What is your least favorite mainstream sport, and why?

[aran]

There's a dead heat between baseball and basketball for the worst mainstream sport in the US, if you ask me.

Baseball:
This game is almost obsolete. The only thing that i see saving it is tradition and perhaps fantasy baseball. There are so many flaws in the game, it'd be hard for me to list them. One of the biggest turn offs is that their is no salary cap, or any means of "leveling the playing field" at all. The efforts that have been made recently have been, at best, laughable. It seems like the small market teams are just free AAA squads playing in the majors. They raise talent that they ultimately cannot pay. Once the talent of players begins to shine, the small market teams must release the players because their total spendable dollars are entirely too few to afford having anything even resembling a superstar. The big market teams are then free to gobble up this new talent and feed their winning-machines futher.

Also, the individuality of baseball players (lack of real team-playing) and the downright boringness of 162 insanely long and slow-paced games are killers.

Basketball:
I can't say that much about basketball, because i really don't give a crap about it AT ALL. They have some type of salary cap in place, which is ok. Too bad most of the players are just passing their time between jail sentences. The way the NBA plays basketball is also unnecessary NOT team-oriented and can proove to be downright distasteful in the egotism some of tis players blindly and irrationally boldly display.

Feel free to rebuke my not-very-educated guesses on why baseball and basketball are my least favorite sports in mainstream America. I'd also love to hear cases for why other sports hold particular disfavor in your heart.

[panerd]

I agree with you on baseball. Though I quite enjoy fantasy baseball and getting loaded at Cardinal games, if there is a game on without any of my fantasy team playing and I am going to be sober then there is a 0% chance the game will be viewed.

Sadly I can feel fantasy football (and gambling) also ruining my true love of the NFL. A few years ago I would have been hanging on every moment of last weeks Rams/Jets game. Last week I was flipping between it and the Panthers/Saints game and checking the parlay possibilities on the late Dallas game during commericials. I need to quit one or the other.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Preface: I'll assume that we're talking about pro sports here.

The only real "mainstream" sports in the US are baseball, basketball, and football. I love hockey a bunch, but the top league obviously isn't playing right now, and the television ratings make it pretty clear that we can't really consider it mainstream anyway. So that leaves us with three.

I love football. I can watch almost any NFL game, and even if I don't have any players on my fantasy football team or if it's a game that appears to be a honker, I'll watch just because it's football. Unless the 49ers are involved, you can be pretty sure that at least something exciting will happen during the game. That's good enough for me.

As for baseball, I'm a big Cardinals fan, so I can watch some of their games if I get the chance. In general, though, baseball has lost a lot of its luster for me. I can't keep track of what constitutes "good" statistics or even good ballplaying sometimes anymore. With juiced-up players, poor pitching, and the revolving door of youngsters shuffling in and out of the small-market lineups, I don't really care who's who anymore. Many of the players have become simple caricatures to me. Maybe I'm weird, but when I first started getting into baseball, for isntance, I knew what types of hitters Steve Lombardozzi and Alfredo Griffin were, even though I didn't even get to watch much American League baseball. These days, I couldn't tell the difference between Aaron Miles and Marcus Giles except for the teams they play for.

Even with that, I have to tag the NBA as my least favorite. It has nothing to do with egotism or showboating or any of that stuff (I've defended some of those actions a few times on this board). It's just that many of the players look completely inexperienced on the court. I don't know if it's because there are more kids in the league now or if it's just because the overall level of play has dropped. I guess I'm finally getting old, but the superstars I grew up with were people who could shoot, pass, rebound, and maybe even play defense. Now, shooting 45% is considered great for a guard. Jason Kidd is supposedly one of the best passers in the game, and although he does have good vision and makes some nifty passes, I too often see him unnecessarily trying to do a behind-the-back bounce pass or something that ends up in the stands. There are some good rebounders now, but with such poor shooting, high numbers of rebounds are simply inevitable. As for defense, what's defense? A lunging hand in the face of a guy who's jacking up his 10th 3-pointer of the game? There aren't enough players who "stick" anybody anymore. Now, an entire possession pretty much consists of the defenders standing around until the other team's star gets the ball. If he's on the perimeter, double-team him. If he's in the post, collapse the defense. Either way, he passes the ball to somebody else, and the whole process repeats, often ending in a low-post foul or the aforementioned guy jacking up the 3-pointer.

It's painful.

