Is Baseball Still Considered the National Pastime of America?

While not officially declared in law as the "National Pastime," baseball is deeply ingrained in American culture and consciousness as the sport most iconically intertwined with American identity over the past 175+ years.

Originating in the mid-1800s, baseball rapidly rose from a localized game played in pastures and city parks to America‘s most prominent and prestigious sport by the early 20th century.

Though facing rising challenges from football and basketball nowadays, baseball still impacts American society profoundly through economic, cultural, and aspirational channels unmatched by any other sport on U.S. soil.

Baseball By the Numbers: Quantifying the National Pastime

With an estimated 100+ million avid fans nationwide, spread across age groups and backgrounds, baseball ranks 2nd only to football in overall popularity among major American sports.

• In 2019, a Gallup survey found that around 17% of U.S. adults aged 18 and older named baseball as their favorite spectator sport to watch. This was second only to football at 37% – well above basketball’s 11%.

• Among Generation Z Americans aged 13-21 specifically, baseball ranked as the 2nd most popular sport to participate in (15%), behind only outdoor sports (16%) [WinterGreen Research, 2021].

• MLB attracts over 69.6 million attendees to its ballparks each regular season – the highest figure among every professional sports league worldwide.

The table below compares estimated fan bases among major sports leagues and events within the United States. Baseball still firmly occupies Tier 1 status amid America‘s most popular spectator pastimes:

In addition to strong viewership and attendance, baseball also continues to deeply engage American families through widespread youth participation unseen in most other major sports:

• As of 2022 estimates, over 15 million people play baseball in the U.S. currently

• Around 25 million kids play organized baseball or softball annually in America – more than doubling any other sport

So while the NFL and NBA may pose ever stronger competition nowadays via media reach, baseball still directly impacts vastly more Americans on a grassroots level year-round.

Quantifying Baseball‘s Economic Impact

Beyond direct participation, baseball also delivers outsized economic impacts relative to other sports due to the greater number MLB games per season.

Some figures that showcase baseball‘s financial footprint:

• The North American sports market at large was valued at around $75 billion USD in 2021. Of this, MLB represented $10.7 billion – the 2nd most of any league behind the NFL [$16 billion]

• The MLB League Championship Series and World Series alone drive billions in economic activity through tourism, marketing/ads, merchandise sales and more – providing a major annual boost for host cities

• During 2019, an average MLB team funneled over $100 million into their regional economies

• Fan spending on concessions, memorabilia, travel, and other gameday expenditures related to baseball tops all other sports combined besides football

So while still chasing football financially, baseball delivers major revenues for sports media companies and contributes substantially more to local economies relative to similarly popular sports like basketball simply due to double or triple the number of regular season games.

Quantifying Baseball‘s Cultural Legacy

Though sometimes labeled "boring" relative to flashier modern sports, baseball has left an incomparably rich imprint on American traditions, stories, values, and identity over 175+ years.

As an early adopter radio and TV sport, icons like Babe Ruth, Lou Gherig, and Ted Williams came into living rooms nationwide – building familiarity across socioeconomic lines. The MLB league office reliably estimates over 50% of Americans self-identify as "baseball fans" annually according to internal research.

Aspects of baseball‘s cultural legacy include:

Iconic Ballparks as National Landmarks

Venues like Wrigley Field, Fenway Park, and Dodger Stadium stand as architectural icons, featured in films and tourist attractions. Modern ballparks cost over $1 billion on average to construct.

Unique Traditions in American Folk Culture

The 7th Inning Stretch song, eating Cracker Jacks and hot dogs, catching foul balls as souvenirs, and famous walk-up songs all originate from baseball lore.

Barometer of Social Progress

From Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier to new commitments today around inclusion, baseball often mirrored wider U.S. societal advancement.

As Walt Whitman famously penned in 1846:

"Well—it‘s our game. That‘s the chief fact in connection with it; America‘s game: has the snap, go fling, of the American atmosphere; belongs as much to our institutions, fits into them as significantly as our constitutions, laws: is just as important in the sum total of our historic life."

Over 175 years since its invention, baseball still encapsulates the kinetic energy, competitiveness, and trajectory of the American spirit through the lens of sports more profoundly than any other athletic pastime.

Both a reminder of simpler times and a mirror to modern American identity, baseball‘s place in the nation‘s cultural heritage remains as safe as observations that "the crack of the bat still smells like a fresh summer day," as famed sportswriter Roger Kahn once captured.