My dislike of most professional sports is something that I'm usually not shy about sharing. I can maybe appreciate them for city pride and revenue they bring to local businesses, but I can think of much better things to due with my time. And since, most of the commercials are already online or soon will be, there is no real reason for me to watch the Super Bowl today. Plus, I know I'm not alone in my views. Here's a list from cracked.com that pretty much tells reasons why. I've been a victim of #3 more then I care for.
http://www.cracked.com/article_19670_the-5-most-annoying-things-about-sports-to-non-sports-fans.html (http://www.cracked.com/article_19670_the-5-most-annoying-things-about-sports-to-non-sports-fans.html)
I won't watch the game and have no idea who's even playing. The only football I've seen this year was when a guest in the homes of others.
As much as I detest cracked.com and their stupid lists...I've got to confess that that one was pretty spot on.
I'll spend today working in the shop. It's rainy (and chilly), so I won't be at the boatyard, but I've got tons of woodwork and fiberglass work to do inside.
As the lists says....just about anything is more productive than sitting and watching a game for several hours. However, my bigger beef is not even with the game itself...it's all the hype. They game does not begin for six hours or so, but I'll be they are already showing coverage and yacking (nonsensically) about it...NOW.
Arg. What a waste....
One of the new phrases I've taken to is "activity breeds results." Sitting on my butt watching people TALK about playing a game is not "activity." My work (or even play) does not get done that way.
Peace out.
I'm a big fan of American football and baseball. I will watch hockey and basketball occasionally, but mostly only if Boston teams are in the playoffs. I already bought my cold cuts and fresh bread for today's game and am just about to start cooking my chili in the crock pot. The Super Bowl is the one annual sporting event I never miss no matter who is playing.
:tongueout: The only thing about football that ever interested me, was that Joe Namath was a lot better in "CC & Company" than that Bozweell character was in "Stone Cold". :tongueout:
I'll probably watch some of it. I'd be surprised if I make it to the end unless it's a close, exciting game. I'll either get bored or they'll start hitting me with so many commercial breaks I'll forget I'm even watching it and switch over to "How It's Made" or something.
Big fan of football (American...rest of the world football is Soccer). Will be watching.
I couldn't care less about football but yet I recently had a conversation with an old friend who was super excited about this and rattled on about it...it was like he couldn't believe it when I said I had no real interest in it myself - I did try watching it in the past as well as baseball and honestly was bored to tears and fell asleep. Honestly I don't care much for any sports aside from pro wrestling which is more entertainment than sport anyways and a little bit of NHL hockey then and again.
Quote from: JaseSF on February 05, 2012, 08:03:48 PM
I couldn't care less about football but yet I recently had a conversation with an old friend who was super excited about this and rattled on about it...it was like he couldn't believe it when I said I had no real interest in it myself - I did try watching it in the past as well as baseball and honestly was bored to tears and fell asleep. Honestly I don't care much for any sports aside from pro wrestling which is more entertainment than sport anyways and a little bit of NHL hockey then and again.
Me, I could drone on and on about NHL and WWE, so eh.
Baseball fan too, and attend several games per season on that front.
Super Bowl is in my blood. In my family, Super Bowl Sunday has always been treated as a holiday. Lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins gathering together and eating tons of food before and during the game. This year was a bit more low-key than some past years. It was just me, my wife, my mom, and my dad.
I never cared for football. Hockey I will watch...in person, and only if I'm with someone. At least my eyes are generally better at keeping up with the puck than the majority of cameras. But yeah, next time someone tries to get me into sports by trying to make me watch a game, I may have to threaten to either ramble on about art theory or drag them to a conceptual art exhibition under the guise of "getting them into art."
I used to watch pro sports back in the day. After realizing these folks get paid ridiculous amounts win or lose it really hit me as not worth watching.
For fun though I watched the game yesterday. It brought back memories of being stressed out while watching it. That will probably be enough to make me stop again.
I am a baseball nut. Always have been. I appreciate sports of all kinds, however, I just don't follow much other than baseball. The dumbs**t juvenile animalistic behavior that seems to accompany American football is quite annoying to me, which is why I tend not to follow it closely. Following it closely means I have to run into the behavior that I despise, but I have nothing against the sport. competitive sport has been around for millenia, so it is a part of the fabric of humanity, so I don't really put any energy into hating it.
I do find interesting, however, the way different sports are perceived by different cultures. Among the group of people locally in Arizona that participate in Irish traditional music sessions is a woman from Ireland who lives maybe a quarter of her life in Ireland and the rest here. She's quite a brilliant concertina player. The pub that she usually goes to for sessions has several flatscreens located throughout that are usually turned down during sessions, but still show sporting events, invariably American football during the season. I asked her between sets once if she followed American football at all. She said she didn't. She found the game boring when compared to soccer. That's interesting, because many Americans find soccer to be boring.
I guess it all depends what you have been exposed to, what you understand, and what you're inclined to. I find baseball infinitely more interesting than football, but many find it insanely boring. I don't worry about it too much. I consider myself extremely fortunate to be wired for baseball. 162 games a year to watch vs. 16 for football. I consider myself the winner in my book.
