Orel Miraculous said:
National TV ratings tell a story. They don't tell the whole story, or even the most important story, especially when you only look at one season, as your link does. For instance, here's a broader look at the national ratings for the World Series and the NBA finals:
So generally over the past 12 years the World Series has drawn a larger audience (and sometimes a much larger audience) than the NBA finals. The chart doesn't show the last 3 years, but I believe the NBA Finals has out-performed the World Series there, thanks to the pull of Lebron. Regardless, this hardly tells the whole story.
What about local TV ratings? Here are the top five local TV draws for the 2012-13 NBA season:
1. Oklahoma City 8.65
2. Miami 7.07
3. San Antonio 6.44
4. La Lakers 4.64
5. Utah Jazz 4.40
And here are the top five local TV draws for the 2013 MLB season:
1. Detroit 9.60
2. St. Lous 8.72
3. Pittsburgh 7.99
4. Cincinnati 7.70
5. Boston 7.30
So MLB stomps the NBA in local regular season ratings. The top 5 MLB audiences are all bigger than the audience for the Miami Heat, the defending champions and the team with the most famous athlete in America.
What are the 18-49 ratings? That's the only demo people care about (Grantland's demos might skew even younger). You made a valid argument that baseball is more popular on a regional level but Grantland is a national site.