by Colby Cannon

Created on: August 06, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Professional sports have been popular in the United States for over 100 years, but there are signs that their overall popularity is in decline. It is possible that, years from now, the professional sports leagues in the United States will cease to exist.

Professional sporting events gained popularity during the 20th century due to lifestyle changes in America. People moved to cities and got industrial jobs that required them to work 40-hour weeks, meaning that, for the first time, Americans had time when they weren't at work. Americans had leisure time.

Baseball was an excellent filler of this leisure time. Coming together in large masses and uniting behind a common team was a fulfilling pastime, and as the population increased, and the number of cities increased, the number of teams also increased. Eventually, it led to the modern sporting leagues like Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA. All of these leagues are popular, with high attendance numbers and sprawling television and internet coverage. Sports have become ingrained in society. They are a part of the American way of life.

However, there are warning signs that sports may be in decline. In recent years, television ratings have fallen to record-lows for the NBA, and Major League Baseball's ratings are less than they were in the 1990s. Even the NFL, the healthiest of all leagues, has had problems keeping the TV ratings at a level mark, much less increasing them. It is often blamed on the proliferation of cable TV, and yes, with 150+ channels showing non-sports programming, it is easy to see how TV viewers would be drawn away.

It is not only television ratings, though, that prove ominous for sports leagues. Scandals are seemingly everywhere, from Michael Vick in the NFL to Tim Donaghy in the NBA, and steroids in baseball. These are all serious blows to the integrity of the respective sports, and once the fans' faith in the game is lessened, it's very hard to win them back.

The biggest threat, however, to American sports leagues is the internet. Much like how cable TV has cut the television ratings of sports, the proliferation of internet access and options will take up more Americans' leisure time, leaving fewer and fewer sports fans. With the endless options for social networking, online gameplay, and citizen journalism, less and less Americans will be making their way to stadiums, and more and more will be sitting in their living rooms facing the monitor. People will still care about sports, but with ESPN.com just a click away (and free) people will stay updated without contributing one cent to sports leagues' revenue.

The end of the American sports leagues is not here now, but it is on the horizon. So to all those sports junkies out there, you had better make your way to the stadiums today, for there will come a day when it will be no longer an option.

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