why does baseball have a 160+ game regular season?

[anakie]

basketball 80+, ice hockey similar.

Yet NFL seems to have a less is more mentality and does well with only 16 or 17 game regular season.

[tridim]

1. It's because baseball is less physical

I'm not dissing baseball, but there's no way in hell football players could play 160 games a year. They'd probably die.

I have no idea how hockey players last the entire season. Well, most seasons that is.

[anakie]

6. I realise baseball is less physical

but that is not really my point. How long is the season? A 7 month season would see more than 5 games per team each week. Even the most avid fan would not be able to maintain interest, let alone watch this many ball games.

Why not a simple home and away system where each team plays the other twice? Same 7 month season, less scope for the playoff picture being over well before the end of the season.

Just seems like over kill to me.

[tridim]

9. Well, in that case.. More money

For the owners and players.

[DaveinMD]

13. I watch every Yankees game

Baseball is as much about the journey as anything else. Its a wonderful game with a wonderful season.

[HuckleB]

22. I maintain my interest throughout the MLB season just fine.

[Old and In the Way]

2. Would any team be left playing a 160 game schedule?

The wear and tear on the bodies would be significant....probably would go through a few hundred players, per team.

[Mojambo]

3. Baseball can be played every day

The other sports cannot.

[RobertSeattle]

4. More games, more money

And never believe an owner who says they are "losing money" - it's usually just an accounting trick like how movie studios are always "losing money".

[HawkerHurricane]

5. Several reasons, one of which mentioned already...

Wear and tear on the players is reason 1 why football only plays once per week. Hockey and Baseketball, with medium levels of stress, gets played more, and Baseball with almost no stress (bruise wise) can be played 5 days a week.

Reason 2 has to do with the 'luck' element... Baseball, a game of percentages, needs many games to eliminate 'luck' as the deciding factor. While Football does have some luck involved, it's not considered decisive... except by fans, who wish the ball had bounced differently, or the ref wasn't blind/biased, etc.

Speaking of percentages... can you name a sport where failing 75% of the time means your very good, and failing only 60% of the time makes you legendary?

[Grown2Hate]

10. Baseball?

Meaning if you bat .400 you're considered amazing? I win the toaster oven!

[KitchenWitch]

12. the sport is Baseball

You can get into the HOF with a lifetime BA of around .300

[El Supremo]

7. Because they know I like baseball...

better than any other sport.

BTW there are 162 games/year. There used to be 154 about 50 years ago. I do wish that the season did not extend so late into October. It is just too cold in the northern cities.

[Menshevik]

8. because it's the greatest sport

and that's a fact

[OneBlueSky]

11. $$$$$$$$$$$$$ . . . n/t

.

[kaitykaity]

14. Tradition.

When baseball started back in the 1800s people
really didn't have a whole lot of options for a
way to spend their free time on a sunny summer
afternoon.

[tsakshaug]

15. All pro seasons should be shorter

Baseball-drop the interleague crap, and don't replace the games. Go back the the 150 game season, have the world series earlier. October-November is not baseball season.

NHL-if it comes back- Is much to long. Hockey in June-yeah right. March at the latest.

NBA- Any games are too many.

NFL- May be a game or two too long. DROP THE WEEK OFF BEFORE THE SUPER BOWL

[underpants]

16. Every team wins 54 games and every team loses 54 games...

it is what you do with the other 54 that counts.
-old baseball saying that doesn't take the Tigers of a few years ago into account

[kick-ass-bob]

17. baseball seasons are just as long as other sports

calendar wise.

It's just that you can play more often with baseball.

It also keeps ticket prices down.
$10 for baseball game - how much for football?

[slestak]

18. $10 for an MLB game?

I've never been to an MLB game, but I've been to a few minor league games. It's $10 for cheap seats at a minor league game. Is it really that cheap to go to an MLB game?

[underpants]

19. My wife and I went to Ripken's last home game for $32 TOTAL

Fairly good seats down the third base line, right behind Cal.

We bought them the night before on line-$16 each.

[kick-ass-bob]

20. Arizona has some $1 seats.

Sure, they suck and there aren't many - but hell, its $1.
And its Arizona!
:P

[HuckleB]

23. Where do you go see Minor League Ball? Ah, an Isotopes fan!

Well, if I pay $10 for a seat to see AAA in Portland, I'm sitting right behind the plate. That ain't the cheap seats!

By the way, I go to 10 or 12 Mariners games every year, paying $6 to get in, and I can bring in food and drink (though no alcohol). Sure, I pay $12 on up to $36 or so to see a few others, but there are cheap seats to be had.

[Jersey Devil]

24. $12 for bleachers for Yanks, up to $95 for others

All the seats over $55 are sold out for the season and $55 gets you a main level reserved seat, not even a box.

[HuckleB]

21. Football didn't do so well until television arrived.

Most fans go out to see baseball and basketball and hockey live. Much fewer go to see football live (though, yes, more on a per game basis), though many more watch it on television. It's the television dollars that make the NFL. That's why fewer games allow for such a big income.

Well, that and the fact that we're all so damn foolish that we subsidize all of these sports, even though they can afford to pay for their own stadiums and a whole lot more.

[ProgressiveConn]

25. Football is a much rougher sport.

If you played 162 football games in a single season the entire team would be on IR before game 50. =)

Plus football is much more complex than baseball. A week's prep time is kinda needed. If they were playing two out of three days they wouldnt be nearly as prepared.

[BBradley]

26. What about hockey?

Football and Hockey are about equal in levels of roughness I'd say.

[LSdemocrat]

27. Football is much rougher

Most players either get hit or run into someone on almost every play that they are in the game.

[ProgressiveConn]

28. Much rougher.

Plus football involves 8+ people standing around pushing each other while other people fall on their legs... =)