I don't know what is wrong, other than the fact that the eagles are an NFL team, and the flyers an NHL team...... please explain this to me....
OK - you got me there. I agree. For a live game, the only thing I go to anymore are soccer games and maybe one or two college football games a year. Haven't been to a baseball game in three years and don't miss it in the least. Never did go to NFL games live - that is only a TV sport for me, so the VCR/TiVo trick works just fine for NFL or the college games I do not attend. Even ice hockey, which I love so much that I keep playing in an adult league long after sane people my age have given it up, I can't really watch much anymore. Or, if I do (as someone else suggested) its while I am reading the paper or a book.
if you don't have other interesting things to turn to during commercial breaks of a NFL or college football game, it's impossible to sit through the tedium. the only team i can sit through are my chargers, and even then i have to be reading the sunday newspaper or something just to keep myself going. the world is run by commercials. who woulda thunk it?
I guess I'm different in lots of ways from the rest of the people here, for instance playing football in High School instead of soccer. But for me, I always watch any sport. Hockey, football, soccer, baseball, basketball, it's all the same. If one of my teams is playing, then I will watch it with a great degree of intensity. Take this last weekend for example. I watched my school, the Iowa Hawkeyes play Miami of Ohio. I watched the whole game, and had to do something to channel my hyperactivity waiting for the game to start back up again at halftime. This game was different, since it was just a regional TV game, there were far fewer TV timeouts (I believe hardly any) I do the same thing for soccer when the Fire or the US Nats play. It's the same for the Green Bay Packers, as I can stay riveted for the entire game despite the stoppages. In fact, if there was one team I'd say is number one, it's them, not the Fire. Basketball, if either the Bucks or Hawkeyes are on, I'll be glued. For any other teams playing, it's only mildly interesting. For instance, I watched the CL final since I didn't have anything else to do that afternoon, but I wasn't strongly into it. I'll watch a game on TV like Houston vs. Dallas, but I won't be into it very much, because my teams aren't playing. I guess for me, I'm an equal opportunity sports fan, and having MLS just adds to it.
first of all, great reading...great thread.... here's my take... as a kid i always went to cosmos games...and when that went away...i joined my friends and watched whatever was on...keeping my eyes and ears tuned during world cups. living in the ny area...i use to like the giants and the dolphins...dolphins were my favorite...i still have a dan marino authentic jersey.....i also like the braves...and watched them while studying during law school....as someone posted, baseball lets you do that (my x was also from atlanta, not that that had anything to do with it ).... ever since mls, i could give a rats arse about any other sport...actually it started a little earlier than that when i got dish network and was finally able to see some great games on fox sports world espanol.... then you people know the drill, fox sports world, mls shootout, etc... what's weird is i've kind of become anti - every other sport because of of the anti soccer sentiment displayed by the media.... i'm used to it, but if i had to choose between 2 products and one had an nfl logo on it, i'd buy the other....vice versa for an mls sponsor..... i follow two teams religiously, the USMNT and the MetroStars...i try and catch some of the big EPL matches when i can or some of the italian games if there's nothing to do....but to be honest, between living and following the US and the MetroStars, i have absolutely no time....for god's sake...its 11:20pm and i'm typing on bigsoccer. btw...i think its impossible for someone to be a die hard fan of more than one team....some people are die hard knicks, rangers, giants, yankee fans....how is that possible? .....following the metros drains me as it is....
There's also an issue of how much time you want to devote to sports though. Before I started watching soccer in high school, I was an avid follower of the big three via television and reading the newspaper, even thought at 12 that I'd figured them all out and where their greatest strengths were (NFL was best for watching on TV, baseball was best live, and basketball was best played). But as soccer became more prominent in my life, the time spent paying attention to the others dropped off. While yes I dont find them as interesting as I used too, another issue is that well there is only so much time I can devote to sports in my life. I follow soccer, in all its forms, deeply and passionately, be it watching, attending live matches, or playing. There's no time for anything else really when it comes to sports, for I'm also a full-time student, but my other major interest is music. Not just one genre ("specific sport" I guess we can compare it too), but all types. And not just listening to different types of music, but studying music, playing in bands, jamming with people, etc. Not to mention numerous other interests and activities that I partake in. So basically the sporting pie in my life has been given to soccer, there isn't much time for any other sports, which my interest in borders on nil pretty much anyway now; not that there is anything wrong with anyone who does devote time to several sports. My second fave is basketball and I'll occasionally make time for the school team (U of MD).
