baseball vs. football

There was an interesting discussion on ESPN radio this morning on the differences between baseball and football. (It was occasioned by a football commentator's appearance on the show, talking about both football and his son's work in baseball.)

I've always enjoyed baseball moreso as a sport. But football is a busy man's sport-- ideal for paying attention for a weekend and then leaving it alone. And so, over the years, I watch less and less baseball-- and at least, relatively speaking, more football.

Baseball requires more constant attention in one way (it happens throughout the week), but less attention in another way (any given game will probably not have as much impact on a season)

And this parallels some other important differences. Baseball is more subtle. It has a slower pace with far more variance in its pace and length. Success in baseball is not as much about working harder as working smarter. In fact, working harder can easily make things worse.