Polo 42 3 4.5 Fall
8 Volleyball 23 3 4.5 Spring

However, I'm guessing since you (and most people) ranked bball #2 you're using another criteria. You'd have to then specify that criteria.

[lionsrking2]

I'd say baseball. Hell before the last two basketball seasons baseball may have been #2 at Southern.

Most places in the south, baseball is easily No. 3, if not No. 2 in some places ... I would say baseball is No. 2 at our school, and definitely No. 2 at LSU, Tulane and maybe even ULL ... it's close to No. 2 at Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

At the U of Alabama, Gymnastics draws as well or better than basketball.

[Sader87]

Are we measuring this by money, fan interest, what?

Ultimately fan interest, attendance, $$$ spent/allocated to the sport etc.

I know lax isn't there (#3 nationally) yet, and I'm a "baseball guy," but I think it has the potential to be the #3 collegiete sport down the road (10-20 years) due to a variety of factors such as being a Spring sport, its rising popularity in the Midwest and West Coast, baseball seen as more of a "professional not collegiete sport" etc etc

[Catatonic]

Most places in the south, baseball is easily No. 3, if not No. 2 in some places ... I would say baseball is No. 2 at our school, and definitely No. 2 at LSU, Tulane and maybe even ULL ... it's close to No. 2 at Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

At the U of Alabama, Gymnastics draws as well or better than basketball.

Ditto at the University of Georgia.

[Catatonic]

Most places in the south, baseball is easily No. 3, if not No. 2 in some places ... I would say baseball is No. 2 at our school, and definitely No. 2 at LSU, Tulane and maybe even ULL ... it's close to No. 2 at Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

At the U of Alabama, Gymnastics draws as well or better than basketball.

LSU is one of the few baseball programs that turns a profit.

[Twentysix]

At NDSU, I would guess the list goes

1 Football
2 M Basketball
3 Volleyball
4 Softball
5 W Basketball
6 Baseball

Wrestling and Track are probably our best sports outside football.

To contrast the gymnastics comment, at UNL Volleyball is the hardest ticket to get. Harder than Football, though a 90000 seat stadium can explain that a little bit. They draw around 17,000 for Volleyball matches.

1 Football
2 M Basketball
3 Volleyball

possibly true for UNI also?

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

At Temple it's basically men's basketball and everything else. Football interest has increased but it's still not quite where it needs to be.

[UNDColorado]

At UND I would venture to say:

1) Men's Hockey
2) Football
3) Men's basketball
4) Women's Volleyball
5) W basketball
6) baseball

[UNDBIZ]

At UND it's

1) Hockey
2) Football
3) Men's Basketball
4) Women's Basketball
5) Volleyball (may overtake WBB if they don't improve soon)
6/7) Baseball
6/7) Women's Hockey

Edit: Ah UNDColorado beat me by a few seconds. At least we agree on everything other than WBB vs Volleyball, where we're close.

[Vitojr130]

I can't think of one Division I school, other than The University of North Dakota, in the Midwest where hockey is bigger than basketball. Minnesota...No, Ohio State...No, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, all no. The only schools that hockey is bigger than basketball are the ones that have division I hockey and a lower division basketball team. At least that's the way it is in the Midwest, some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.

I guess the question wasn't only limited to Division 1, and so neither was my answer. There is no way basketball is more popular than hockey up here. Why do you think schools like St. Cloud State and UMD have division 1 hockey programs, but have not upped the anty for their basketball programs? As a whole it is way more popular...

[Twentysix]

I guess the question wasn't only limited to Division 1, and so neither was my answer. There is no way basketball is more popular than hockey up here. Why do you think schools like St. Cloud State and UMD have division 1 hockey programs, but have not upped the anty for their basketball programs? As a whole it is way more popular...

Because they are allowed too..

If schools could play DI Mens Basketball and nothing else DI they would. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

[gobears14]

Most places in the south, baseball is easily No. 3, if not No. 2 in some places ... I would say baseball is No. 2 at our school, and definitely No. 2 at LSU, Tulane and maybe even ULL ... it's close to No. 2 at Ole Miss and Mississippi State.

At the U of Alabama, Gymnastics draws as well or better than basketball.

Yeah at UCA baseball is #3...honestly women's basketball might be just as popular as men's here because we're terrible in men's. Volleyball has a decent following too.

At Arkansas basketball in the 90's could be argued as #1 but recently it could be slipping to #3 behind baseball and football

[Vitojr130]

Because they are allowed too..

If schools could play DI Mens Basketball and nothing else DI they would. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

Sorry, but growing up in small town MN, I'm not buying this sentiment. People around here do not go crazy for basketball like they do hockey. Sure, they may watch it and be entertained by the sport, but they do not go crazy... I'm not sure about ND though because many high schools and colleges don't have hockey programs in ND (I'm not going to count club teams where only parents and a few friends show up to support their kids/friends...)

[Lehigh Football Nation]

See, this is what I mean. The only true universal sports are football and (I'd argue) men's hoops. There are some places where men's soccer is king, women's hoops rule, water polo, softball, hockey, etc. But all these other sports are by definition pocket/niche sports.

[Catatonic]

Yeah at UCA baseball is #3...honestly women's basketball might be just as popular as men's here because we're terrible in men's. Volleyball has a decent following too.

At Arkansas basketball in the 90's could be argued as #1 but recently it could be slipping to #3 behind baseball and football

I think of Arkansas as a track school. Until last year, I might have added football. :)

[Catatonic]

See, this is what I mean. The only true universal sports are football and (I'd argue) men's hoops. There are some places where men's soccer is king, women's hoops rule, water polo, softball, hockey, etc. But all these other sports are by definition pocket/niche sports.

Indeed.

[Pard4Life]

I'd say the only universal sport is basketball. Many schools do not have football.

