Games move at a snail's pace.

The season takes too long.

Some of the greats have admitted to cheating.

And the Braves haven't won a World Series in 17 years.

There's plenty of reasons why I've given up on baseball, the sport I loved as a kid. A peek at recent television ratings reveals America has, too. Football is the moneymaker and for good reason.

Has a late-inning home run ever been as scintillating as a fourth-quarter goal line stand? Is Justin Verlander's sinking fastball more impressive than a touchdown pass thrown with precision? Whose presser would you rather watch, Joe Torre or Steve Spurrier?

Baseball is boring.

Strengthened this season by the wild-card travesty in Atlanta, the all-star game MVP's admittance to performance enhancers and the media's infatuation with sabermetrics, the game is no longer viewer — especially fan — friendly.

During Sunday's slate of games showcased by Peyton Manning's head-to-head tilt with Tom Brady, nearly four times as many viewers chose regular-season, Week 5 football over playoff baseball. Sixteen million fans tuned in for San Diego's trip to New Orleans on NBC, a battle of two underachieving teams. Sure, Drew Brees was gunning for Johnny Unitas' consecutive games with a touchdown pass record, but is that really why we were glued to Phillip Rivers against the hapless Saints?

I'd rather not sit through three hours of baseball without a shred of excitement when the NFL is showcased on the next channel. The NFL's popularity is unmatched. Give me the 49ers and the Bengals in a slugfest over San Francisco at Cincinnati on the diamond any day of the week.

Feed me the highlights. That will do.

The Harris Poll conducted a survey a few days after the replacement referee's infamous ruling on MNF in Seattle last month and the results were staggering: 59 percent of Americans say they follow a football team. A direct result in a rise of fantasy football in recent years perhaps, but MLB also has its share of friendly, stat-based games.

Believe me, if Nick Swisher wasn't in my starting lineup, I couldn't care less what he did against the Blue Jays.

Maybe it's the level of passion, something you can feel on the sideline, in the stands or on your couch watching a football game. Football fans go berserk, especially at the college level, even without the alcohol. Upsets happen and when they do, networks and viewers go bonkers.

Is there anything comparable to an underdog in baseball? Even teams in smaller markets with a pint-sized payroll have quality players, but we don't care to see a ninth-inning at-bat when Utah State has a fourth-and-goal at the Notre Dame 3 in South Bend.

On a smaller scale in the southeast, to put it bluntly, baseball is down because football is up. Larry Fedora has brought an exciting brand of offense to Chapel Hill, N.C. State's contingent is rejuvenated after a last-second win over third-ranked Florida State and two rivals from the Palmetto State are considered amongst the game's elite in their respective conferences.

Then there's Pete Shinnick's Braves in Pembroke, a team on a five-game winning streak that vaulted into the Top 25 on Monday. By the way, UNCP is back at home Saturday. Still care about that AL divisional round playoff series?

I'm sure I've "touched 'em all" with baseball purists, but football is America's new favorite sport and it's easy to see why.