September Switch: Why Football has Overtaken Baseball as the Sport to Watch

September has historically been a popular month on both the sports and seasonal calendar. This is the time where kids go back to school, the weather begins to cool off, and sports kicks into high gear. The month of September represents the time of year where the Major League Baseball pennant races start to heat up and football (both Professional and Collegiate) starts its season. However, this September has shown an odd change. Recently, when September rolls around the attention of fans around the country completely switch from baseball to football. The change does not seem logical, in that the MLB season is heating up and speeding into the playoffs, while the NFL is only just starting its five-month long season. However, the change is abundantly clear, the only question is...why?

A simple reason for why this shift in attention has occurred is that fans of poor baseball teams are looking forward to the clean slate that is the start of the NFL season. This may very well be true for some fan bases, I’m sure Mets fans have been looking forward to watching the Jets or Giants since May. However, this shift has been evident in fans for baseball teams that are actually good this season too. Last night, the Yankees celebrated yet another American League East title, but I (a diehard Yankee fan) was too busy setting my Fantasy Football lineup to celebrate the accomplishment. In Detroit, the Tigers are experiencing a magical run behind Justin Verlander, yet its the Lions stealing the headlines every week. It does not matter if your team is in first or last place, as soon as September rolls around fans are flocking from the baseball diamond to the gridiron. 

Another, more in-depth reason for why this is happening is the culture of the two sports compared with the culture of today’s America. Football is the flashy, explosive culture; everything Football represents is the same as that of an action movie. The big hits, the violence, the possibility that at any moment anyone on the field could be knocked out cold. Football is popular for the same reason why Hollywood continues to employ Sylvester Stallone; American’s love the violent, explosive culture of things. 

Baseball, on the other hand, is “your father’s sport” or “the nerdy sport”. Baseball purists call it the more tactical, strategic sport, but the bottom line is that people think that baseball is too boring, both to talk about and to watch. Fans would rather sit around the water-cooler and discuss that 50-yard bomb Tom Brady threw on Monday night than things like VORP, WAR, OPS, and BsR. Have no idea what any of those things are? Exactly. Its easier and more engaging to sit around and discuss football then it is the complicated advanced stats of baseball, and fans like that. Baseball also does itself no favors with its lengthy, 162-game schedule. 

The baseball season starts (usually) on the first day of April, and runs all the way to mid-to-late October. A season that long and grueling is not attractive to fans in today’s America, a country where the attention span of the average person is similar to that of an intelligent squirrel. Football offers fans a way to dissect and discuss games for an entire week before moving on to the next one. In baseball, you have a morning to talk about the previous game before the team goes out again the next night. The baseball schedule does have its benefits for fans, there is nothing better than finishing a weekday of work or school and knowing that you can watch a baseball game that night, but in football Sundays (and sometimes Saturdays) are catered around the sport. Its not easy to watch every single baseball game of your team for an entire season, but missing a football Sunday is as close to a sin as anything else in sports. Football grasps the attention of fans because it has two days a week centered around the games. There are no doubleheaders, no 10 o’clock west coast games, its just an entire day dedicated to the sport. 

Baseball may be the sport to watch during the summer, but it is undeniable to say that come September and October that it is more popular than football. There is something about the falling leaves and the windbreaker jackets that just scream football for fans across the country. Baseball will always be the nations pastime, but football is the nations present. 

College Football: The Jockstrap's Top Five Teams for 2011-2012

This coming weekend kicks off the start of the 2011-2012 college football campaign. College programs across the country have been waiting for this day ever since Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers hoisted the BCS National Championship trophy after defeating the Oregon Ducks 22-19. After months of recruiting (and recruiting scandals…Miami) and roster tinkering, the most exciting sports season is upon us. Below are The Jockstrap’s top five teams (power rankings) going into week 1.

1.) Oklahoma Sooners (Big-12 Conference)

            Could this year be the year that Bob Stoops and the Sooners finally put together a National Championship run? Quarterback Landry Jones has taken over the role of team leader in his second season as the full time starter. Landry, a strong Heisman contender this season, will be aided on offense by stud wide receiver Ryan Broyles. Broyles, a first team All-American last season will look to improve on his team leading 14 touchdowns last season as he enters 2011 with the role of Jones’ primary target. The defense will remain strong, and look out for freshmen tailbacks Brennan Clay and Jonothan Miller this season as they look to fill the void left by Demarco Murray (Dallas Cowboys).

2.) Alabama Crimson Tide (SEC)

            Another season, another strong Alabama squad under coach Nick Saban. The Tide will have to fill the spots left by wideout Julio Jones (Atlanta Falcons) and quarterback Greg Mcelroy (New York Jets). Running back Trent Richardson will take over the role as full time starter from former Heisman winner Mark Ingram (New Orleans Saints). Richardson, a early Heisman contender, provides a spark out of the back field as he is one of the nations top backs. The only thing standing in the way between Alabama and another BCS title is the quarterback situation. Sophomore AJ McCarron and redshirt Freshman Phillip Sims are currently battling out for the esteemed spot as QB1 for Alabama. As of now, McCarron has a slight edge based on prior experience, but Sims is a threat in both the running and passing game. Either way, Saban and the Crimson Tide should be on their way to yet another SEC title and a potential BCS berth.

3.) Oregon Ducks (Pac-10)

            National Championship runner-up Oregon is primed and reloaded for another championship run. The Ducks and head coach Chip Kelly bring back a majority of last years starters, including QB Darron Thomas and Heisman candidate LaMichael James. The Ducks pose a threat on offense with an explosive duo in Thomas and James, a combination of speed in the option and power in the running game. Despite recruiting violations looming, Kelly and the Ducks have one of the best teams on paper entering this season, and it could come down to them and the #4 team on our list for the Pac-10 title.

4.) Stanford Cardinal (Pac-10)

            Any team led by the best quarterback in the country has to be in the preseason top five list. Thus, Stanford and quarterback Andrew Luck stand at #4 on the list. Luck, the clear cut top NFL prospect in the nation right now, is looking to lead the Cardinals to yet another BCS bowl game, only this year its championship or bust. Stanford could be hindered by the departure of former head coach Jim Harbaugh, but new coach David Shaw has a loaded squad this year, and the Cardinal seem to be on a crash course to the Pac-10 title with the Oregon Ducks. Come December, the winner of this conference should be on their way to a National Championship game.

5.) Florida State Seminoles (ACC)

            The only team on this years list that was nowhere near the top five last year is the Florida State Seminoles. Head coach Jimbo Fischer has the Seminoles ready to go this season, and after several years of great recruiting, the Seminoles look to be on their way to the first BCS bowl berth in the post Bobby Bowden era. Quarterback EJ Manuel takes over for former starter Christian Ponder (Minnesota Vikings), but the rest of the roster is stacked with 5 star prospects. Sitting in a relatively easy division, the Seminoles should be on their way to a very successful season in 2011.