[slostang]

At Cal Poly it would have to be soccer (top 5 in NCAA attendance). They sellout the stadium (11,075) each year for the UCSB game. Average close to 3,000 per game for the season.

Baseball would be a close second to soccer. After that I would say it would be women's volleyball.

[darell1976]

In this region it's football men's basketball, hockey, baseball. Kinda hard to think baseball when there are a hundred road games to start the year and the wait of snow to melt for a home game. But like others said at UND hockey is king.

[BisonCM]

I can't think of one Division I school, other than The University of North Dakota, in the Midwest where hockey is bigger than basketball. Minnesota...No, Ohio State...No, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, all no. The only schools that hockey is bigger than basketball are the ones that have division I hockey and a lower division basketball team. At least that's the way it is in the Midwest, some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.

For Minnesota, I would have to say that Hockey is bigger than basketball and possibly even football, currently. Typical MN fans though, their #1 is whoever is currently winning.

[Vitojr130]

For Minnesota, I would have to say that Hockey is bigger than basketball and possibly even football, currently. Typical MN fans though, their #1 is whoever is currently winning.

I think at the professional level, football is still the crown winner. However, at collegiate and below, hockey reigns. If Kill and the goophers get their act together, that could change though.

[darell1976]

I think at the professional level, football is still the crown winner. However, at collegiate and below, hockey reigns. If Kill and the goophers get their act together, that could change though.

The way the Gophers play football they always look forward to hockey season.

[344Johnson]

Sorry, but growing up in small town MN, I'm not buying this sentiment. People around here do not go crazy for basketball like they do hockey. Sure, they may watch it and be entertained by the sport, but they do not go crazy... I'm not sure about ND though because many high schools and colleges don't have hockey programs in ND (I'm not going to count club teams where only parents and a few friends show up to support their kids/friends...)

In North Dakota(grew up in both a small town and a "big" town) for high school sports.

1. Football
2. Boy's Basketball
3. Girl's Basketball
4. Wrestling (sorry hockies fans, but small towns have this)
5. Teh Hockie

[UAalum72]

I can't think of one Division I school, other than The University of North Dakota, in the Midwest where hockey is bigger than basketball. Minnesota...No, Ohio State...No, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, all no. The only schools that hockey is bigger than basketball are the ones that have division I hockey and a lower division basketball team. At least that's the way it is in the Midwest, some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Boston University, Cornell.

[gabe01]

I think at the professional level, football is still the crown winner. However, at collegiate and below, hockey reigns. If Kill and the goophers get their act together, that could change though.

#1 NFL Football it's not even a contest. The top 10 viewed games are all NFL.
#2 NCAA Football
#3 MLB Baseball
#4 NCAA basketball (the ncaa tournament destroys the nba playoffs in ratings)
#5 NBA Basketball (trending upwards)
#6 Pro Hockey

If you look at the national ratings, hockey (pro and college combined) have less viewers than pro baskeball. College hockey has less viewers than the WNBA Finals but it is pretty big in the midwest. The FCS Championship game had more viewers than the highest rated WNBA game ever. Basically after pro hockey, the other sports don't even have their own heading on ESPN.com

if i had to do ratings without pro/college it would be
1 - football
2- basketball
3- baseball
4- hockey
5- soccer (someday will pass hockey)

[SUPharmacist]

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Boston University, Cornell.

Well he did say Midwest, and not Northeast. As some have stated MN like UND maybe hockey first. Surely, before football likely before basketball. The complicating factor in MN is all the schools with D1 hockey and nothing else (UMD, St Cloud State, Bemidji State, Mankato State). While they do not meet the criteria of the question, they may end up U of MN fans for football, which could make football king there despite hockey being more successful.

[SUPharmacist]

Being an NDSU grad, and NDSU football fan I need to admit I think my #1 maybe U of MN hockey (added perk, it gives me another sport to root against UND).

[MplsBison]

Because they are allowed too..

If schools could play DI Mens Basketball and nothing else DI they would. You are kidding yourself if you think otherwise.

And by "play" you mean don't really upgrade their programs from DII but collect a paycheck as part of a DI conference.

IE, schools with tiny 1-2k seat high school gyms.

[MplsBison]

Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Boston University, Cornell.

He said midwest.

[chattanoogamocs]

I'd say the only universal sport is basketball. Many schools do not have football.

That is a great point...every DI school has men's basketball. I believe that is the only sport with 100% participation.

[Laker]

Minnesota State is probably men's hockey, football, men's basketball. Baseball has had a tremendous history- finished 2nd in the country this year, but fan wise it doesn't compare.

Hockey has the D1 scholarships, media and advertising. I'm a season ticket holder for football and basketball- you can sure tell when both hockey and basketball are at home on the same weekend.

[Twentysix]

And by "play" you mean don't really upgrade their programs from DII but collect a paycheck as part of a DI conference.

IE, schools with tiny 1-2k seat high school gyms.

Whether they upgrade or not doesn't really matter to me, but yes, my point is DI M Basketball is the most desirable sport because of the $$$.

[heath]

Regional question,right? NE-lax, SE- baseball, Northern mid west-hockey/ice fishing, West-baseball/surfing. Eventually the fastest growing sport nation wide will be #3 everywhere.(Lacrosse). I can't believe the number of youth leagues that have popped up over last 2-3 years. More kids ages 5-8 are starting lacrosse vs Little League/Cal Ripken baseball. A better game to watch also.

[citdog]

Regional question,right? NE-lax, SE- baseball, Northern mid west-hockey/ice fishing, West-baseball/surfing. Eventually the fastest growing sport nation wide will be #3 everywhere.(Lacrosse). I can't believe the number of youth leagues that have popped up over last 2-3 years. More kids ages 5-8 are starting lacrosse vs Little League/Cal Ripken baseball. A better game to watch also.

so we exterminated all of those godless heathen savages only to see their game replace Baseball as THE game for children in the 'late united States'?

