Favorite Sports

[duke o' york]

Well no-one uses H-backs these days, and an amateur side will see it as a man lost, rather than gained. I could be a kicker (was always first pick at rugby at school because I could easily make conversions), but that's not a real position!

[Maquiladora]

1. Football (English Premier League and internationals mainly)
2. Cricket (International only, but don't get to watch it at all these days)

[Lord Avalon]

I don't watch as much sports as I used to. (American) Football I watch other teams besides my favorite, other sports usually just my favorite.

NFL - watch many teams besides my favorite (Miami Dolphins).
College Football - watch a few other teams besides my favorite (U-M Wolverines)

NHL - Detroit Red Wings
College Basketball (Wolverines - rising interest)
NBA (Detroit Pistons - falling interest - ye gods, the Pistons' season went into the crapper, so not much to post about )

MMA (UFC primarily, occasionally WEC)

College Hockey (Wolverines - usually tournaments and some late-season games)

World Cup Soccer
Olympics (not as many sports as I used to)

Other soccer - I've watched the US Women's National Team more than Men's. When there was a women's league, I caught a few games. Don't really watch MLS.

Boxing - used to watch a lot, now just some of what HBO shows

Damn, I miss Aussie Rules Football! Way back when I was in college, former network PASS would show it. I didn't know what it was, but all the strange things caught my eye - a really large field, running around with the ball - like a rugby ball but larger - and occasionally dribbling it , passing the ball with an underhanded punch, free kicks (didn't know how they got called), and those judges in long white coats making one- or two-handed pointing gestures. Eventually, they went to just showing highlights, and then I didn't see it anywhere. (I never had any sports channels that I'd have to pay extra for.)

[flash9286]

NFL
Golf
Tennis
And a little MLB when I'm really bored.

I've recently started watching some hockey, because the Hurricanes are in the playoffs, but I don't know if I will keep watching after they go out. Plus because of the camera angles I can never see what is going on when they go to the left boards and that bugs me.

[-Jrabbit]

I don't think it's any coincidence that ice hockey suffers the more than any sport in translating the excitement (and the location of the damned puck) when televised.

[Imran Siddiqui]

1) MLB
2) College Football
3) NFL
4) Soccer (Mostly just World Cup, EPL, and MLS)
(medium sized drop)
5) NHL
(big drop)
6) College basketball
7) NBA

[Solomwi]

1) College football
2) NFL
3) EPL
4) Royal Shrovetide Football
5) MLB
6) PGA
7) Boxing
8) NHL

Can't think of any others worth speaking of.

[OzzyKP]

I don't think it's any coincidence that ice hockey suffers the more than any sport in translating the excitement (and the location of the damned puck) when televised.

Correction: hockey is just as boring in person as on TV.

[Berzerker]

golf - no greater challenge for the mind and body
baseball - good team sport, but relies too much on pitching - I pitched in school
basketball - much better team sport, but years of playing it on concrete ruined my knees
foosball - I had some friends back in LA who were world class players and I loved playing goalie on mothers little helper against them
ping pong - great for hand eye coordination
football - played it in HS but never really liked it much, helmet and pads ruined it for me
soccer - sucks, run there, now run over there, keep running (oh ya, sports we like)

Golf - ya, I like watching it (my other hobby is watching overly romantic pandas)
I love baseball but dont really like watching it much unless it has fantasy relevance
Football - my fave on TV, no doubt
basketball - college, okay. But not the pros... the players are the best overall athletes in the world imo, but I'm just not into the strategy of the game.
hockey - dont care much for the fighting sports

[Tuberski]

Boxing - used to watch a lot, now just some of what HBO shows.

I watch it on Showtime also, but other than that boxing isn't worth watching.

Damn, I miss Aussie Rules Football! Way back when I was in college, former network PASS would show it. I didn't know what it was, but all the strange things caught my eye - a really large field, running around with the ball - like a rugby ball but larger - and occasionally dribbling it , passing the ball with an underhanded punch, free kicks (didn't know how they got called), and those judges in long white coats making one- or two-handed pointing gestures. Eventually, they went to just showing highlights, and then I didn't see it anywhere. (I never had any sports channels that I'd have to pay extra for.)

They got free kicks when a kick is caught, which is why you saw them jumping up for the ball so often.

I used to love Aussie rules, but I never see it anymore either, and I have most sports packages.

ACK!

[-Jrabbit]

On further review, I actually enjoy watching March Madness more than the pro game, probably because there's such a human and emotional element of kids on a really big stage for the first time. Cool stuff tends to happen.

I noticed that I've gotten a lot better at tracking the puck after watching more Blackhawks hockey this year (home games now televised! and they don't suck!). It seems that, mostly, it's where it has to be for the picture to make sense. But I still miss a lot of goals in those tight rebound scrambles areound the crease.

BTW -- I'm very pleased to see that no one has mentioned pro wrestling.

[SlowwHand]

Favorite SPORT. Anyone saying pro wrestling needs to do some studying on the definition of sport vs. theatrics.

[Asher]

The important thing when watching hockey is to NOT watch the puck directly. It's far more important to watch the players than the puck. It doesn't take too long to pick up the visual cues to see who has the puck by how they respond to it than to try to find the black puck, especially on a standard def TV. That's probably why it's easier to follow it once you see more of the game, because the positioning and actions of the players provides the context for determining the location of the puck.

Following the location of the puck directly is both challenging and boring, and it gets rid of some of the more interesting aspects of the game (the positioning). It's a very elegant game when you start to be able to keep track of all of the players on the screen without concentrating on any one element.

The replays are when you follow the puck.

[Asher]

Correction: hockey is just as boring in person as on TV.

Anyone who calls hockey boring must be some kind of retarded. It's fast, physical, and intense.

The only people who call it boring are just not capable of understanding the game, or are simply stupid.

[Ming]

Now now Asher... no need to throw the insults around. Different strokes for different folks. Some people just don't enjoy hockey.

I learned to love hockey by watching it in person. I found it harder to like it on TV because the camera man and I don't agree on what's important to see

HD TV does indeed help. But it's really up to the camera angle. Hockey is so much better in person... when you can feel the players hitting the boards... feel the checks...

It's a great game.