But you don’t ever hear about college baseball, hockey, etc.
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Tribalism is powerful, it creates an us vs them mentality which drives viewership. And therefore $$$.
Besides the fact that they’re the most popular sports: College football and basketball are nearby ubiquitous across major schools in every state, including places where pro teams are otherwise far away. And more generally about college sports: maybe you paid money to go to a school that has a good team and had some first-hand experiences as a student going to those games for cheap student prices — something that increases your personal investment in their success.
Media then mostly just covers things people are interested in. Advertising dollars and big contracts follows what people are interested in, too.
If people were as interested in baseball/softball as football, media would cover that a lot more because those also are common sports across major colleges.
Because pro baseball has way more games. The MLB season has 162 games for each team, The NFL has 17. pro baseball games are also way cheaper and easier to get tickets to, so much more accessible.
Simile answer: money. Colleges make millions every season from their athletic departments. In some cases, way more than they earn from student tuition. So they promote it like crazy and often try to create bitter rivalries.
Pro sport leagues have around 30 teams for each sport.
College sports have more teams for each sport
More teams = more games = more athletes= a lot to cover = big 💰
College sports can have direct ties too. If your grandpa went to the University of Michigan, then the family galvanizes behind the school.
Pro sports can only thrive in big cities, College teams can thrive in much smaller cities/areas.
When Lincoln Nebraska holds a football game, the entire state is there for it! (Exaggerating slightly)
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