[heath]

so we exterminated all of those godless heathen savages only to see their game replace Baseball as THE game for children in the 'late united States'?
Do high schools in Montana have Lacrosse yet? With the emergence of Denver out west,was just wondering.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

Do high schools in Montana have Lacrosse yet? With the emergence of Denver out west,was just wondering.

I've yet to see anything here and around Bozeman....

[SUPharmacist]

Regional question,right? NE-lax, SE- baseball, Northern mid west-hockey/ice fishing, West-baseball/surfing. Eventually the fastest growing sport nation wide will be #3 everywhere.(Lacrosse). I can't believe the number of youth leagues that have popped up over last 2-3 years. More kids ages 5-8 are starting lacrosse vs Little League/Cal Ripken baseball. A better game to watch also.

I enjoy watching lacrosse (never played), but I have a hard time believing it is growing faster than the weed that is soccer.

[melloware13]

From my time at Delaware, I'd think it currently is:
1. Football
2. W Basketball
3. M Basketball
4. M Lacrosse
5. Volleyball
6. Baseball
7. Softball
8-20. Everything else

However, these change based on each teams success, but football remains king.

[Tribal]

#3. The sport that performs well.

[Vitojr130]

Whether they upgrade or not doesn't really matter to me, but yes, my point is DI M Basketball is the most desirable sport because of the $$$.

And even that is a huge *maybe*. The only thing that would bring in more money to basketball, apart from other sports, is the additional tv time. This is because the rest of the country likes basketball more and would rather see the Gophers play Indiana instead of the Bulldogs skating against the Whouix. Personally, I'll take seeing the Whouix getting whooped in their flagship sport over any basketball game (outside of UND/NDSU matchups). Then again, I'm not a huge basketball fan....

So, the money is definitely there for basketball, but only if you're a team that others outside of your region wouldn't mind watching... I doubt that NDSU's bball team brings in more money than UND's hockey program does...

[frozennorth]

At UND it's

1) Hockey
2) Football
3) Men's Basketball
4) Women's Basketball
5) Volleyball (may overtake WBB if they don't improve soon)
6/7) Baseball
6/7) Women's Hockey

Edit: Ah UNDColorado beat me by a few seconds. At least we agree on everything other than WBB vs Volleyball, where we're close.

undcolorado has it right imo. I'd put womens hockey ahead of baseball as well.

[Ivytalk]

At Harvard, probably lacrosse, now that the school has let men's ice hockey and baseball go into the toilet.xsmhx

[Engineer86]

From my time at Delaware, I'd think it currently is:
1. Football
2. W Basketball
3. M Basketball
4. M Lacrosse
5. Volleyball
6. Baseball
7. Softball
8-20. Everything else

However, these change based on each teams success, but football remains king.

Dallas Green, Lee Elia and the Carpenters had Baseball much higher at one time

[frozennorth]

also, i love the lax guys talking about how fast their sport is growing while they ignore the surging soccer scene. I think the MLS will rival the NHL is a decade or so, though it still has a way to go.

[Sader87]

also, i love the lax guys talking about how fast their sport is growing while they ignore the surging soccer scene. I think the MLS will rival the NHL is a decade or so, though it still has a way to go.

The thing about lax is that it could well be THE premiere Spring Sport for colleges....soccer will always be a distinct #2 to college football in the Fall in most of this country.

Again, I'm not a "lax guy" but I see it growing by leaps and bounds at the HS I teach/coach at and it is also a fabulous "off-season" sport for football, basketball and hockey players.

[UAalum72]

He said midwest.

Well he did say Midwest, and not Northeast.
Well, he said

... some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.
So not just BC, but most of the NY/NE schools that have hockey. UMass hockey and basketball are about even in attendance too.

[SUPharmacist]

Well, he said

So not just BC, but most of the NY/NE schools that have hockey. UMass hockey and basketball are about even in attendance too.

Sorry, I wasn't questioning if it was king in that region, just thought the previous point was primarily commenting on the midwest since that was his knowledge area. I love the hockey hub in that region. I was not able to control my smart Alec insticts, and was then mortified to discover despite some previous efforts one of my posts was just like mpls.

[ecasadoSBU]

Clearly #3 is Women's Basketball.

1)Football is King
2)M-Basketball follows up with great attendance and the super popular March Madness
3)W-Basketball is also pretty popular in comparison to other sports and the Women's Madness also gathers large crowds for every round and its entirely televised on national TV
4 or 5)Baseball is only big in the South/West Coast and CWS Omaha is fairly popular nationwide because there is nothing else to watch in June. But here in the NE no ones knows about College baseball. Stony Brook went to the CWS in 2012... I bet 90% of the college fans in the NE aren't aware of that.
4 or 5)Hockey, IMO is a 5th because is extremely regional and enjoys less TV popularity than baseball. ESPN covers College Baseball way more than College Hockey...
6)Lacrosse which is growing but its still a toddler. Could overtake hockey in the near future.

[clenz]

UNI is

1a football
1b basketball
2a volleyball
2b wrestling
3 women's basketball
4 softball

Then the rest

The reason I didn't split the top two is I can't. Wrestling will probably over take volleyball for solid secondlike it was about 15 years ago, but not by much.

quando omni flunkus moritati

[UNDBIZ]

undcolorado has it right imo. I'd put womens hockey ahead of baseball as well.

My only argument against putting women's hockey above baseball is nobody really became a women's hockey fan these past few years, they just became Lamoureux twins fans. Even with them attendance was only a couple hundred so we'll see how attendance goes without them on the team. I only went to one women's hockey game in my time at UND and that was because they were having a drawing for free tuition at the game. Figured I couldn't pass up a 1/25 chance that I or one of my friends who was there with me would get free tuition. I've never been to a UND baseball game, but I'd assume they get a couple hundred fans in grand forks when the weather is decent??

