OutKick argued in 2024 that MLB had surpassed the NBA as the second-most-popular professional sports league in America, behind the NFL. The argument, along with other unflattering facts about the NBA, drew the ire of fanboys like Bill Simmons and Ryen Russillo.
Since then, the World Series has continued to outpace the NBA Finals.
Last year, Dodgers vs. Blue Jays averaged 15.5 million viewers. Thunder vs. Pacers averaged 10 million. Both series went seven games.
Game 7 of the Dodgers-Blue Jays drew 25.9 million viewers on Fox, while the Thunder-Pacers drew 16.4 million on ABC, the lowest-rated Game 7 in NBA Finals history.
The year before, the Dodgers vs. Yankees World Series averaged 15.1 million viewers, compared to just 11.1 million for the Celtics vs. Mavericks Finals.
Of course, World Series vs. Finals ratings are not the only way to measure popularity. Still, MLB’s case was strong even in years when the numbers for the NBA Finals were stronger. Most notably, MLB teams consistently draw higher local ratings than their NBA counterparts.
Sports media reporter Ryan Glasspiegel crunched the numbers while at The Big Lead in 2020. Data from recent seasons shows similar discrepancies:
Markets with both MLB and NBA teams
Atlanta
Braves – 3.62
Hawks – .59 (1.09)
Boston
Red Sox – 5.25
Celtics – 2.67 (3.45)
Chicago
White Sox – .95
Cubs – 4.11
Bulls – 1.36 (1.93)
Cleveland
Indians – 6.55
Cavs – 3.32 (2.97)
Dallas
Rangers – 1.17
Mavericks – 1.29 (1.53)
Denver
Rockies – 3.05
Nuggets – 1.4 (n/a)
Detroit
Tigers – 2.4
Pistons – 1.42 (1.3)
Houston
Astros – 4.87
Rockets – 2.31 (2.03)
Los Angeles
Angels – 1.24
Dodgers – 1.76
Clippers – .56 (1.01)
Lakers – 2.33 (3.1)
Miami
Marlins – .83
Heat – 2.32 (2.86)
Minneapolis
Twins – 6.33
Wolves – 2.2 (1.55)
Milwaukee
Brewers – 6.37
Bucks – 3.07 (2.86)
New York
Yankees – 3.02
Mets – 2.27
Nets – .46 (.57)
Knicks – .90 (1.15)
Philadelphia
Phillies – 4.06
Sixers – 2.8 (3.64)
Phoenix
Diamondbacks – 2.18
Suns – .79 (1.24)
San Francisco
A’s – .76
Giants – 2.34
Warriors – 7.5 (3.31)
Washington, DC
Nationals – 2.29
Wizards – 1.19 (.56)
According to a 2025 S&P Global survey, MLB also leads the NBA in attendance. In 2025, 18 percent of adults attended an MLB game in person compared to 14 percent for the NBA.
NBA apologists will blame the gap on baseball playing more games. However, the NFL leads the category at 20% with just 17 games per year.
OutKick founder Clay Travis points to changes like the pitch clock and the success of the World Baseball Classic as further proof of MLB’s edge over the NBA.
“Major League Baseball has clearly surpassed the NBA as the second most popular pro sport. The WBC is an enormous hit, the pitch clock has sped up and improved games, and baseball is rolling,” he posted Monday on X.
Specifically, the argument that MLB has overtaken the NBA is only controversial because the NBA provides a stronger national product during the regular season. However, the reason for that isn’t as simple as the fanboy bloggers claim.
MLB’s local dominance actually dampens its national interest. With games nearly every day, fans have less time and less incentive to watch a regular-season matchup on ESPN, Fox, TBS, Apple, or NBC. Many nationally televised games also compete directly with local broadcasts across various markets.
Consequently, MLB is less valuable to national television networks during the regular season. So while MLB should receive significant increases in revenue when its national broadcasting agreements expire in 2029, the total value of those deals will likely still fall short of the NBA’s 11-year, $76 billion package.
In sum: more people watch the NBA on national television, but more people watch MLB in totality.
MLB’s future
The question is whether baseball can maintain its momentum. The MLB Players Association is expected to trigger a lockout beginning Dec. 1, 2026, raising the possibility of a delayed or even canceled 2027 season. Few things stall momentum faster than canceling games. The NHL can attest to that.
Then there are the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Their spending spree is already expected to spark renewed debate over a salary cap during the next round of collective bargaining. But it could also turn fans off ahead of the 2026 season.
Not only have the Dodgers won the last two championships, but they have also won the past two offseasons. This winter, they added star closer Edwin Díaz and All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker. On paper, the 2026 Dodgers are significantly better than the teams that won the previous two titles.
ESPN baseball reporter Jeff Passan recently called them the biggest World Series favorite in 25 years.
“They have won two straight World Series. They are bringing back their catcher, first baseman, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman, left fielder, center fielder. They signed their right fielder for $60 million a year in Kyle Tucker, and brought in arguably the best closer in baseball in Edwin Diaz,” Passan said earlier this month.
“So the Dodgers are kinda doing something right here, and look, I’ve been covering baseball for almost 25 years now. I don’t know that there has been a team that I’ve covered that has been as distinct of a favorite to win the World Series as the Dodgers are this year.”
Their odds reflect that dominance. The Dodgers sit at +230 to win the World Series. The Yankees have the second-shortest odds at +1000. It is March 16.
Yes, the Blue Jays pushed the Dodgers to seven games last year. Still, no team should enter a season as such an overwhelming favorite.
Granted, the defending NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder are even heavier favorites at +135 odds at DraftKings. And unlike the Dodgers, the Thunder are a small-market team without much mainstream star power.
Nonetheless, Major League Baseball is having a moment. The sport continues to grow in popularity despite years of predictions about its demise and claims that younger generations would abandon it.
By nearly every meaningful measure, MLB is more popular than the NBA.