Baseball is a better sport than basketball.

Basketball is the more popular sport world-wide in comparison to baseball, with basketball being ranked as the 2nd most popular with 400+ million participants, and baseball being ranked 7th with 60+ million participants. Because both sports are played in the Olympics, countries all over the world have had exposure to both games, and by the amount of participants that engage in each we can assume that more people are fans of basketball as opposed to baseball. However I will not assume that more participants worldwide = a better sport. Well, maybe. But not necessarily. Thus I will continue on to state that a lot of basketball's assets, in my opinion, you recognized as flaws. For instance I feel that the fast pace of basketball in opposition with baseball is one of the many things that make it a more exciting game to both watch and play. Each 'play' in baseball can be dragged out and even seem monotonous after awhile (foul ball after foul ball after pitch after pitch after pitch with many seconds and pointless minutes in between). However basketball keeps both the athletes and viewers on their toes, and more plays mean more opportunities for the tone and pace of the game to shift. This gives the opposing team a better chance of coming back to regain the lead, thus making it a more exciting and fun game to engage in or spectate. Plus, having a time limit for a game increases the intensity and adrenaline much more than the rush you speak of in your argument for baseball giving you that same feeling. Another aspect of your argument that I disagree with is when you claim that individual responsibility is *benefit* of baseball. Instead I argue that mistakes are more forgivable in basketball, and thus more emphasis is placed on cooperation and teamwork rather than showing off or stressing over the fact that your performance can either make or break the team's record. How often does a baseball player get blamed when he strikes out in the bottom of the 9th and therefore ends his team's chance of winning the game? However in a game of basketball, even if someone misses the winning shot in the 4th quarter, there were many more shots taken in the game of basketball than at-bats in a game of baseball, making it more apparent that a team's win or loss is not thanks in particular to one individual, but rather the team as a collective unit working together effectively and scoring points. I would also like to take this opportunity to disagree that baseball is a cheaper and easier alternative to basketball. This is because kids can make "baskets" out of anything just as you can turn any instrument into a "bat" of sorts. For instance, you can use a trash can, basket or even drawn-on square box to serve as a "hoop" and just about any ball that bounces as a ball. You can even play by yourself if you had to... Furthermore, I would like to elaborate and correct you on your argument that baseball is a safer game than basketball to play. While it's true that you will probably sustain more injuries in a game of basketball than a game of baseball, I would like to point out that basketball is in fact a more physical game, and with that intense level of athleticism being demonstrated you are bound to come across both pros and cons in terms of rewards and potential risks. For example, you may be more likely to strain a muscle while playing basketball; however, basketball is a sport that requires more physical activity and stamina. Thus the benefit to this "risk" is the fact that basketball keeps you in much better shape than baseball does. This becomes apparent when you take a look at the physical fitness of basketball players vs. the physical health of baseball players. Basketball players have to spend long periods of time running back and forth, and constantly moving various parts of their body at the same time. It provides a great cardio work out, and keeps the muscles flexible, loose and strong. Due to the easy-going and less strenuous nature of the game, baseball players can get away with being less agile and less healthy individuals than basketball players. Thanks to an organization like the WNBA, basketball has become a more popular sport due to its mass appeal geared for and towards women. Instead of creating an "inferior" sport like softball (many people feel like it's a sissy version of baseball), women are actually encouraged to participate in a sport like basketball, and can now even go Pro. Additionally, college basketball programs are FAR more successful than their baseball and softball programs (times ten). In response to a ball park being an ideal place to hold a sporting event, I disagree based on the reasoning that you can play basketball in any type of weather condition during any particular season. Whereas a baseball game can be rained out, or ended early on account of drizzle or snow fall, basketball is played indoors and is therefore more convenient/consistent. You mentioned that baseball was relatively easy to learn; I'll argue that basketball has rules and goals that are just as simple. At the same time, a certain amount of planning and strategy (not to mention practice, training, strengthening and conditioning) goes into basketball While you contend that baseball has the most compelling trade aspects in any realm of professional sports, I'd like to point out, "The Larry Bird rule that gives NBA teams the right to match deals in order to keep their stars gives basketball the advantage" -- Baseball America. With that, I think I'll go to bed for now. I feel like I have sufficiently responded to each and every one of your points, and in turn made some arguments of equivocal or greater value to prove that basketball is in fact the superior of the two sports. I now leave it up to you to respond, and in my next argument I will be glad to refute any of your additional points as well as provide some more of my own for a final rebuttal in the third round. Thank you and good night :)