[UNDBIZ]

In North Dakota(grew up in both a small town and a "big" town) for high school sports.

1. Football
2. Boy's Basketball
3. Girl's Basketball
4. Wrestling (sorry hockies fans, but small towns have this)
5. Teh Hockie

Apparently you wrestled in high school Johnboy? I don't think wrestling would be top 5 for high school sports in ND (maybe it's bigger in western ND? None of the small schools in my area even had it). But if we're going purely on number of schools sponsoring a sport (or involved in a co-op for the sport), then baseball and track & field would both be ahead of wrestling (in fact they probably both have better attendance than wrestling too).

[LeadBolt]

The number 3 sport on most campuses is the one that particular institution competes best in after Men's football and basketball.

[danefan]

At Albany I'd say it goes like this:

1. Football (sorry bball fans, but football is the #1 sport)
2. Men's Bball
3. Men's Lacrosse
4. Women's Bball
5. Track & Field

Everything else......

[AmsterBison]

Apparently you wrestled in high school Johnboy? I don't think wrestling would be top 5 for high school sports in ND (maybe it's bigger in western ND? None of the small schools in my area even had it). But if we're going purely on number of schools sponsoring a sport (or involved in a co-op for the sport), then baseball and track & field would both be ahead of wrestling (in fact they probably both have better attendance than wrestling too).

How many high schools in ND have a HS hockey team? 10%?

[813Jag]

It's kinda funny, but Southern baseball gets the most coverage from the Baton Rouge local media (especially radio) due to Coach Cador's visibility/longevity. Football is the king, but I'd wager that baseball is the number 2 sport in the city of Baton Rouge.

[darell1976]

How many high schools in ND have a HS hockey team? 10%?

17. But UNDBIZ was saying track and or baseball is bigger than wrestling, not hockey is bigger than wrestling.

[Bisonator]

This question came up in a thread on another topic. I didn't want to hijack that thread but it did cause me wonder if there is a consensus number 3 sport, and beyond.

My thought was

1. Football
2. Men's Basketball
3. Baseball
4. Women's Basketball

5 and beyond, varies by school/conference/region of the country.

Lacrosse at school A. Women's gymnastics at school B. Ice Hockey at School C. Track at School D. And so forth, with even very minor sports such as water polo and rodeo getting the nod on a few campuses.

I will hang up and listen. Whatcha got?

How do you want to quantify it? By attendance? Revenue? Expenses? xdontknowx

I would say it varies by school. Some don't even have football, others are basketball first, etc.

[andy7171]

Towson top three are far and away football, basketball and lacrosse. Hell, when I was there in the early 90's, you could argue Lacrosse was #1.

Faste4st growing sport in college is womens lacrosse. Schools are figuring it out that its a fun sport to watch and a good offset for title 9 scholarships. My 12 year olds assistant coach is going to Colorado on a full ride in the fall.

[344Johnson]

Apparently you wrestled in high school Johnboy? I don't think wrestling would be top 5 for high school sports in ND (maybe it's bigger in western ND? None of the small schools in my area even had it). But if we're going purely on number of schools sponsoring a sport (or involved in a co-op for the sport), then baseball and track & field would both be ahead of wrestling (in fact they probably both have better attendance than wrestling too).

State wrestling finals is on tv. When I was in school I think it drew about 5,000 people for it too. State Baseball games will never do that in North Dakota(What does state basketball draw?), regular season will draw better than wrestling though probably. Track and Field? No idea. Track is not a sport however so that is disqualified.

Wrestling is huge in the south central/east part of North Dakota small towns(Napoleon, Wishek, Oakes, Lisbon, Linton),


How many high schools in ND have a HS hockey team? 10%?


17. But UNDBIZ was saying track and or baseball is bigger than wrestling, not hockey is bigger than wrestling.

And honestly, half those 17 shouldn't have teams on account of how awful they are.

[katstrapper]

I would have to say......

1.. Football (back to back Conference Titles)
2.. Baseball (back to back Conference Titles)
3.. MBB (very mediocre at best since Bob Marlin left)

WBB and Softball are gaining more attention these days due to Conference titles for both programs.

[darell1976]

State wrestling finals is on tv. When I was in school I think it drew about 5,000 people for it too. State Baseball games will never do that in North Dakota(What does state basketball draw?), regular season will draw better than wrestling though probably. Track and Field? No idea. Track is not a sport however so that is disqualified.

Wrestling is huge in the south central/east part of North Dakota small towns(Napoleon, Wishek, Oakes, Lisbon, Linton),





And honestly, half those 17 shouldn't have teams on account of how awful they are.

Hockey kings will mainly be the eastern schools like GF Central, GF Red River and maybe a Grafton or a Fargo school. Out west Bismarck and Minot are the only ones who contend.

I still don't know how Hazen has a hockey team.

[ccd494]

also, i love the lax guys talking about how fast their sport is growing while they ignore the surging soccer scene. I think the MLS will rival the NHL is a decade or so, though it still has a way to go.

2012 average attendances:

NFL 67,604
MLB 30,895
MLS 18,807
NHL 17,721
NBA 17,274

[Montanan]

Coming from the predominantly English region of Oregon/Washington i'm going to go with cricket.

[Seahawks Fan]

Baseball. But Lacrosse is becoming popular.

[Go Green]

More kids ages 5-8 are starting lacrosse vs Little League/Cal Ripken baseball. A better game to watch also.

People have been saying the same thing about soccer for about 40 years now.

Hasn't translated to increased popularity at the higher levels.

[MplsBison]

2012 average attendances:

NFL 67,604
MLB 30,895
MLS 18,807
NHL 17,721
NBA 17,274

How about average ticket prices between those last three?

