28 of the 30 MLB teams played on Thursday, March 27 for their season opener. The Cubs and Dodgers already started play a few days prior in the Tokyo Dome for the Tokyo series, but they continued play during opening day.
That same day for March Madness, BYU played Alabama, Maryland played Florida, Texas Tech and Arkansas played, along with Arizona playing Duke.
“I am more inclined to watch MLB since I love baseball and the Braves and don’t have a dog in the fight, but I will watch the final 4 and national championship games when they play,” said Chandler Phillips, a junior at Samford.
For baseball fans, the thrill of their favorite team playing again brings fondness of summer memories which makes watching “America’s favorite pastime” an exciting afternoon. But for most sports fans, their hearts are still hooked on March Madness and seeing their bracket to completion.
Although no brackets remain perfect this season, viewers are still engrossed in the madness of march, biting their nails at every game. The thrill of wondering who will win the NCAA tournament outweighs the excitement of watching the season opener for the MLB.
When given the choice of watching the MLB or March Madness, most people end up choosing March Madness.
There seems to be a freshness of watching college sports; they are more intense and feel more stripped of the professionalism that engulfs pro-sports.
According to the MLB, about 1.5 million viewers tune in for opening day while Yahoo Sports reported 9.4 million viewers on average for March Madness in 2025.
College basketball has captured viewers’ hearts and has captured their attention during the winter season.
“I would prefer to watch March madness because it’s more entertaining and it’s interactive since I enjoy making brackets,” said Berkleigh Sission, a sophomore at Samford.
Between making a bracket and the excitement of basketball truly being anyone’s game, more people have decided to flip the channel between dribbles than pitches.
Staff Writer
