It's all about the money, and conditioning of the public.
Sports have either room for commercials or they don't. The big three in the US do. That is why soccer and hockey will always be second tier sports in the US, with zero hope of reaching the first tier. What good are those breaks in the action when they're long enough for people to go for a walk? A quick dash to the fridge, that is all that should be permitted!
There is no way in the world that basketball is a more interesting sport than soccer, but you can certainly make it seem that way by exposing the public to a steady diet (of what a ref-interfered sport looks like). And baseball? More exciting than hockey??