[Go Green]

also, i love the lax guys talking about how fast their sport is growing while they ignore the surging soccer scene. .

As I said... soccer has been "surging" for a while now. :)

[ccd494]

How about average ticket prices between those last three?

I'd guess NBA->NHL->MLS. But do your own research.

MLS certainly lags in total eyeballs as it plays 15 home games/year versus 41 for NHL/NBA.

[MplsBison]

People have been saying the same thing about soccer for about 40 years now.

Hasn't translated to increased popularity at the higher levels.

True. But on the other hand, there are almost no barriers to entry for youth soccer. Some shoes and what else, shin guards? Who can't throw their kid into a league for almost nothing.

On the other hand, lacrosse - while not nearly as bad as ice hoceky - has some expense to it. Maybe that just means it's a rich kid's sport (for now), but it seems like parents would be less willing to put their kids into the sport knowing the expense it carries.

Or maybe I have no idea what I'm talking about.

[MplsBison]

I'd guess NBA->NHL->MLS. But do your own research.

MLS certainly lags in total eyeballs as it plays 15 home games/year versus 41 for NHL/NBA.

Right.

Therefore, validating my point that average attendance is not a meaningful statistic.

[phoenix3]

People have been saying the same thing about soccer for about 40 years now.

Hasn't translated to increased popularity at the higher levels.

3 keys toward making soccer the #1 sport in America:

1-Eliminate or change the off side infraction. Right now it's like penalizing the wide receiver in football for beating his defender.
2-Structure the scoring. 3 points for a regular goal, 1 point for a penalty kick, etc.
3-Redo clock management to allow for natural breaks for TV commercials.

Bonus 1-Get Budwiser and Miller on board.
Bonus 2-Charge a yellow card for rolling around on the ground & crying like a 2 year old girl for barely being brushed by an opponent.

Will this EVER happen? Hell no! This is why soccer will continue to "surge" but will never break into the top 4.

Lax will be in the top 4 NCAA sports in the next ten years easy. It's an exciting game to watch.

[phoenix3]

#1 NFL Football it's not even a contest. The top 10 viewed games are all NFL.
#2 NCAA Football
#3 MLB Baseball
#4 NCAA basketball (the ncaa tournament destroys the nba playoffs in ratings)
#5 NBA Basketball (trending upwards)
#6 Pro Hockey

If you look at the national ratings, hockey (pro and college combined) have less viewers than pro baskeball. College hockey has less viewers than the WNBA Finals but it is pretty big in the midwest. The FCS Championship game had more viewers than the highest rated WNBA game ever. Basically after pro hockey, the other sports don't even have their own heading on ESPN.com

I don't know where this came from but it looks about right to me.

[Catatonic]

3 keys toward making soccer the #1 sport in America:

1-Eliminate or change the off side infraction. Right now it's like penalizing the wide receiver in football for beating his defender.
2-Structure the scoring. 3 points for a regular goal, 1 point for a penalty kick, etc.
3-Redo clock management to allow for natural breaks for TV commercials.

Bonus 1-Get Budwiser and Miller on board.
Bonus 2-Charge a yellow card for rolling around on the ground & crying like a 2 year old girl for barely being brushed by an opponent.

Will this EVER happen? Hell no! This is why soccer will continue to "surge" but will never break into the top 4.

Lax will be in the top 4 NCAA sports in the next ten years easy. It's an exciting game to watch.

Thereby insuring that the USA will remain on the outside looking in when it comes to world sports.

[Go Green]

#1 NFL Football it's not even a contest. The top 10 viewed games are all NFL.
#2 NCAA Football
#3 MLB Baseball
#4 NCAA basketball (the ncaa tournament destroys the nba playoffs in ratings)
#5 NBA Basketball (trending upwards)
#6 Pro Hockey


I assume that you're only talking about team sports.

NASCAR and golf both fall somewhere in the middle of that list.

[Go Lehigh TU owl]

I assume that you're only talking about team sports.

NASCAR and golf both fall somewhere in the middle of that list.

Definitely agree with NASCAR. Despite the fact that popularity has dwindled to early 1990's levels it still remains extremely viable. I'm guessing the average attendance is still in the 75-80k range. 10 years ago it was well north of 100k.

PGA golf tourneys draw big crowds too.

[phoenix3]

I assume that you're only talking about team sports.

NASCAR and golf both fall somewhere in the middle of that list.

This is only a guess but NASCAR may be in the top 3 for total viewership.

[Go Green]

This is only a guess but NASCAR may be in the top 3 for total viewership.

Hard to imagine a network cutting away from the end of a NASCAR or golf championship the way NBC did in the Stanley Cup Finals a few years back.

http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2007/05/21/nbc_spanks_nhl_and_the_league_likes_it.html

xlolx

[bulldog10jw]

I can't think of one Division I school, other than The University of North Dakota, in the Midwest where hockey is bigger than basketball. Minnesota...No, Ohio State...No, Notre Dame, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, all no. The only schools that hockey is bigger than basketball are the ones that have division I hockey and a lower division basketball team. At least that's the way it is in the Midwest, some schools out east might be different. BC comes to mind.


Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Boston University, Cornell, Yale.

It's been hockey #2 at Yale for 30 years

[techstate]

At our school, it goes
1. Football
2-4 men's soccer, basketball, and baseball
Everything else is pretty much ignored

[UNDBIZ]

I assume that you're only talking about team sports.

NASCAR and golf both fall somewhere in the middle of that list.

NASCAR is a bunch of rednecks making left turns and golf is a hobby so they don't need to be included xcoffeex

[darell1976]

NASCAR is a bunch of rednecks and Danica Patrick making left turns and golf is a hobby so they don't need to be included xcoffeex

FIFY!!

[heath]

People have been saying the same thing about soccer for about 40 years now.

Hasn't translated to increased popularity at the higher levels.

