What Sports Are We Fans Of?

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alaskanpiper

Enabler in Chief
May 23, 2019
9,368
42,472
Alaska
Grew up playing hockey of course, and it’s still my best love, but I also enjoy watching american football, ncaa basketball, world cup soccer (football) on occasion, and really enjoy all olympic sports, particularly curling and snowboarding, both of which I also partook in for many years.
 

warren

Lifer
Sep 13, 2013
11,713
16,272
Foothills of the Chugach Range, AK
I pay no attention to the players' pregame social and political statements and antics. I tune after the anthem and such. And, I never have that problem with pro-rodeo, televised bowling, golf and other sports in which the participants are independent contractors. At least not yet.

Jerseys and the like are harmless manifestations of the "fanatic" fan. If you aren't one, you simply can't work up the enthusiasm to publicly declared your "love" for a team or a specific player. It's really no different than a Ford owner who can't be satisfied with the normal badges on the vehicle and as "FORD" in ten inch letters on rear window. Or wearing a jacket advertising "Deere". And, they're not even getting paid to do the advertising.

But, my Nikons have the name emblazoned on the viewfinder, I discarded the useless black and yellow strap though, So, I can't really throw stones. I could cover the ads with tape. I'm even a little disappointed my Merc doesn't have that vandal attracting star on the hood. And, the dealer gave me a jacket and three ball caps when I purchased my Deere.

So, different strokes I suppose!

Those youngsters wanting to see what F1 was like in the 50s and 60s should watch Grand Prix. Garner at his best and a decent movie.
 

May 2, 2020
4,664
23,771
Louisiana
If you're new to F1 and are enjoying it then you definitely need to check out some videos of the 1980's when it was really good.
Here's a documentary about the 1989 season when Prost & Senna went up against each other. 2 of the greatest drivers of all time in the same team. They really didn't like each other.
I still love watching F1 today but it isn't in the same league as the 1980's

Yep. Senna v Prost, Suzuka, ‘89. CRAZY ?

F1 has unfortunately turned into the Lewis Hamilton show, and frankly, I cannot stand the guy. Just my opinion, no disrespect if you’re a fan. The hybrid nonsense is B.S. The older engines sounded soooo much better, and they’ve reached an engineering threshold with the hybrid crap where the less-funded teams cannot really compete, and can barely even participate. Every year I keep hoping it’ll get better, and it doesn’t.

I still keep watching it though. ?‍♂️
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,409
7,328
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"The Isle of Man TT is insane! I've seen footage on YouTube of the bikes racing through the streets and it looks incredible."

Quite right. When me and a pal went circa 1987 there was an event called Mad Sunday when all races were off and the thousands of visitors could 'race' the course. Me on my Suzuki GS650 and my pal on his Kawasaki GPZ750 thought we were doing well until a pair of Suzuki GSX riders went sailing past us at lunatic speeds. Made us look like tortoises :oops:

Regards,

Jay.?
 
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timelord

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 30, 2017
949
1,966
Gallifrey
Once, a million years ago before all this Covid stuff, we watched a large Indian family play cricket at the local park. It did look interesting.
I'm somewhat reminded of a letter to the Guardian many years ago following BBC dropping Test Match Special from Radio 4 Long Wave. It was from an American gentlemen who said that when he first stayed in London a few years earlier he'd asked the hotel concierge what the would best way to find out more about cricket. He was told to listen to the programme.

He said he had never heard anything so bizarre in all his life; what with all the endless banter about home made cakes ( supplied to the commentary team by listeners) he said it also took him three days to realise that gasometers (and more importantly whether they were rising or falling) were absolutely nothing to do with the game.

From which anyone familiar with English grounds will immediately be aware he'd been listening to coverage of a game from the Oval; which is famous for the gasometers at one end (apparently they are now Grade II heritage listed buildings). Point being that although it is fascinating game there are quite lengthy periods - especially in the 5 day variant - in which not much really happens!
 
Jun 9, 2018
4,044
13,046
England
Yep. Senna v Prost, Suzuka, ‘89. CRAZY ?

F1 has unfortunately turned into the Lewis Hamilton show, and frankly, I cannot stand the guy. Just my opinion, no disrespect if you’re a fan. The hybrid nonsense is B.S. The older engines sounded soooo much better, and they’ve reached an engineering threshold with the hybrid crap where the less-funded teams cannot really compete, and can barely even participate. Every year I keep hoping it’ll get better, and it doesn’t.

I still keep watching it though. ?‍♂️

Even though he's my fellow countryman I'm not a Hamilton fan. Agree with you about the hybrid nonsense as well.
The drivers don't have as much character as people like Schumacher and Senna had. I can't imagine any of the current crop storming down the pit lane to fight another driver?.


 

indoeuro

Part of the Furniture Now
Jul 30, 2019
532
557
Central Texas
Due to the dearth of regular American sports programming here in the States, I've cured my itch by watching professional bowling, curling, disc golf, and Aussie rules football.
And it's been great.
Given the cultural moment we're in, I'm not sure I'll ever go back to watching the normal American professional sports.
 

anotherbob

Lifer
Mar 30, 2019
15,777
29,579
45
In the semi-rural NorthEastern USA
Never liked watching sports even when I was really into playing them. Soccer and Baseball mainly. I think I can track it back to when I was a little kid (five or six) and I saw a news story about the NFL draft and then asked my dad about it. He explained the military draft, so there was at least two years where I thought people where legally forced to play football, that kind of ruins it.
 

tomatamot

Part of the Furniture Now
May 26, 2020
634
6,187
EU
Due to the dearth of regular American sports programming here in the States, I've cured my itch by watching professional bowling, curling, disc golf, and Aussie rules football.
And it's been great.
Given the cultural moment we're in, I'm not sure I'll ever go back to watching the normal American professional sports.
Due to the dearth of regular American sports programming here in the States, I've cured my itch by watching professional bowling, curling, disc golf, and Aussie rules football.
And it's been great.
Given the cultural moment we're in, I'm not sure I'll ever go back to watching the normal American professional sports.