[Sharpieman]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Unless the 49ers are involved, you can be pretty sure that at least something exciting will happen during the game. That's good enough for me.

The truth hurts

[Franklinnoble]

I'm done with baseball (see thread with the same title).

I could care less about hockey.

Basketball is populated with immature thugs and jackasses.

And football is slowly losing its appeal. But that's about the only mainstream sport I give a damn about anymore.

[CHEMICAL SOLDIER]

And football is slowly losing its appeal. But that's about the only mainstream sport I give a damn about anymore.[/quote]

I agree completely. the past few years I haven't really been watching football that often. It seems that all the things that I loved as a child are getting boring.

[Suicane75]

Originally Posted by CHEMICAL SOLDIER

It seems that all the things that I loved as a child are getting boring.

Ditto.

[sachmo71]

Now this is or isn't trolling?

[Icy]

Originally Posted by CHEMICAL SOLDIER

I agree completely. the past few years I haven't really been watching football that often. It seems that all the things that I loved as a child are getting boring.

Well i'm in the other side but totally agree with you. After watching soccer for more than 20 years, as soccer is the only sport in Spain, i'm really tired of it, this year i don't even watch the standings. In the other hand, a new world of USA pro sports appeard to me thanks to text sims and this board, i LOVE football, i can watch the NBA, specially with Gasol into it) and i'm starting to enjoy baseball the more i play OOTP, i'm realy waiting for the new season that i will follow closely this year. I'm subscribed to an USA sports satellite channel and i could be in front of the TV 24 hours per day, too bad that wife, work and text sims don't let me watch tv more than 2 hours per day.

[CraigSca]

I love baseball and always have. Sure, the problems with BALCO taint the sport somewhat (I'm hoping that that player's union wakes up and realizes that perhaps doing what's best for the sport ultimately is what's best for the players - instead of the other way around). I'm also starting to get sick of the whole "Yankees payroll vs. everyone else" that the sport is turning into. I'm finding that instead of rooting for the Orioles, I'm rooting more for the Yankees to lose because the smaller payroll teams just really don't have much of a shot anymore. Still, with those problems, I find baseball to be the most perfect sport out there.

NBA Basketball - never been a fan, as I just don't like how the game has morphed from college to pro. College basketball has such an atmosphere (as does college football) that can't be topped. Although the game is changing and the players are acting more and more like prima donnas, there still is that team element that doesn't exist in the pros. Watching those Princeton teams of the 90's defeat a UCLA really showed you what the game is all about. On the pro side, I think the NBA has one of the best revenue structures out there. I like the ability teams have to keep their players and outbid others for their own players.

NFL Football. I watch it, but nowhere near as much as I used to when I was younger. Football's a cool sport, but the absolute lack of any player's union has killed the sport for me. I don't like how the great majority of players bounce around from team to team, year to year. A typical team's offensive line is one high draft pick and 4 free agents from the offensive line carousel. I don't like how a team cannot afford to keep more than 1 or 2 absolute stars and must make the decision as to which one they have to let go. I don't like the amount of inconsistency from year to year. I think recently we've gotten lucky with the Patriots and Eagles, but I hate to see last year's Super Bowl contender go 5-11 because their Super Bowl year they got lucky and the following year they actually played to their potential.

[cody8200]

I hate NBA basketball, worthless to watch. No defense, no fun.
I love the Cubs and I love some parts of baseball. I hate the evil empire of the yankees and the way that bud selig has managed baseball these last few years. I love watching young pitchers like Prior and zambrano tear up those steroid pumping bastards that apparetly make up much of the hitting forces in baseball.
I love football. I am obsessed with the Colts, have been since manning was drafted...its a good year to be a colts fan.

[GoldenEagle]

I hate curling with a passion.

[Noop]

After last night I have a whole lot of respect for baseball players I flat out made a fool of myself trying to hit a 90 mph pitch. Hell I struggled on 70... that being said I dont watch NFL, NBA, or MLB why? Because I hate that players only play good in the last year of their contract.

[spleen1015]

You can't talk about mainstream sports and not mention NASCAR. As much as some folks would like to dismiss it, it ranks up there.

NCAA Football and Basketball need to be included as well, eh?

[Buccaneer]

NBA - so unwatchable and repulsive in what it has become.

[sterlingice]

I love baseball, always will most likely. Football's a decent sport to watch, #3 for me behind hockey if they were playing. Basketball- unless it's the Rockets or a really big playoff game, I just can't get at all excited about it.