At the high school and college level,most definitely it has.Soccer is a sport that parents use as a babysitting service at the younger levels because no skill is required. Kids at that age playing lacrosse are there because of the growing popularity. Most parents seem to stick around and watch practice because it is not boring.

[ccd494]

FIFY!!

If you have a tramp stamp of a race car and a checkered flag, you're a redneck.

[344Johnson]

3 keys toward making soccer the #1 sport in America:

1-Eliminate or change the off side infraction. Right now it's like penalizing the wide receiver in football for beating his defender.
2-Structure the scoring. 3 points for a regular goal, 1 point for a penalty kick, etc.
3-Redo clock management to allow for natural breaks for TV commercials.


Bonus 2-Charge a yellow card for rolling around on the ground & crying like a 2 year old girl for barely being brushed by an opponent.



1. Offsides prevents cherrypicking goals and in the end, allows defenses to play higher up the field and join in the offense.
2. People are going to start hacking people in the penalty box if you make a penalty kick worth 1/3 the value of a regular goal.
3. Part of what makes soccer great for me at least, is no commercials.

Agree on Bonus 2.

[clenz]

1. Offsides prevents cherrypicking goals and in the end, allows defenses to play higher up the field and join in the offense.
2. People are going to start hacking people in the penalty box if you make a penalty kick worth 1/3 the value of a regular goal.
3. Part of what makes soccer great for me at least, is no commercials.

Agree on Bonus 2.Agree completely.

If Americans would give soccer a shot it would be HUGE....but 95% of American people will never give soccer a proper shot.

The only thing I'd change about soccer is cards for the flopping, but that is so ingrained in European/South American soccer (and culture in general) that it will never happen

[Vitojr130]

1. Offsides prevents cherrypicking goals and in the end, allows defenses to play higher up the field and join in the offense.
2. People are going to start hacking people in the penalty box if you make a penalty kick worth 1/3 the value of a regular goal.
3. Part of what makes soccer great for me at least, is no commercials.

Agree on Bonus 2.

Are you complaining about this? Hell, this would make soccer 5x more interesting to watch. It'll give them something to actually roll around on the ground and cry about. Heck, I'd probably watch more soccer if it had a little rough and tumble in it.

[Go Green]

2. People are going to start hacking people in the penalty box if you make a penalty kick worth 1/3 the value of a regular goal.



Red cards should keep defenses honest.

[344Johnson]

Are you complaining about this? Hell, this would make soccer 5x more interesting to watch. It'll give them something to actually roll around on the ground and cry about. Heck, I'd probably watch more soccer if it had a little rough and tumble in it.

Yes. Penalty kicks are not good. Instead of seeing real goals, you'd just see fouls. Soccer has plenty of rough and tumble in it. Literally, no one wants to change the game but Americans. Out of 7 billion people in the world, the only people who complain are the 330 million in the United States.

Any baseball fans here want to change anything about baseball? What would you say if a European whose only exposure to baseball was the occasional World Series game and some crappy local military base quality baseball?

[UAalum72]

Offside should be changed to something similar to hockey, with a blue line. Once you're onside, the defense can't move up to make you offside. And no 'injury time', put up a stadium clock and stop the clock during injuries, so everybody knows when the game is going to end, not just the referee.

[UNDBIZ]

Yes. Penalty kicks are not good. Instead of seeing real goals, you'd just see fouls. Soccer has plenty of rough and tumble in it. Literally, no one wants to change the game but Americans. Out of 7 billion people in the world, the only people who complain are the 330 million in the United States.

Any baseball fans here want to change anything about baseball? What would you say if a European whose only exposure to baseball was the occasional World Series game and some crappy local military base quality baseball?

Looking at many of the empty stadiums around the country, baseball probably should make some changes. I'd be interested in hearing an outsider's perspective.

[344Johnson]

Red cards should keep defenses honest.

you could definitely make that argument.

[Hammerhead]

I'm not so sure about that. I played 3 years of varsity soccer in high school and don't like to watch soccer games. It's just not satisfying to watch 90 minutes of action that ends in a 0-0 tie or 1-0 game. Most Americans prefer more scoring with the exception of a baseball no-hitter.



Agree completely.

If Americans would give soccer a shot it would be HUGE....but 95% of American people will never give soccer a proper shot.

The only thing I'd change about soccer is cards for the flopping, but that is so ingrained in European/South American soccer (and culture in general) that it will never happen

[UAalum72]

Yes. Penalty kicks are not good. Instead of seeing real goals, you'd just see fouls. Soccer has plenty of rough and tumble in it. Literally, no one wants to change the game but Americans. Out of 7 billion people in the world, the only people who complain are the 330 million in the United States.

Any baseball fans here want to change anything about baseball? What would you say if a European whose only exposure to baseball was the occasional World Series game and some crappy local military base quality baseball?It's called a fresh pair of eyes. We're talking about what it would take to get Americans more interested. I wouldn't change the scoring, but I'd prefer more scoring CHANCES, there's no home run, long bomb, or fast-break offense in soccer., so you've got to open it up in close. And the crying has got to stop if the game's going to get any respect.

[Vitojr130]

Yes. Penalty kicks are not good. Instead of seeing real goals, you'd just see fouls. Soccer has plenty of rough and tumble in it. Literally, no one wants to change the game but Americans. Out of 7 billion people in the world, the only people who complain are the 330 million in the United States.

Any baseball fans here want to change anything about baseball? What would you say if a European whose only exposure to baseball was the occasional World Series game and some crappy local military base quality baseball?

Because Americans are like the rest of the world...

Sports are not something that is easily compared across cultures. Why do you think football is big in America and not elsewhere? Why do you think basketball is big in America, but not elsewhere? We all have different tastes and soccer is not what fits America's tastes. No, it does not have enough rough and tumble. I'm sorry, but slide tackling is no where near the same as a WR taking a head on collision. Also, the sport is known for too much whining for a bump or bruise to sustain a respectable opinion here.