I can watch hoops and football. What I hate about football is all the analysis. They act like it's rocket science. "He goes here and the defender follows and then this guy goes here and boom there's the pass." Uh guys, we can all see that. It is FRIGGIN' OBVIOUS. You need not scream it after each snap. The worst is Joe Theisman and that other meathead on ESPN Sunday night. Just awful.
Yeah, I'll still watch football... but I just don't remember those baseball games lasting so long when I was a kid (big Royals fan when they had George Brett, Fred Patek... Willie Wilson, Dan Q...) I remember a pitching change and the occasional pinch hitter/runner... but I just don't remember it EVER moving as slow as it does now. Ten years after the NASL's demise, I started watching MLS... I was surprised to find that it took me awhile to get back "in the swing" of watching and knowing what to look for... NFL has time between every play to analyze, dig up stats, and even make up the x's and o's from the previous plays with all those lines, especially from Madden... your basic sports fan doesn't realize that in soccer you're not allowed to go to the bathroom/concession stand until half or you might just miss the only goal of the match. I do get pleasantly surprised that when I take people to a soccer game, it seems those who really don't get into sports in general enjoy the game a little more than those religiously attached to the Big 4...
Sarcasm (R) I watch ALL sports. I have played ALL sports. Whatever the season was, that's what me and my buddies played! My body cracks and squeaks and I am still young. In fact I am an expert on ALL sports. Just think of the Celt as Yoda of the Sporting Universe. In time we will all realise that 4 square ball is god's game! Smile my friends.
I make my living following all sports, and yet, because of soccer, I am having a hard time getting into the others like I used to. Still love the NFL, but can't get into baseball and the NBA anymore. MLS NFL nothing else.
I've given a huge part of my life to soccer, like a bunch of you guys, and lately, it has definitely affected my watching habits. I used to at least catch the occasional Sportscenter (thanks to TiVo I used to always have the most recent one recorded for me automatically), or watch part of an NBA game or something, but now it's really soccer and nothing else. It's not that I don't still enjoy tuning in from time to time (I watched about 20 minutes of the Colts game this weekend), but I'm never the one that turns it on-it's only if it's in a bar or something. The thing that did it for me was really getting the Shootout package. It takes a HUGE amount of effort to really follow the league without it. And even then, if you religiously go on the internet or whatever, you still don't have a feel for how the games are really going, you only get an infinitesimaly small portion of it. After I got the Shootout, I actually knew the players-how they played, what their strengths/weaknesses are, etc. Night and day for me, really.
Soccer has pretty much taken over for me. Like the music guy above, it doesn't give me much time to REALLY follow any other sport. And as mentioned by someone else, it's the only sport I really "watch," rather than "have on." Being from Nebraska, though, I naturally still follow the Huskers...it's in my genetic makeup, and it's a way to keep in touch with my roots since I moved east. So I follow College football, just a little, out of habit and to size up our competition. The NFL? I was never a big fan...it's something to have on, click back to the game to see how it's going. If it's still close in the fourth quarter, I might stick around to see how it goes down. One sport I recently started paying attention to, though, is Australian Rules Football. I just watched some coverage of the last season. It's a lot more fast-paced and flowing than I'd ever realized before. I might check it out a little. But soccer is the big dog for me. Other than the Huskers (and only during the regular season, I don't follow spring training and off-season moves--I have friends to keep me updated), there's really no time to follow anything else. Or any desire to, actually.
