Forget being America’s national pastime, baseball barely can compete with football even when the NFL doesn’t have any games.
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that more than half of Americans voted football as “America’s sport.’’ In fact, of the roughly 12,000 people polled, nearly twice as many picked football (53 percent) as baseball (27 percent).
Another example came in the viewership numbers from Sunday’s Super Bowl: a record 123.4 million viewers tuning in across TV and streaming platforms. That broke the record set last year, when the Chiefs beat the Eagles, again in a game that came down to the wire.
Contrast those numbers with the trend line for the World Series, which drew the lowest ratings ever last year with an average viewership of just over 9 million.
That came after a regular season in which attendance was up and games were, on average, 24 minutes shorter than they were in 2022, due in large part to the pitch clock and other adjustments that improved pace of play in the sport.
7 The audience for the Rangers’ World Series clincher was less than 10 percent of what the Super Bowl attracted. AP
In fairness to MLB, the league didn’t get any of the breaks in October the NFL did during its postseason. The World Series went just five games, and featured a pair of teams without large national followings in the Rangers and Diamondbacks.
And MLB, which has labored to mint mainstream stars, certainly didn’t have one of the biggest pop stars in the world dating one of its marquee players.
These days, though, it doesn’t seem to matter what the NFL throws out there, people will watch.
Though there is some attention being paid to the first few days of spring training in Florida and Arizona and other sports fans surely will start paying more attention to the NBA and college basketball — with March Madness quickly approaching — and NHL, there will only be a short break in the NFL calendar.
As Grapefruit and Cactus League games get underway, the NFL machine will rev back up, first stealing headlines with players being franchise-tagged.
7 Likely No. 1 NFL draft pick Caleb Williams may generate more intrigue in the coming weeks than any active MLB and NBA player. AP
Later in the month, the scouting combine will launch quarterback prospects such as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels even more into the spotlight. It’s mock draft season.
Free agency will be mixed in with a frenzy of transactions in the middle of March — unlike MLB’s free agency, which remains a drawn-out mess as big-time lefties Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery and high-profile hitters such as Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman and J.D. Martinez are still available.
Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins headline the 2024 free-agent class. You like that!
That brings us to April, when the baseball regular season gets going, but so do NFL offseason workouts, which will garner plenty of attention.
7 Kirk Cousins will be part of the NFL free-agent frenzy in March. Getty Images
But not as much attention as the draft, set to start in Detroit on April 25.
Last year, the broadcast of the first night of the draft, which is now aired Thursday during prime time, attracted more viewers than a pair of games from the 2022 World Series between the Astros and Phillies — and nearly matched the lowest-rated game of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics.
Today’s back page
7 New York Post
Waiting on the full Knicks
The Knicks have lost three straight games and four of five since their nine-game winning streak ended on Feb. 1.
And to make matters worse, they were the victims of some shoddy officiating Monday, when a mistakenly called last-second foul call on Jalen Brunson — who is not getting a star whistle — cost them the game against the Rockets.
7 The slump for Jalen Brunson’s Knicks continued with a controversial loss Monday night in Houston. Getty Images
The Knicks are filing a protest with the league in a very-long-shot attempt to get the game restarted in overtime.
But as important as all these games are for postseason positioning — the Knicks (33-21) are now in fourth place in the East, a half-game up on fifth and three games back of second — the team’s real test will come when the roster is finally whole.
The banged-up Knicks close the first half Wednesday night in Orlando and then are off until a Feb. 22 game in Philadelphia.
There is optimism that Julius Randle — out due to a dislocated shoulder since Jan. 27 — could be back shortly after the upcoming All-Star break.
And January game-changer OG Anunoby has a chance to return late this month following surgery to remove a bone chip from his shooting elbow.
If neither has a setback, that would give the Knicks and head coach Tom Thibodeau about six weeks to put together the most productive lineups down the stretch, also incorporating newcomers Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
7 How does the rotation shake out for the likes of Alec Burks when the Knicks are back at full strength? Jason Szenes for the NY Post
We’ve yet to see a starting cast of Brunson, Anunoby, Randle, Donte DiVincenzo and perhaps a returned Mitchell Robinson — if he’s able to make it back from ankle surgery — backed up by a second unit consisting of Bogdanovic, Burks, Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein and Precious Achiuwa.
Spring break-outs
It’s hard to imagine there being a bigger breakout during this year’s Yankees spring training than the one Anthony Volpe had a year ago, when he won the starting shortstop job after playing just 22 games at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2022.
He wasn’t the only non-roster invitee who ended up making a significant splash in The Bronx.
Right-hander Ian Hamilton emerged to become a valuable member of the bullpen, and eventual September splash call-up Jasson Dominguez showed signs of why the Yankees had signed him for more than $5 million as a 16-year-old.
So who should you keep an eye on this spring?
7 Jasson Dominguez continues his recovery from Tommy John surgery at the Yankees complex in Tampa. Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
If you’re looking for a prospect who could play an important role in the majors at some point this season, there’s Will Warren, a 24-year-old right-hander who finished last season at Triple-A and is seen as someone who might become a part of the rotation.
And there are several candidates looking to latch on in the bullpen, as Hamilton did last year, from Duane Underwood Jr., a righty who appeared in a combined 114 games with the Pirates over the past three seasons, to Nick Burdi, an injury-plagued right-hander with big league experience.
What we’re reading 👀
⚾ On Day 1 for Carlos Mendoza, The Post’s Jon Heyman outlines the challenge facing the Mets’ new first-time manager.
⚾ The Yankees are counting on a more confident Oswaldo Cabrera to fill their utility role after his struggles in 2023.
⚾ The Post’s Joel Sherman was at Padres camp with Michael King, who explained how he finally got a chance to start and why he feared that opportunity would vanish with the Yankees in 2024.
🏒 Adam Edstrom is getting a chance on the Rangers fourth line.
⛳ Does golf have a rowdy fans problem?
🎾 This Naomi Osaka comeback is leveling up.
💰 The College Football Playoff will stay on ESPN.
The scoreboard
Providence 75, St. John’s 72: The Red Storm’s NCAA Tournament hopes took a major hit with their seventh loss in nine games, again after leading at halftime. Benching captain Joel Soriano didn’t help.
Celtics 118, Nets 110: Jayson Tatum heard “MVP!” chants at Barclays Center as he exploded for 41 points. Mikal Bridges led the Nets (21-32) with 27, and Cam Thomas had 26. The teams finish a home-and-home Wednesday night in Boston.
Kraken 2, Islanders 1 (SO): “The fans were pissed and I was also pissed,” Patrick Roy said of this performance. Ilya Sorokin (29 saves) helped salvage a loser’s point. The deficit for a playoff spot is three points. Next: Sunday’s outdoor game against the Rangers.
NFL season rules sports scene
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