Soccer here is akin to baseball in Europe: irrelevant and will not ever be a serious contender for being the top sport without major changes.

[CID1990]

At The Citadel-

1. Football
2. Baseball
3. Rifle
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
10. Basketball

[clenz]

I'm not so sure about that. I played 3 years of varsity soccer in high school and don't like to watch soccer games. It's just not satisfying to watch 90 minutes of action that ends in a 0-0 tie or 1-0 game. Most Americans prefer more scoring with the exception of a baseball no-hitter.
A good number of football games end with scores between 7-and 21


21 sounds like a **** ton...it's only 3 scores...scored 3 times.

The average number of goals scored per game across all leagues in the world? Just a touch under 3.


No difference in a 14-7 game and a 2-1 soccer match except American's are too ignorant to think of soccer as something other than "a pansy euro sport"

[UNDBIZ]

A good number of football games end with scores between 7-and 21


21 sounds like a **** ton...it's only 3 scores...scored 3 times.

The average number of goals scored per game across all leagues in the world? Just a touch under 3.


No difference in a 14-7 game and a 2-1 soccer match except American's are too ignorant to think of soccer as something other than "a pansy euro sport"

Soccer games are half an hour longer than football games. Also, when a team doesn't score in football, it's often because of a good defensive play (something to get excited about). In soccer they play the equivalent of basketball's "stall-ball" for 90% of the game, just kicking it around the perimeter and actually working away from the goal they're supposed to be trying to score on.

[344Johnson]

Because Americans are like the rest of the world...

Sports are not something that is easily compared across cultures. Why do you think football is big in America and not elsewhere? Why do you think basketball is big in America, but not elsewhere? We all have different tastes and soccer is not what fits America's tastes. No, it does not have enough rough and tumble. I'm sorry, but slide tackling is no where near the same as a WR taking a head on collision. Also, the sport is known for too much whining for a bump or bruise to sustain a respectable opinion here.

Soccer here is akin to baseball in Europe: irrelevant and will not ever be a serious contender for being the top sport without major changes.

Basketball is the 2nd biggest sport in the world. Wouldn't say it isn't big outside of the US. And of course a slide tackle isn't the same as a head-on collision. A slide tackle is, however, probably worse than any contact in basketball(other than getting legs taken out during a layup in basketball).

[344Johnson]

Soccer games are half an hour longer than football games. Also, when a team doesn't score in football, it's often because of a good defensive play (something to get excited about). In soccer they play the equivalent of basketball's "stall-ball" for 90% of the game, just kicking it around the perimeter and actually working away from the goal they're supposed to be trying to score on.

Strategy. Wouldn't call it stall ball. The good teams can score a lot...sometimes even against other top teams. Soccer is the hardest sport to score in, a lot has to go right.

Bayern Munich beat Barcelona(Top 5 in the world) 4-0 and 3-0 a week later. They also beat a solid team in their German League 9-2.

[clenz]

Soccer games are half an hour longer than football games. Also, when a team doesn't score in football, it's often because of a good defensive play (something to get excited about). In soccer they play the equivalent of basketball's "stall-ball" for 90% of the game, just kicking it around the perimeter and actually working away from the goal they're supposed to be trying to score on.
A football game is 60 minutes (plus overtime if needed)
The average football game takes over 3 hours to complete
During those 3 hours there is on average 11 minutes of action (the ball in play)
Average score of football games is 3 scores to 2 scores

A soccer match is set for 90 minutes (A soccer match has on average 4 minutes of stoppage time per half)
A soccer match takes roughly 1:45 minutes
During that 1:45 the ball is in play for roughly 75% of that time.
Average score of soccer matches is 2 scores to 1 score



It's pretty clear you don't watch a lot of soccer. There is some really ****ing good defense played

[Vitojr130]

Basketball is the 2nd biggest sport in the world. Wouldn't say it isn't big outside of the US. And of course a slide tackle isn't the same as a head-on collision. A slide tackle is, however, probably worse than any contact in basketball(other than getting legs taken out during a layup in basketball).


I would love to see what source you are using to cite this. I have seen multiple polls and resources that say that it is somewhere around 9th. Also, in those rankings, both baseball and golf are ahead of basketball on a worldwide scale.

[clenz]

World wide?

I'd put soccer, tennis, golf, rugby, and cricket up there a head of football...at least on par. Same as basketball.

[Vitojr130]

World wide?

I'd put soccer, tennis, golf, rugby, and cricket up there a head of football...at least on par. Same as basketball.

And on a world wide scale, you are exactly right, except I think that even volleyball and hockey is higher than basketball... Basketball and football are very much American sports.

[UNDBIZ]

It's pretty clear you don't watch a lot of soccer. There is some really ****ing good defense played

Unfortunately, good defense in soccer consists of sound positioning (not saying it's easy to do, it's just not exciting to watch). There is nothing to get the crowd into it other than the rare big save by a goalie.

[clenz]

Yeah...you clearly don't actually watch soccer.

[344Johnson]

I would love to see what source you are using to cite this. I have seen multiple polls and resources that say that it is somewhere around 9th. Also, in those rankings, both baseball and golf are ahead of basketball on a worldwide scale.

Pardon. Cricket is number two. In terms of the information I have been looking at, baseball gets a large bias because they have so many games. Golf, as much as I enjoy playing it, and watching it, to me is not a sport. You do not directly play against anyone who can stop you from achieving a goal.

Sidenote: Anyone talking crap about soccer being boring, should turn on ESPN2, Manchester City and AC Milan are playing. Not even halftime and the score is 5-3.