Interesting thread - Here is my run down. Baseball - growing up used to be way into baseball. Played fantasy leagues, watched every game I could, attended Pirates games etc. Towards the late 80's the game got slower, the saleries got bigger, the egos became huge. Then the strike and now who cares. I was actually rooting for the strike this season. And one other point usually by the all-star break 90% of the games are meaningless because of the playoff structure. If you are into stats this is the game to follow though. NBA - who cares. Punks, thugs and corruption. It is boring. If you are as big as Shaq and can not do what he does then what the hell is wrong with you. College BB - Better then the NBA but not by much. I used to watch a lot of college BB but now it is begining to remind me of the NBA. Hockey - I still love hockey. It is fast paced, hard hitting and exciting. Great in person or on T.V. The T.V. commercials are annoying but not so bad as to prevent enjoyment. The biggest problem is the playoffs. Opposite of baseball to many teams make the playoffs. Golf - as I grow older , mid twenties, I enjoy watching golf more and more. But I usually am doing something else while watching. I just wish the would not cover tiger as much as they do. NFL - Diehard Bills Fan. Always will be. Although is the Bills (or Steelers) are not playing I usually watch a movie when the game is one. Do you realize that a football game boiled down from when the ball is snapped to when the whistle blows is prolly about 1 minutes of action in 3.5 hours. I have watched enough football that I do not need the analysis down for me I know what is going on. MLS - I have always loved football and watched when it was on the problem before was that there was not enough coverage to get into a team or a league MLS solved this problem. Absent a Bills or Pens game I will watch MLS, A-League, EPL or anyother league that I can follow over any other sport
Quality thread's with true substance are usually few and far between, but this one is progressing nicely. Victory analyzed it nicely and I think I will follow suit. Baseball-Never really played it, never really watched it on TV. Usually attended a Cubs game here, a Sox game there. I still enjoy going out to Wrigley (aka the largest bar in the world) with friends in the summer. NBA-Watched games all the times in the late 80's and 90's (had to with the Bulls being as great as they were). But now it just isn't as exciting. No team is really that much fun to watch. College Basketball-Never really got into it, catch a game here and there. Hockey-Got turned on to hockey as a kid and I still find it enjoyable to watch. The face paced, action orientation of the game makes for tv time well spent. Golf-It is my blood. I was probably the only kid who like watching golf. Still remember seeing some of the greats when they weren't so far beyond their prime. Still enjoy watching the game, but Tigermania has long since taken it's toll. He is great, we know it. But when he plays poorly I don't want to see that as the highlight of Sportscenter, I want to see the guys who played well. NFL-Bears fan born and bred. It is so hard to watch any football game, but I find it tolerable when one's own team is playing. Even then I cannot focus all my effort on the tv. Find small things to do while listening or come back and forth to the game. MLS (soccer in general)-If I have the time I will sit and watch every minute of almost any game. If it is EPL, La Liga, Champtions Lg, or whatever I will make it a point to find time. If it's a Fire game, every minute. If it is another game (good), I will watch all of it. If it happens to be a bad MLS game, then I will watch, but not focus completly on it. There's my take.
well i willremake my post again... well just to fit the las 2 posts... Baseball... fan of the team of renteria... i hardly follow a complete match NBA... after bulls... well after jordan, i never watched a complete game... never... College Basketball... never watched a game... not even 5 minutes Hockey... some games here and there nothing more.... Golf... what is that???? i think it is a Boring "game" to watch... I only like mini-golf, but when i play...... nothing more bigger than that.... i really don't like to watch that soocer... Atletico Nacional Fan all my life.. i give the 95% of my sport time to that team... the other 5% i spend it on NFL.... I'm getting used to tape and then watch...
