The Yankees won, MLB season is over, and the only people occupying Yankee stadium are the janitors keeping it clean for next season. Now what?
The 2009 World Series featured two of the more popular franchises in the majors: the Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. The YES Network saw a viewer increase of 42 percent over last year’s Fall Classic, a record jump. An average of about 19 million people tuned in each night to watch these two prolific offenses battle over six games, making this the fourth-highest viewed World Series over the last decade, and restoring baseball’s accustomed October dominance after a down year in 2008. Needless to say, we were all watching.
But now that ‘America’s favorite pastime’ season is over, which sport is filling this void amongst avid sports fans, more specifically those on Stony Brook’s campus? With nine teams based in and around New York City, there is an ample supply of leagues and sports to support. Stony Brook students were asked to weigh in on where they turned to for their athletics fix.
Many chose the gridiron. ‘Football is exciting to watch, because the games can swing at any time, as opposed to baseball, where it’s more drawn out, or basketball, where scores are usually blowouts,’ Heejoon Park, a Stony Brook senior and a New York Jets fan said. ‘Plus, it’s more free flowing and hard hitting.’
In a sports era where shows like ‘The Ultimate Fighter’ have, according to Spike TV, seen a ratings jump from a previous high of 2.8 million to 4.1 million viewers, hard hitting is definitely a major attracting factor.
In addition, league parity plays a major role in making football more popular amongst the general public, as opposed to other sports where the same teams seem to make the playoffs almost every year.
For example, after a 1 and 15 season in 2007, the Miami Dolphins bounced back with a 10 and 6 record and made it to the postseason in 2008.
‘I was relieved after 2007 was over,’ Sagar Mehta, a former Stony Brook Student said, ‘making the playoffs in 2008 definitely rejuvenated my interest in the team and the sport.’
Whereas football is the clear favorite, basketball seems to get the least amount of love from Stony Brook students. This might have something to do with the dismal state of the New York Knicks, as the franchise has failed to make the playoffs since 2004 and is currently sitting on a 1-9 record and 6 game losing streak.
‘I would definitely watch more basketball if the Knicks were a better team,’ Ahmad El-Gendi, a Stony Brook junior, said. ‘But it’s been so long since they’ve been any good that basketball has definitely fallen under the radar for me.’
Elite teams like the Spurs, Lakers, Celtics and Magic have all added premier talent during the offseason, whereas perennial bottom dwellers, such as the Knicks, did very little to improve themselves.
So the final verdict is that Stony Brook sports fans want to be entertained. Of the roughly 60 different students questioned, leagues in which the strong get stronger and the weak seem glued to the cellars of their divisions just aren’t as interesting.
In the meantime, students can watch the Seawolves football and men’s basketball teams continue to excel in their respective conferences. The football team faces off against Liberty this Saturday afternoon for a piece of the Big South Conference championship, and the men’s hoops team faces Wagner Saturday evening to try to remain unbeaten on the young season.
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