Why do you think there's a lack of sports cartoons?

I really love sports movies and a good underdog story but I don't think that this is something that lends it's self well to the serial nature of a cartoon series. The ones that I can think of were usually shows of a specific genre that just used the sport as a gimmick.
 
It's both surprising and not surprising. Surprising in the sense that sports are VERY popular in America, especially among adults. Logic would say that if sports are popular, one could make a show around it to get kids hooked early on in life, thus getting more sports fans (and further thus, more money for the sports franchise in question).

It's not surprising in the sense that sports shows, by their very nature, tend to be serialized. Yes, every episode could focus on a different match, but in a larger sense, the team is working towards a goal. There's no reset button at the end of every outing. Serialized animated TV shows are a rarity in the U.S. And genres outside action and comedy are even rarer. Not saying it's fair; I'd like to see some more diversity too, but that's just the way it is right now.

Adding onto that, it's not like the sports genre doesn't exist in the U.S.. It just happens in live action. Whether this is a bias against animation or a fear of oversaturation of the genre or just simply sticking to traditional ways of doing things (or all three), that's unclear. But that's just how it is. Americans have watched live action sports films/movies for years and it will take a real breakthrough show to get people interested in the animated side.
 
Rocket Power kind of counts as a sport cartoon, considering that they played a variety of sports from Skating, Hockey, and Surfing as examples.

But as for the lack, can't really think of why we lack them. Hell, I wasn't a big fan of football until I read Eyeshield 21, it actually helped with me getting into football, and I can see that happening to anyone else as well. Though I do wonder how it would play out if the states did make sport cartoons as well. Really, I think the lack of sports cartoons might have to come from how people see animation as a window of escape from the world of sports.
 
I'm surprised there aren't more sports cartoons in the U.S., because even as someone who isn't into sports, I recognize they do have some storytelling potential.

One of my favorite episodes of Tiny Toons was the one where Acme Looniversity has to win their last football game of the season in order not to have a completely lost season, and Plucky considers throwing the game to their rivals, Perfecto Prep. I don't know why, it just was.
 
One thing I've noticed from reading Eyeshield 21 and Captain Tsubasa is that, compared to say kids sport movies or cartoon involving sports (or races like Wacky Race), the opponent are rarely played as villainous. The opposing team is not just a bunch of faceless mooks. They usually have equals to the protagonist and develop rivalries as the game goes on, they are depicted as driven, talented and most of the time end up just as sympathetic and worthy of victory as the heroes. They also never, or at least rarely, outright cheat!

In other words its not so much of 'good guys should win!' situation as it is 'who is most talented and driven deserves the victory'.
 
On a related note, have there been any successful sports comics in America? I know that the UK had a few (Roy of the Rovers is probably the best-known)

Speaking of which... do you think international markets might play a part? If a US studio made a cartoon about baseball or American football, it wouldn't really appeal to countries where those games aren't played (I don't believe Everybody's Hero got a theatrical release in the UK, and I haven't even seen it on DVD). Conversely, a British cartoon about soccer or cricket wouldn't sell in the States.

In fact, I don't think anybody anywhere would want to watch a cartoon about cricket, but my point still stands.
 
It's because sports in America are about personalities, teams and licenses. Kids in America wouldn't respond to a cartoon about a sports team or sports figure unless it was about a real sports team and sports figure, and then when you do that it becomes a licensed cartoon with all the attendant pitfalls and limitations. Prostars, basically.
 
American kids do. Or at least they need the verisimilitude that comes from having actual NFL, NBA, NHL or other teams and players featured in the cartoon. You can't just throw a fake football league out there with made up teams.
 
The problem with Rocket Power was the characters were way too good for anyone to care. They were always going to win. Eyeshield was a fun series that I really need to finish up.

The most-recent sports-related cartoon in the US I could even think of outside of Power was this one.

Clearly it did not last :sweat:
 
Yeah, I kind of didn't like how they were able to go toe-to-toe with Tony Hawk back in his prime. I mean those kids weren't even teens yet, and they were able to hold their ground against Tony Hawk. I can understand them beating other kids in any other sport they played, but when your able to skate like pro-skater without anything to hinder him, something doesn't add up.
 
I was about to ask for that cartoon. Yes I remember it around.. 1994.

I also recall another cartoon about some Kangaroos that played basketball.
 
I think so., since it's the only one with those kind of animals as Basketball stars. I saw it spanish dubbed here in Puerto Rico a couple of years ago.. so most probably made it to Mexico.
 
I never cared for soccer but I always enjoyed watching Captain Tsubasa as a kid; same with Slam Dunk.

There was the Mutant League cartoon based on a videogame but its Football, I enjoyed it whenever I caught it on TV. And somewhat sports related There was one episode of Izzy the olympic mascot of the 96 Olympics. And while there are not a lot of cartoons about sports there are plenty of sport episodes on cartoons. I guess they figure there is only enough plot for one episode.
 
That's one of the few sports cartoons I can think of that are actually about a sport, football in this case (or Soccer to Americans), instead of having elements of the sport in an action show, ProStars and Mighty Ducks for example.

Another racing cartoon that hasn't been mentioned yet is Oban Star Racers which was all about the race and the characters participating.

I think the key thing here is not if audiences would be willing to watch a Sports cartoon but if network executives would think it would sell. Considering there's only been a handful of western examples that are pretty obscure and a load of Eastern examples that sell pretty well it does say that anyone trying to launch a Western sports cartoon is going to have a hard time selling it.
 
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