Which Sport has the Best Playoffs? It Depends.

The Stanley Cup is the best trophy in sports though

Basketball has the best playoffs by far! That is the answer I would give if I was ESPN during this debate that spawned a couple of days ago. It isn't' that simple though.

Everybody has their biases and that includes me and everybody else. Sports is and has always been about connections to teams and sports. People are more likely to be connected with sports if they played it themselves or if where they grew up influenced them.

So most die hard hockey fans have a background of people influencing them or playing it themselves. I myself grew up playing basketball almost everyday so I have an undying love for the sport. So of course I am going to always back up Basketball.

Where you grew up has a great influence as well. There is a reason that Soccer has not entered this
discussion in America. That would not be the case in any oversea country. So I'm sure people in Canada and the North East would vouch for the NHL Playoffs but most of the country would not.

The only sports that people nationally vouch for is Football and Basketball but it's probably has a lot to do with the fact that those two are the most American sports. Baseball has been declining for while despite it's Americanism because of many factors like the speed of the game, length of season, and small amount of playoff teams.

Society is a big influence on what we watch because people tend to have societal views that don't exactly make sense. People who like basketball but say they like college more than NBA basketball. I respect people's opinion but some of the arguments are false.

 If you say you like the college style of play then I understand. What you can't say is that the actual basketball being played is better. That is a false argument because all the NBA players where the best college players. So you enjoyed watching them perform in college but they somehow become worse in the pros?

Another false statement is poor defense in the NBA. People tend to look at points as an indicator. But that can be explained by longer games in the NBA, a shorter shot clock, better players and a faster pace. What people need to pay attention to is teams field goal shooting percentage against which is a real indicator of great defense.

People just like college basketball because March Madness is a sporting event on par with the Super
Bowl. It has nothing to do with play and most people who know the game of basketball understands that.

So this debate is more about societal views then about which sports are actually better. You can't tell which sport is better because each sport is different. There is certain aspects of each sports that makes them great. The unpredictability of the NHL or the high flying intense atmosphere of the NBA. The Brute force of NFL and the laid back nature of the MLB. It all is just a matter of what you prefer to watch. Everybody is deferent but let's all appreciate these sports for what they are.

If you care about my personal rankings I would probably go:

1. NBA
2. NFL
3. NHL
4. MLB

What I think most people would think based on sports ratings:

1. NFL
2. NBA
3. NHL
4. MLB

Let me know your rankings in the comments.