Yes, Aussie Rules, big fun. ?
 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
Baseball is the best sport.
The business of baseball sucks, but the game itself is the best.
Men of all sizes can play it.
The strategy is complex and the skills are various and difficult.
There’s no clock and the team that’s ahead can’t just sit on its lead, they have to give the other team all of its out.

The hardest thing in any sport is to hit a 99 mph fatsball followed by an 82 mile mph change up. The greaest hitter of all time was Teddy Ballgame Williams and it isn't close. Don't come with your Fat Ruth or Dimaggio or Bonds or anyone 5 years lost of his prime due to war. Last guy to hit.400. No one swung a prettier bat.

The greatest hockey player to ever lace them up was no 4 Bobby Orr. Orr could go end to end untouched and score goals. No one could rag the puck for 1-2 minutes on the shorthand and go untouched.

No one was or will ever be a +/- 132 in a season or even his second best 84. No defense man will touch his scoring records. Wayne Gretzky would have lasted 2 years in Orr's era he was too fragile and I love the great one. Mario Lemieux would have been able to play in Orr's era as he was a big boy and tough. Ovechkin cluld have played as could Messier, you had to be a tough guy. Best sniper in the game Mike Bossy.

The Goat Tom Brady, enough said.
The greatest winners in the history of sporst Bill Russell 11 rings, Sam Jones, 8 rings, John Havlicek, 8 rings.

MIchael Jordan was a punk. 6 lousy rings in an era where mugging your opponent was allowed. He won nothing in his prime until Celtics got old, then Lakers got old then Detroit got old then finally Utah with a 2 man team lets him win. Couldn't shoot the three, was a decent passer, great driver of the ball, great pull up jumper, great defender. Still a loser till all the real greats got old. Kareem, Magic Larry Legend, take em all before Jordan. and I know basket ball. Don't even go there with me and embarrass yourself.
Greatest unstoppable shoot in the game besides Kareems Skyhook? Elvin Hayes turnaround jumper off the glass. I had that shot from the left side and tortured people with it.

Boston is the greatest sports town and has had the best players in each sport and the rest of you are just jealous pikers. Now stick that in your pipe and smoke it.

Goddamn 27 Yankee titles, really burns my ass.
 

mingc

Lifer
Jun 20, 2019
3,990
11,101
The Big Rock Candy Mountains
Rugby union, especially of the Kiwi variety. Thank God for Super Rugby Aotearoa! I suspect that between the All-Blacks and their sound defeat of COVID-19 that the Kiwis are superior beings. Smart and mentally resilient.

Also very fond of roller derby, in its modern incarnation, a grass roots game run by volunteer enthusiasts and purists
 

lawdawg

Lifer
Aug 25, 2016
1,792
3,803
I've played several sports when I was younger, and I was a competitive soccer player on a local / regional club team as a teenager. However, I HATE sports fan culture. Dudes who yell at the TV, refer to the team as "we" and "us" as if they were athletes, puff up literally or metaphorically, and act competitive and aggressive about watching other people compete just annoy the crap out of me.

I'm all for competition, but watching sports on TV (or in person for that matter) is not a competitive or particularly masculine pursuit. Fans are just passive third party observers, and tossing a football in the back yard is more masculine that watching anything on TV. That said, I do enjoy watching combat sports (MMA as well as boxing) on occasion, and I've enjoyed watching my alma mater's teams compete as well, especially since a lot of my family went to the same state school and we can root for our old college's team together.

EDIT: just to be clear, I have no issue with dedicated sports fans at all. I understand how people get into it and can be passionate about it, especially teams from their local geographic area. It's just the behavior of the dudes who get all macho about their fandom that I object to.
 
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tomatamot

Part of the Furniture Now
May 26, 2020
634
6,187
EU
Rugby union, especially of the Kiwi variety. Thank God for Super Rugby Aotearoa! I suspect that between the All-Blacks and their sound defeat of COVID-19 that the Kiwis are superior beings. Smart and mentally resilient.

I`m every Saturday morning at SKY Action. ?
 
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americaman

Part of the Furniture Now
May 1, 2019
943
3,101
Los Angeles, CA
The greatest hockey player to ever lace them up was no 4 Bobby Orr. Orr could go end to end untouched and score goals. No one could rag the puck for 1-2 minutes on the shorthand and go untouched.

No one was or will ever be a +/- 132 in a season or even his second best 84. No defense man will touch his scoring records. Wayne Gretzky would have lasted 2 years in Orr's era he was too fragile and I love the great one. Mario Lemieux would have been able to play in Orr's era as he was a big boy and tough. Ovechkin cluld have played as could Messier, you had to be a tough guy. Best sniper in the game Mike Bossy.

Gretzky was barely touched because of Semenko and McSorely, but you're tripping as far as eras. I don't like or dislike Gretzky (after all, he played for Los Angeles, Anaheim's rival), but he played when the biggest, toughest guys in hockey played. The Big Bad Bruins and the Broad Street Bullies were small compared to the enforcers in the 80s-2000's. They had bench clearing brawls and such during Orr's time, but those guys were not trained fighters like they had during Gretzky's era.
 
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