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Historically, during the early 2000s, baseball’s World Series often outperformed the NBA Finals in viewership. However, with the rise of stars like LeBron James and Steph Curry, the NBA surged in popularity through the 2010s, often surpassing baseball. This trend continued until the 2020s, where recent data reveals a reversal: the World Series now consistently outdraws the NBA Finals by an average of 1.5 million viewers over the past two seasons.
This flip signifies that baseball might be experiencing a renaissance, potentially fueled by several factors, including the game’s enhanced pace and quality, star power, and the style of play which now caters more to modern audiences.