SI

[Flasch186]

Well the ratings say football is certainly not losing any appeal.

[Maple Leafs]

Basketball, because:

- it's the sport I understand the least
- virtually all the players seem genuinely unlikable
- it feels like there are only two types of games: complete blowouts, or games where nothing matters until the final minute

[JonInMiddleGA]

The NBA is the least interesting to me, but the only thing that really keeps the NFL from falling into a dead heat with it is the presence of a select handful of players that I find interesting/worth watching regardless of team.

MLB dominates my interest in the "Big 4", followed by the NHL.

note: I felt like the question was focused on the traditional "Big 4". I'd put NASCAR above all of them as far as my interest level, as well as several other sports both pro & college, and even high school.

[FBPro]

Football is #1 hands down.

Baseball is #2 but MILES below #1. Sad thing is it used to be king, but wretched handling of player contracts, lack of some type of salary cap, etc have made my interest all but vanish.

Basketball is #3 even more MILES below #2. Lack of any type of consistent "team game" and presence of sideshow story lines.

Hockey?

[gstelmack]

Golf. I still have no clue why golf is considered fun to watch. It may be fun to play, but watching it?

[korme]

hockey

3 scores per game per team, thats terrible i can't watch up and down action with no results

[Bubba Wheels]

Left out NASCAR. Like it or not, NASCAR is the fastest growing sport in North America and almost rivals football in some areas. This, BTW, would be my least favorite sport (the endless left turn, as some have called it.)

Pro Football bores the crap out of me. I do enjoy simming it, though. College football only really gets me going when ND is doing well. Expecting great things from Weis.

Baseball used to be king. If they don't watch out , it will someday become Hockey II. Minor league baseball is a blast to attend, though. This may be my favorite. Great family atmosphere, cheap food and drink, free parking, suburban locations (no flat tires on your car or parking tickets.)

[FBPro]

I concur about minor league baseball, awesome sport to attend in person.

[aran]

I also think we should address the amount of games played per season in each sport.

Football is the lowest in games per season at 17 for the regular season. If ind that the limited amount of games (and the fact that they are generally only played on one of two nights a week) creates a great atmosphere of "finally, football is on!" I find that baseball is pretty pointless up until the play-off races start heating up towards the very end (that's like 130 nearly meaningless games in to the season). I've forgotten exactly how many games the NHL and NBA play, but they are closer to becoming exciting than the MLB is.

NASCAR is really boring for me, no matter how you cut it. F1, though, i'll watch. F1 requires such an insane amount of skill.

[jetpunk2000]

Originally Posted by aran

Football is the lowest in games per season at 17 for the regular season.

Uh...did i miss something?

[JonInMiddleGA]

It's 16 games ... it just seems like 17.

[GrantDawg]

It is 17 weeks and 16 games.

[Crapshoot]

NASCAR is ... not even decent.

[Easy Mac]

well, when you say mainstream, are you talking only pro sports, or pro and college sports.

Since you were somewhat ambiguous, I'll assume you mean each sport as a whole and not just the pro variety. Here is my breakdown:
Pros:
Football
Baseball
Basketball

College:
Basketball
Football
Baseball

Overall:
Football
Basketball
Baseball

Personally, I think football has to be the top just because it takes the least amount of effort to follow it. We're essentially watching football for probably 70 days a year (2 days each week for 17 weeks, bowls, playoffs,weekday games, and the week or 2 of college before the pros start). Its an interesting sport and takes little time to get involved. The games are about 3 hours (same as baseball), but they don't feel nearly as tiring and boring. Its the best sport to watch with both friends and enemies.

I really like pro baseball, but I could care less and about college baseball, so it gets dropped to the bottom. Its hard to remain focused for a whole game on TV, and the sheer length of the season/games means its not really necessary to follow until the last few weeks.

I could care less about pro basketball, but college basketball may be my favorite mainstream sport (with college football right behind). Nothing can match the atmosphere of being in a great arena with a great fanbase. Everything seems to be multiplied in an indoor arena. And the NCAA tournament is in my opinion the greatest yearly even that sports has to offer (The World Cup is the best). I could go to the 1000 top football games of all time, but I'd still rather be at that one game where Richmond beats South Carolina.

Of course, soccer is still my favorite sport to watch, play, talk about... nothing is even close.