C3PX said:
In an ideal world, none of us would feel the need to "escape" in some artificial way.

For me, baseball is much more than an artificial escape. It's an appreciation for, a sort of connection to, a skill I don't have. As well as a deep interest in a contest of differing strategies. It's also a connection to the history of the game. It's hard to explain to people who don't feel it.

Interesting that video games have come into the conversation because I feel about them the same way several people here feel about sports. I don't get the devotion or interest. Sitting in front of a computer monitor for hours seems as uninteresting to me as going to a baseball game would seem to some people.

Not to mention, sitting in front of your monitor playing a video game - you have to cook your own hot dogs. ;-)