[Vitojr130]

Pardon. Cricket is number two. In terms of the information I have been looking at, baseball gets a large bias because they have so many games. Golf, as much as I enjoy playing it, and watching it, to me is not a sport. You do not directly play against anyone who can stop you from achieving a goal.

Sidenote: Anyone talking crap about soccer being boring, should turn on ESPN2, Manchester City and AC Milan are playing. Not even halftime and the score is 5-3.

Are you implying that professional basketball does not have a large amount of games? Sure, there may not be as many as baseball, but it is still far and above most other professional sports...

[clenz]

I just came to post the same thing about the Milan Man City game

quando omni flunkus moritati

[WeAreNorthDakota]

I think watching soccer is boring in the same way that my girlfriend thinks watching football is boring. I didn't play soccer and I don't watch much soccer so I don't see the subtle things that make it a great game. Just like my girlfriend never played football and doesn't watch it nearly as much as I do. She doesn't see a great combo block by a center and guard that leads to a 7 yard gain. She just sees a run that didn't go all that far. She doesn't notice the defensive alignment pre-snap or a stunt blitz that causes a rushed throw by the quarterback. I'm sure there are plenty of plays like that in soccer that make it exciting for a die hard fan to watch but I just don't see them.

[344Johnson]

Are you implying that professional basketball does not have a large amount of games? Sure, there may not be as many as baseball, but it is still far and above most other professional sports...

They play half the number of games as baseball. In arenas that hold around 20,000. Target Field holds like what? 40-45,000? One of the smallest in MLB. Baseball stadiums hold more.

Baseball 162 games.
Basketball/hockey 81 games.
Soccer(pending on league, extra tourneys) 30-60 games.
Football 16 games.

[clenz]

I didn't play soccer either.

I grew up in an part of Iowa that had just 2 schools within a hundred miles that played soccer.....both private christian schools.

[344Johnson]

I didn't play soccer either.

I grew up in an part of Iowa that had just 2 schools within a hundred miles that played soccer.....both private christian schools.

Me neither. During football season, not an option.

[Go Green]

I think watching soccer is boring in the same way that my girlfriend thinks watching football is boring. I didn't play soccer and I don't watch much soccer so I don't see the subtle things that make it a great game. Just like my girlfriend never played football and doesn't watch it nearly as much as I do. She doesn't see a great combo block by a center and guard that leads to a 7 yard gain. She just sees a run that didn't go all that far. She doesn't notice the defensive alignment pre-snap or a stunt blitz that causes a rushed throw by the quarterback. I'm sure there are plenty of plays like that in soccer that make it exciting for a die hard fan to watch but I just don't see them.

Ditto for NASCAR. There's a wee bit more strategy involved than "making left turns."

:)

[Go Green]

Me neither. During football season, not an option.

Growing up in California, I was shocked to learn that soccer is a fall sport. :)

[poly51]

2012 average attendances:

NFL 67,604
MLB 30,895
MLS 18,807
NHL 17,721
NBA 17,274

MLB avg 30,895 times 81 home games =2,502,495 per team times 30 teams = 75,074,850.
NFL avg 67,604 times 8 home games = 540,832 per team times 32 teams = 17,306,624.

[poly51]

Cal Poly Attendance by sport

Football 42,830 5 Games
Baseball 37,443 29 Games
Mens Basketball 28,926 14 Games
Soccer 27,088 10 Games

Baseball is number 2 by total attendance

[Birgs]

Volleyball was once easily #3 at Illinois State, with a distinct home advantage and Redbird games being appointment attendance for many die-hards in town throughout the Julie Morgan era. Attendance and prestige has definitely dwindled in the past decade. Women's hoops has been consistent, with on-court success (the norm during the Pingeton era) often correlating with larger attendance numbers and casual following. Baseball is definitely gaining steam again in the Kingston/renovation of Duffy Bass field reno. Women's tennis and Softball have been most consistent (again, a coaching correlation) but remain afterthoughts for the casual fan, unfortunately. Regardless, this will always be a hoops-first school, although the Hancock reno and the Spack era have the program interest-wise and in terms of "major program" establishment a potential beast. It's a good time to be a Redbird fan.

[Birgs]

Very poignant post. At first I thought I was boring my wife in vain in explaining some of the idiosyncrasies of the beautiful tactical game of American Football, but her fandom has really matured in coincidence with her education. The soccer parallel is a very well-placed comparison.

[UNH_Alum_In_CT]

At UNH, Football and Ice Hockey are the top two sports, nothing else is close, not sure Hoop is even #3! For MBB only eight winning seasons since WWII, no 20 win seasons EVER, no NCAA appearance EVER and no league championship game appearance EVER will do that. You'll have to provide some solid statistics to demonstrate there is a worse D-I MBB program historically! The main point is that Basketball is not number one or two!

If you factor in the pros, then I'd say the top three sports are Football (Patriots), Ice Hockey (Bruins and AHL Manchester Monarchs) and Baseball (Red Sox). (UNH doesn't have baseball nor softball programs.) It would be interesting to see where Basketball (HS and the Celtics) would fall, but I'm going to guess fourth.

[clenz]

Northwestern out of the B10 has never been to the NCAA's if that makes you feel better...

[NoCoDanny]

3.) Baseball
4.) Wrestling

I don't pay attention to anything beyond that.

[clenz]

So I'm watching the opening games of the Premier League and doing some rough calculation on time in action vs standing around because that's the kind of guy I am.

I am not counting tune setting up for pk, throw in, goal/free kicks, time passing around in the back half, etc...

The Liverpool/Stoke City game had something like 25-35 minutes of good action, depending on if you want to count somethings or not....all in a commercial free game that took less than 2 hours, including half time.

quando omni flunkus moritati

[skinny_uncle]

Ditto for NASCAR. There's a wee bit more strategy involved than "making left turns."

:)

They go around in circles and never get anywhere.