Wow, you mean there are other people besides me that ignore the Super Bowl? I thought I was the only one!! :teddyr:
...but seriously folks, I'll watch baseball and hockey occasionally but I've never been a football guy. So Super Bowl Sunday is just another day to me. Last night my wife watched the game while I went upstairs and watched "Thor." Geez, I'm a geek.
I watched it like I do every year.. but man, I could do without the commercials pretty much. They were really bad this year.
I like football but since the Dallas Cowboys weren't in it I didn't care. :thumbdown:
Quote from: FatFreddysCat on February 06, 2012, 01:56:03 PM
Last night my wife watched the game while I went upstairs and watched "Thor." Geez, I'm a geek.
I spent it taking notes and writing the rough draft for a review of
BloodRayne 2: Deliverance
I really can't stand the sport, and didn't even think about it. Lol. Hand-egg.
Go Dolphins!
I spent most of the time hanging out with a couple friends. We played a little Super Nintendo and 360, watched a zombie film (Rammbok), and a few episodes of TV shows. Good times. :thumbup:
Better than the Super Bowl anyway.
Seems weird to be one of the few (apparently) fans of sports here.
I understand that, somewhat. I'm not a fan of the exhorbitantly high prices they get paid, 'for playing a game', but, they have to play and practice hard. And the emotion alone involved is so great and overwhelming.
I broke down and cried in 2008 when the Phillies won the World Series. The last time they won that championship was before I was born, and the last time ANY sports title had been won in Philly was in '83, the NBA title with the Sixers (also before I was born).
As a lifelong baseball fan who'd attended numerous games as a youth, teen, an now in my 20s, it was amazing.
I'd love if the Eagles were in it, but, regardless, I watch the Bowl every year.
I'm a pretty big baseball fan...I love the game. I don't watch it though.
I love to PLAY baseball/softball.
I also enjoy going to games, but have spent far more time at minor league games than major.
Football and the Super Bowl is on a whole other plane from all these other sports mentioned....the fanaticism gets beyond reasonable.
I actually watched the whole game, including the halftime show LOL. At least it was close and went right down to the end. I guess the main attraction for me is that it's the last football game of the year, so watch it now because there won't be another one until August.
QuoteI also enjoy going to games, but have spent far more time at minor league games than major.
ulthar,
I LOVE minor league baseball. Well, I love MLB too, that's beside the point, but there's just something much more old school "baseball" about the minors. Well, that and you don't have to pay $15 just for the nosebleeds. I used to live in Norfolk, Virginia when I was in the Navy. They don't have a major sports team of any kind, but plenty of AAA type stuff. I used to go watch the Norfolk Tides. They are the AAA farm team for the Mets. They weren't a great team the year I was there, usually 3rd or 4th in their division, but I didn't care. I could go and pay $9 for a game, but usually I would just pay the extra $3 and get the good seats. The people going to the games were always very cool. I'd just go to the park, take in a game and a beer or two, maybe some refreshments, and always go home satisfied with the experience.
Quote from: Flick James on February 07, 2012, 09:37:00 AM
ulthar,
I LOVE minor league baseball. Well, I love MLB too, that's beside the point, but there's just something much more old school "baseball" about the minors. Well, that and you don't have to pay $15 just for the nosebleeds. I used to live in Norfolk, Virginia when I was in the Navy. They don't have a major sports team of any kind, but plenty of AAA type stuff. I used to go watch the Norfolk Tides. They are the AAA farm team for the Mets. They weren't a great team the year I was there, usually 3rd or 4th in their division, but I didn't care. I could go and pay $9 for a game, but usually I would just pay the extra $3 and get the good seats. The people going to the games were always very cool. I'd just go to the park, take in a game and a beer or two, maybe some refreshments, and always go home satisfied with the experience.
Oh man, what memories of the Durham Bulls in the OLD park (the one shown in the movie). That was so much fun...being simply a ball field downtown, there was ZERO parking...so, you parked in (closed) business lots and people's driveways (with their permission) and such and walk to the park.
The "atmosphere" was tremendous - it was a GREAT evening out for young and old.
I almost cried when I learned they were building the Bulls a concrete and glass "stadium." I'm dating myself. :wink:
Now, I've managed to miss seeing the Kinston Indians, as 2011 was their last year in Kinston. Another "staple" of sports history gone...or at least "changed."
My wife's nephew came to visit a few years ago, and we took him to a Minor League game in the town we were in at the time. At 14, he'd never been to a baseball game at all. I caught a foul ball for him and gave it to him, and his face lit up...he thought it was something else. Don't know if he still has the ball...
I watch baseball on occaision, ut thats all my TV sports. I like most live sports. What amazes me about the Superbowl and similar (and World Cup to be fair)... is the sheer amount of time effort and money spent by parties on an activity that will have no possible practical impact on the lives of the millions of people watching it.
The second thing is that so much of the focus is on commercials. It is amazing, truly amazing.
