I feel like the popularity and engagement between sports leagues and their fans is at an all-time high in 2024. Because of the social media age, we are currently, it hasn't been easier to not watch games, while also being able to follow what's going on around each league with all the content we have access to. With us consumers having so many options for sports now, some leagues have been able to thrive, and while I hate to say it, some are starting to die, or at least not be able to capture the audience as they once could.
As I rank these leagues, keep in mind THESE ARE NOT MY FAVOURITE SPORTS RANKED, this is a ranking of how I believe these sports handle their business.
4. The NBA:
It breaks my heart to put the NBA at the bottom of these rankings. The early-to-mid 2010s era of the league made me fall in love with the sport.
Now, times have changed. Players do not seem interested in giving it their all every night, they have made a joke of the consumer by instead of buying a ticket to watch your favorite stars play, it would not be shocking to hear five minutes before tip-off that they aren't playing that night.
Adam Silver is the softest commissioner in sports, and it is not even close. Nobody cares about the In-Season Tournament, as the TV ratings show. Lastly, sure the play-in games are fun, but I do not think they are necessary. If you cannot prove you are a playoff team after 82 games, I do not think you should be granted a "second chance".
Until Silver is gone, I do not have much hope for this league, especially since top stars such as; LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant are at the tail end of their career, and instead of promoting the next generation of talent, the league insists on us always getting Lakers-Warriors on National TV. It's getting boring, and the lack of regular season interest by the average fan is all you need to know.
3. The MLB:
Trust me, I am not a huge baseball fan. I love basketball way more than baseball, but that doesn't mean I do not respect the tradition of the MLB.
Do the top-end guys play every night? Not like they once did, but it is still way more than the NBA. They do not have many off days, which makes the season a grind, as keep in mind a majority of the season takes place in the dog days of summer. Also, even with playoff expansion, it is still the toughest sport to make the post-season in.
I also love that the league seems like they have an idea of how to promote their top-end talent, as even a non-baseball fan knows who Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge are.
The best thing baseball has done to pull me back in is to speed up the game. I love the new pitch clock element, and as time passes, I feel like sports betting will only help drive in more fans.
2. The NHL:
I am so proud of the NHL, the game has grown tremendously over the past years, and I believe that is because of the league's new TV deal with ESPN. The league has seen a major spike in TV ratings every year since partnering with ESPN which is all they can ask for. My only spites with the league are still the current playoff format, and how they seem keen on expanding once again.
As long as the league continues to promote their stars and stays a 32-team league, I must give Gary Bettman his props, he has kind of won me over the last decade as he has overseen the game grow to new heights.
The NFL:
There couldn't be another answer. The NFL is king and even metric points to it. TV ratings, ticket sales, ad revenue, what more do I need to add? Unlike certain sports now, I love how fans are more invested in their teams, as opposed to following players. The NFL is also the sport that can give its fans more hope than any other league, and I think that will be proven next week when the NFL Draft draws more ratings than NBA playoff games (good job Adam Silver).
The NFL is truly the only cash king in North American Sports, thus it has to be #1 by a wide margin.
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