I frequently go out of my way to watch soccer, road cycling and the NFL. There's only so many sports you can get into while holding down a job, so I've made my choices. Have to admit I find baseball and basketball complete mysteries. Regarding Aussie rules, I was always put off by the weird ugly styling of their kits, don't know if it's still the same. As for crowd numbers, I think that the Tour de France is the biggest spectator event in the world. They even estimated 100 000 watched the opening stage of the Tour of Britain a couple of weeks ago. Being in central London, it benefits from casual onlookers I suppose. Good level of interest though.
College american football gets alot of people in their stadiums, lookhttp://www.collegecharlie.com/stadiums.html at the people they get in. It is crazy how many people go, its like azteca stadium packed every weekend of the american football season.
(American) Football -Both college and the NFL. I also follow Tennis and MMA. Since I starting watching Soccer at the 2006 World Cup, it's been by far my favorite sport. I regret not watching it all those years. I've also found out that since "discovering" Soccer that my interest in MLB and the NBA has declined substantially. There's only a few match-ups now that I may watch come playoff time. The MLB and NBA regular seasons hold almost no interest to me now.
We have increasing access and exposure to sports that are not traditional in our native lands. I quite like Kabaddi, the national game of Bangladesh and would choose to watch that rather than some more familiar British events. Most of the 'foreign' sports coverage over here is, of course, from America. The NFL seems to be the one that is gaining ground. I hope they continue to hold games outside the US.
I'm not entirely sure I know what Squash is. I'll wiki it later. My first love is martial arts, specifically American Taekwondo, which I'm trying to teach full time for a living. However, I probably spend an equal amount of time reading about or playing soccer. Too bad I can't get paid for both. Or can I....
Squash is a racquet sport that was formerly called squash racquets, a reference to the "squashable" soft ball used in the game (compared with the harder ball used in its parent game Racquets (or rackets; see below)). The game is played by two players (or four players for doubles) with "standard" rackets in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball. Squash is characterized as a "high-impact" exercise that can place strain on the joints, notably the knees. Squash is recognized by the IOC and remains in contention for incorporation in a future Olympic program.
wow--that picture makes Squash look like Tron. The picture I found was full of old ladies. I like yours better...
squash is sooo cool, i actually played last week, in spanish i call it fronton, i love it, its really quick and u get a hell of an exercise out of it. Good call erick.
Larger ball. Raquet has smaller handle and larger head. Otherwise pretty much the same. I think raquetball is only played in the US though? Squash elsewhere AKAIK.
I've actually been looking for a sport that does the same as fitness, but can be done outdoors. Haven't found anything yet...
Does futsal count? Definitely ice hockey (i prefer the olympic sized sheet to those congested ponds in NHL arenas). http://blog.futfanatico.com/
Jeu de paume was originally a French precursor of lawn tennis played without racquets. The players hit the ball with their hands, as in palla, volleyball, or certain varieties of pelota. Jeu de paume literally means: game of palm (of the hand). In time gloves replaced bare hands. Even when bats, and finally racquets, became standard equipment for the game, the name did not change. It became known as "tennis" in English (see History of tennis), and later "real tennis" after lawn tennis became more popular than the parent game. The term is used in France today to denote the game of real tennis or a court in which the ancient or modern game might be played. The indoor version is sometimes called jeu de courte paume or just courte paume (short palm) to distinguish it from the outdoor version, longue paume, played on a longer court. Some important buildings in France are known by the name jeu de paume, in general because of their proximity to tennis courts or to sites on which courts once stood. Several works of art also bear this name, including the famous serment du jeu de paume ('the Tennis Court Oath') in the Palace of Versailles. It depicts the formal announcement of the French revolution made in the Royal Tennis Court there on 20 June 1789. An art museum with rotating exhibitions, the Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, also bears the name. It sits on the north side of the Tuileries park in the centre of Paris. Jeu de paume was a medal event in the 1908 Summer Olympics. American Jay Gould won the Gold medal.[1] early version of squash