-Ed
Quote from: HappyGilmore on February 06, 2012, 08:25:09 PM
I understand that, somewhat. I'm not a fan of the exhorbitantly high prices they get paid, 'for playing a game', but, they have to play and practice hard.
Professional sports are part of the entertainment industry. I think a lot of people forget that. Athletes are paid for providing entertainment and bringing in revenues from ticket sales, television broadcasts, concessions, and other revenue streams. If you compare how much money they make to how much actors, musicians, and other entertainers make . . . and then factor in that athletes are much more prone to serious injuries than other entertainers . . . suddenly, they don't seem to be quite as overpaid as people think they are. For instance, take a look at Dennis Byrd who ended up with a broken vertebra from "playing a game," and never played football again. I don't think George Clooney or Bono face the same risks. They get paid pretty well for playing dress-up and singing.
I gotta go on record, though, that my 'playing a game' wasn't my opinion. It's one I've read on here and other forums.
Bono sucks though.
Quote from: HappyGilmore on February 07, 2012, 07:14:55 PM
I gotta go on record, though, that my 'playing a game' wasn't my opinion. It's one I've read on here and other forums.
Bono sucks though.
I agree wholeheartedly with Burgo's message. But I understood that you were mostly echoing some common sentiments, not necessarily making a personal statement.
For my two cents on the subject which Burgo is broaching, I've always been fascinated by the complaint of joe schmoe that says celebrities/athletes/etc. make too much money. What they never say is how much money they are supposed to make. If they are over-compensated, then what exactly would be appropriate compensation? They never say.
Quote from: Flick James on February 07, 2012, 07:43:53 PM
For my two cents on the subject which Burgo is broaching, I've always been fascinated by the complaint of joe schmoe that says celebrities/athletes/etc. make too much money. What they never say is how much money they are supposed to make. If they are over-compensated, then what exactly would be appropriate compensation? They never say.
Or even better, make the statement while standing there in a Carolina Panthers (or whatever) jersey.
People like to complain about anyone that makes more money than them...no matter what the job or the reason. It's the offspring of the "have vs have-not" culture we have created. Thanks, Karl!
woulda been better if there were Parkour elements thrown in as a way to liven things up a bit.
Quote from: ulthar on February 07, 2012, 07:47:09 PM
Quote from: Flick James on February 07, 2012, 07:43:53 PM
For my two cents on the subject which Burgo is broaching, I've always been fascinated by the complaint of joe schmoe that says celebrities/athletes/etc. make too much money. What they never say is how much money they are supposed to make. If they are over-compensated, then what exactly would be appropriate compensation? They never say.
Or even better, make the statement while standing there in a Carolina Panthers (or whatever) jersey.
People like to complain about anyone that makes more money than them...no matter what the job or the reason. It's the offspring of the "have vs have-not" culture we have created. Thanks, Karl!
Without trying to hijack the thread, ulthar, I will simply say, agreed.
I don't like pro sports. Or amatuer sports. Or sports.
Except this one....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytjkef2ZhA4
Quote from: RCMerchant on February 09, 2012, 05:03:34 AM
I don't like pro sports. Or amatuer sports. Or sports.
Hi, RC: I was wondering where you'd got to. :teddyr:
Quote from: Trevor on February 09, 2012, 05:12:38 AM
Quote from: RCMerchant on February 09, 2012, 05:03:34 AM
I don't like pro sports. Or amatuer sports. Or sports.
Hi, RC: I was wondering where you'd got to. :teddyr:
My computer crashed...big time! I got my tax refund-bought a new one. :smile:
Quote from: RCMerchant on February 09, 2012, 06:20:41 AM
Quote from: Trevor on February 09, 2012, 05:12:38 AM
Quote from: RCMerchant on February 09, 2012, 05:03:34 AM
I don't like pro sports. Or amatuer sports. Or sports.
Hi, RC: I was wondering where you'd got to. :teddyr:
My computer crashed...big time! I got my tax refund-bought a new one. :smile:
Good to have you back ~ please send me your old one: it might work better than the POS I have at home now. :buggedout: :wink:
Quote from: Trevor on February 09, 2012, 06:31:31 AM
Quote from: RCMerchant on February 09, 2012, 06:20:41 AM
Quote from: Trevor on February 09, 2012, 05:12:38 AM
Quote from: RCMerchant on February 09, 2012, 05:03:34 AM
I don't like pro sports. Or amatuer sports. Or sports.
Hi, RC: I was wondering where you'd got to. :teddyr:
My computer crashed...big time! I got my tax refund-bought a new one. :smile:
Trust me-the only thing it's good for now is a doorstop.
Good to have you back ~ please send me your old one: it might work better than the POS I have at home now. :buggedout: :wink:
This has slowly become a sports thread. We've gone off the bowl and started with baseball, hockey, etc.
Me, I just follow the 'big 4' of the US: Football, Hockey, Baseball and Basketball.
Beyond that, I follow the stuff of the X Games: Skateboarding, blading, bmx, etc.
Don't know much in way of NASCAR, soccer, etc.