NFL Outdrawing MLB On TV, But What Would Phoenix Fans Watch?

Much has been said on how twice in the last two weeks, mediocre NFL prime-time games drew more TV viewers than key MLB playoff games.

Two Sundays ago, when the Philadelphia Phillies clinched the NLDS on TBS, it drew a 3.9 rating. At the same time, the Sunday Night Football game on NBC that featured the Philadelphia Eagles and the then winless San Francisco 49ers, an otherwise blasé game, drew an 11.7 rating.

One could argue that this is not a fair comparison because the football game was on NBC, a free broadcast network and the baseball game was on cable TV, TBS. This was a valid argument until Monday night's ratings.

Both the marquee ALCS Texas/New York matchup of Cliff Lee and Andy Pettite and the Tennessee/Jacksonville Monday Night Football game were on cable, the baseball game being on TBS and the football game on ESPN. TBS is in just over 101 million homes in America (101.2 million) while ESPN is in just under 100 million (99.96 million).

The ratings came in. The football game had a higher rating than the playoff baseball game (a 7.2 compared to a 6.5 rating). And that rating for the baseball game was higher than last year's ALCS Game Three (6.0).

Baseball has been called America's pastime for a long time and has been a part of the fabric of America's history. It is still very popular and attendance numbers are as high as ever, but football is what sports fans live and die for.

The shorter season, the parity that keeps more teams competitive for longer, the popularity of fantasy football, the violence, and the game action all contribute to why people are constantly drawn to the NFL.

But what would you do? If the Diamondbacks were in the playoffs and had an important game the same time that the Cardinals are playing their game, which would you watch? Obviously, technology allows us to record one or even watch both, flipping between stations.

But if you had to pick one, what would it be? Here at SB Nation Arizona, we'd like to know your first allegiance. Do we love football more than playoff baseball?