There's a soccer tournament worth watching most summers (World Cup, Euro Cup, Confed Cup), but they don't last long enough to keep baseball from getting a good month or two in before football starts back.
I don't actively dislike soccer, but I'm completely indifferent, which amounts to basically the same result. I have negative desire to watch a 90 minute game that ends 1-0. My desire to get kicked right square in the [penis] is also negative, but it is closer to zero than the negative desire expressed in the previous sentence.
I feel the same way about tennis. But I played soccer and you played tennis, which I'm pretty sure accounts for the difference. You can appreciate build-up a lot better when you've played. And in a sport with few huge highlights, if you don't appreciate build-up, you don't enjoy it.
I appreciate tennis more than most because I played the sport, sure. But do you not think the sport is exciting to watch? I feel like it translates pretty well to television.
It may translate to television, but I'm bored by it live as well. Had a roommate who played in college and I'd watch him sometimes. Never got any excitement out of it, even when I had a vested interest. I will say in soccer's favor that it's much, much better live. Much like hockey. Go see live hockey. It's great
I have seen the Caps play. I agree with that 100%. You don't get a full appreciation for the speed of the game on television. The same thing can be said about tennis, though. What level tennis were you watching? Was this D-3? You should definitely try to catch some pro tennis. The speed and physicality of the game doesn't show up on television as much. You don't realize how hard they are hitting the ball. The late David Foster Wallace hits on the subject in the following article, which is in my estimation the best essay ever written on tennis. Definitely check it out. Even if you don't like tennis, it's still DFW. David Foster Wallace The String Theory - David Foster Wallace on Tennis - Esquire
I was DII, so it's a fair point that I haven't seen top level tennis And I've also seen the Caps play live. I didn't see any speed though. Haha (Canes beat 'em 5-0)
Watching Hockey is interesting for me because I know very little about the game so I can't pick up on gameplans and strategies. But what I could definitely pick up watching the game live is that Ovi is a [dadgum] wild man out there. That dude is fast, and he's a pretty good size, and he can stop a dime and then start right back moving again wild as ever. I don't know why the Caps aren't better with that guy (probably because I don't know much about the game hockey). You don't have to know much about hockey to see that he has bundles of talent. He is also hilarious. Reporter: So what has changed for you now that you're playing professional hockey? Ovi: Everything is really about the same, except that I have more sex now. The above is paraphrased, but it was something pretty close to that. This was a couple years back.
This doesn't have the Ovi quote I want, but it is something: Video: Ovechkin on sex before games, Russian vs. U.S. women - Puck Daddy - NHL*Blog - Yahoo! Sports
Sorry - I did lean to the "outside" factors quite a bit, but I should be clear that I hate the totality of all that baseball was, is, may be, touches or implies. I find it wholly unappealing in every regard, without exception.
Eh. There is action (or at least interesting stuff) between plays of football if you know what is going on. Substitutions, changes at the line and subsequent defensive adjustments, etc. I'm sure there is similar stuff for the baseball savvy.
Off topic: did y'all know that the actual action in a football game -- i.e. the actual plays themselves -- is is in the range of 11-15 minutes? I would pay to be able to watch an edited-up football game that had just the plays, one after another. Does anybody know if there is a network that broadcasts condensed football games? This would be great for gambling in college football. To be able to block off a chunk of time on Sunday, and watch nearly every single game from the previous day. That'd be huge.
NFL network does this but I think it is only for a few games a week. Maybe it's called NFL Rewind and with commercials the show is about an hour long.
One of the cable networks does College Flash Classics where they show one awesome game (featuring Southern teams) in an hour.
Is College Flash Classics the Fox Sports one? All the games are 10 years and older Jefferson Pilot broadcasts with factoids throughout the game like pop up video?
I have to think the emergence of soccer has had quite an effect on the decline in popularity. Not so much because everyone prefers to watch soccer, but many more kids are playing soccer and less are playing baseball when they're young. Or that's what I assume. I don't actually know the numbers and trends.
Plus, there is the emergence of getting kicked right square in the [penis]. This has played a major factor.
