Fandom: Baseball 'Kings' Sit, Soccer 'Plebes' Stand

Or, more accurately, maybe there's no such thing

(NEWSER) - Alex Rodriguez may be one of the greatest hitters of all time, but fans have always derided him for not being “clutch” enough, for not winning it all, for not being a “real Yankee” like DiMaggio or Berra or Mantle or Jackson. But stat geeks have long argued that “clutch hitting” is all a matter of luck, and the postseason too small a sample size to judge, writes Allen Barra of the Wall Street Journal. More»

On average; there are some steals, and some outrages

(NEWSER) - Fans of winning baseball franchises pay for their bragging rights with more expensive beer, the Wall Street Journal reports. On average, a team that wins 6 out of 10 games charges $1.30 more for a 16-ounce beer than a club with a .400 winning percentage. There are, of course, exceptions, allowing for some great deals and some unconscionable gouging. More»

Viewership is soaring ahead of all-star game

(NEWSER) - After years of intermittent sniffling, Americans may finally be catching soccer fever, the Wall Street Journal reports: Some 4 million watched the US men’s team almost beat Brazil last month; some 2 million are likely to attend games featuring top European teams this summer; Seattle’s Major League Soccer team pulls in more attendees on average than its baseball team. More»

(NEWSER) - Sports fans love to grouse about athletes' salaries and bemoan the ever-rising prices of tickets, concessions, and merchandise. But “it isn’t some vague indefinable ‘they’ who pays the players,” writes Allen Barra for the Wall Street Journal. “It’s you, or rather, it’s us.” Owners set prices they think fans will pay, and "if you are willing to pay their prices that means they set the right prices after all." More»

Police called to HS game after fans turn unruly

(NEWSER) - A rowdy bunch of Iowa baseball fans weren't just taken out to the ball game, they were ejected from it, the Burlington Hawk Eye says. After a controversial play at a high school game in West Burlington, coaches from both teams argued with umpire Don Briggs, who gave the crowd a warning. When a fan yelled from the stands, Briggs ejected the entire crowd—and called the cops. More»