Baseball: Grew up listening to Vin Scully and playing catch with my dad and older brothers. I could throw accurately from a windup before I could spell. Kinda like some current players. Fox then bought my team, killing for me whatever was left of the game's appeal. Perhaps Murdoch is like Vishnu, destroying old, tired ways. allowing one to advance to greater good. Or maybe he's just an evil f***. NFL- sucks donkey. Seven minutes of elapsed entertainment. Had this crap foisted upon me at an early age by drunken uncles. Eventually succumbed and became LA Rams fan. That is, until the owner murdered her husband and intentionally ran team into the ground merely to expedite relocation. College Football. Used to enjoy wathcing USC produce great running backs yearly. SC stopped playing football sometime back in the early '80s. NBA. Lakers, baby, Lakers. I did the math once and determined that, cummulatively, I've listened to Chick Hearn's voice to cover 8 consecutive months, day and night. I suspect many of you fear and loathe the NBA because of the Lakers. Suck it. BTW, Jordan indirectly did more long-term damage to the NBA than good. College hoop. Caught the tail end of John Wooden's career. Lord, deliver us from Steve Lavin. As weary as I am at looking at Duke's very homogenous and privileged student section, coach K is simply amazing. Hats off. The NCAA tournamemnt is still incredible. If you don't think so, you don't have a pulse. Soccer: began playing in the '70's in Torrance CA, AYSO's birthplace. One year, West Torrance alone had 18 teams of 8-9 years olds; our parents had to sub-divide this city's already quarterly divided league. At the time, we couldn't understand why out national team sucked so hard. One of our English coached promised us things would change once we grew up. Thanks for the small-sided games, coach.
I do have a tough time watching sports other than soccer these days. I have not been able to sit through an entire NFL game in years. I will watch it with my dad or my friends who are into it. I'm only watching the Yankees because my boss is a Yankees fan. I still watch Fox Sport World, but it is not the same as watching a game live.
Soccer- It is my life, It is my blood, It is my soul. If I didn't have soccer, well, I don't want to think about not having it. Hockey- Hockey is my second favorite sport. My love of soccer dwarfs my love of hockey, but then again, I love soccer more than anything in the world. I will support the Sabres till the day I die. Right now, the game isn't what it used to be, with the price of tickets out of this world, and the decreased quality of play, but I still manage to catch every Buffalo game on Empire. Football- I was born into the glory years of Buffalo Bills football(victory, represent!!!!), and I didn't have very much choice who my team was. I still watch every Bills game, but it doesn't compare to soccer. Baseball- I played Little League when I was 10, and wasn't thrilled. My grandpa and dad are big Yankee fans, but I just can't get into it. Although, this seasons playoffs kick ass. Basketball- Really only watched during the Jordan era. Not much interest here. College Basketball- I always have a blast with my friends doing the annual March Maddness pool, and rooting on St. Bonaventure to more acts of giantkilling. Golf- Nope. Nascar- I'd rather watch cricket.
I have no problems watching other sports. ESPN CRAMS IT DOWN MY THROUGHT!! I do however have a problem watching soccer. I can't find games anywhere. Like a person lost in the desert looking for an oasis. Like someone searching for a needle in a hay stack.
I agree with you here, with the only difference being I have become "anti - every other American sport". The NFL is watchable but not in person and definitely not for 3+ hours at a sitting. Baseball, I can hardly sit through one inning anymore, usually flipping the channel between pitches. Forget the now-ghetto NBA.
I was a big fan of MLB and NFL in years past. In the '60's and '70's the games took pretty close to two hours. Now it's closer to 3.5 hours, filled with stoppages and commercials. I have lost interest.
I've never seen liking other sports as somehow being anti-soccer. That's like saying that liking pizza makes you anti-hamburger. I think a lot of BigSoccer youngsters don't understand how to follow baseball. The best way is to follow ONE TEAM ONLY. Attend games, watch portions of that team's games, until you learn the players and their strengths and weaknesses. Baseball's very rewarding to the fan who really pays attention. I'd like to do the same thing with soccer, and if MLS puts a team in my city, I will.
nope. but it is nice to be able to know when you'll be done watching a game or at a game, so I see you're point.