Baseball and softball IMO is Americas sport, probably more kids play these sports that the others combined, the fields around our area are packed all summer with kids playing BB and SB.
I have not watched an Olympic event this Olympics, because I watched due to baseball and softball. I watched other events while waiting for baseball and softball to come on so now I have no reason to watch any of them.
I understand that they were having problems filling the stands for different events for this Olympics and had to get workers and give free tickets and position cameras to make it look like the stands were full of spectators.
Everything I have ever read indicates that basketball is the favorite sport among American kids, and by a comfortable margin.
A lot of the empty seats at the Olympics have been attributed to the number of VIP and sponsor tickets given out, not to lack of interest from everyday fans. You're missing a lot of great stuff by not watching.