Baseball Pays Well - Closing In On NFL as America's Top Money Sport

In a report by Chris Isidore of CNNMoney.com, baseball in the United States is now closing in on the National Football League as the top money sports in the US. While the $6 billion in revenue this year will not surpass NFL figures yet, the rate of revenue growth (double NFL's figures) will surely see the MLB ascend to that coveted throne.

While Chris writes about a number of factors presented by MLB to explain the phenomenal results, one thing that has also contributed is the more aggressive marketing campaigns from the MLB in recent years. The slogan has been making its rounds in every possible advertising media, much more than in the past. Unsolicited exposure in the form of drug scandals have also created more exposure worldwide, regardless of its negative nature. And as the article mentioned, a key factor has been the leveling of the playing field, with more unfancied teams carrying sustained campaigns for postseason involvement. Nothing attracts fans more than seeing their own local team fighting for a chance at success.

Another interesting point brought up was how the MLB and everyone associated with it closed ranks on spinning the game's economics in a bad light, to control player salaries in the past. That has since changed with the league's disclosure of the revenue figures, and it will set off even higher player contracts subsequently. One waits to see if this will result in future requests for exorbitant contracts, and how it will affect the next stage in baseball's development.