Your favorite and least favorite of the Big 4 American sports

[lonestar]

Yup, that's my list too. Football is tops, followed very closely by baseball. I rarely watch hockey, and pro basketball I'll only watch when the Warriors are in the playoffs, just cause my restaurant is heavy on the Warrior fans and it's hard not to get swept up in it, I really don't like watching pro ball. Strangely enough, I am very passionate about college basketball.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Hockey is the only one I find worth watching consistently. Football I find exciting sometimes, and pretty boring most times. Basketball I can get into when it's close and there's a couple minutes left. Baseball I find to just be straight-up zzzzz. So favourite: hockey, least favourite: baseball.

[jammindude]

Hockey is the only one I find worth watching consistently. Football I find exciting sometimes, and pretty boring most times. Basketball I can get into when it's close and there's a couple minutes left. Baseball I find to just be straight-up zzzzz. So favourite: hockey, least favourite: baseball.

What's funny is that I've often thought that entire basketball games should just be this...and only this.   I mean, 80% of the games end close with an exciting 2 minutes left to play, and the rest no one gives a crap about anyway.   So I propose that the game should BEGIN tied 80-80 with 2:00 left to play.   Because that is the only part of any NBA game worth watching. 

But the downside, is that even those games start to look exactly alike.    I can hardly tell one game from another. 

[Zantera]

Would probably say:

Football > Hockey > Baseball > Basketball

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Newsflash

Baseball 

Football 

[cramx3]

To elaborate on what I said earlier, I hate the idea of fouling out in basketball.  It's stupid.  In no other major sport do you see major stars have to sit out huge chunks of games, or have to play tame or soft, but you do in basketball, and when you consider the subjective nature of foul calling, that puts a ton of power in the hands of the officials.  All it takes is a couple of ticky tack falls to be called on a player early in a game and all of a sudden he is sitting out for most of the rest of the first half or having to not be aggressive.  It hurts the game.  And, no, I don't think you should be able to rack up fouls all day, but make it to where, in college, for example, once you get your 5th foul, every time that player commits a foul, you treat it like a technical: one shot and the ball (or two shots if it was a shooting foul).  That would add a lot more strategy to the game.

I disagree.  I like that you can foul out in basketball, it is part of what makes it different than other goal-oriented sports.  Yeah, it sucks when some of those are ticky-tack or questionable block/charge calls; but by in large it makes it adds something to the sport's uniqueness.  I don't feel like writing any more because I'm not going to change your mind and I don't really care to argue because you won't change mine.

Anyway: Football, Hockey, NL, basketball, AL.  I'm not a DH fan.  Deal with it.

Fouling out is necessary because whats then to stop a player from constantly fouling.  But i get what you are saying about the officials.  The officials in basketball have the biggest impact because the fouls can be extremely tough to call.  Its also not surprising then that past officials have been caught gambling since they actually have the power to influence a game.

[KevShmev]

Baseball is the purest and most athletic sport.

Um, no.

Athletic?!  There a grace to baseball, a majestic feel to seeing a pitch thrown and and the hand eye coordination to his a 97 MPH fastball 400 feet. but it's not the most athletic sport of the 4.  I'd say it's the least athletic.

I could rephrase. Baseball players tend to be the better overall athletes. Just because the players are good at what they are doing, doesn't meant these guys arent athletes. Plus, NFL has probably got a huge steroid problem. I'm not quite sure how it could be argued that the other sports are any more athletic.

Er, I don't think someone defending baseball should really play the steroid card in regards to other sports.

To elaborate on what I said earlier, I hate the idea of fouling out in basketball.  It's stupid.  In no other major sport do you see major stars have to sit out huge chunks of games, or have to play tame or soft, but you do in basketball, and when you consider the subjective nature of foul calling, that puts a ton of power in the hands of the officials.  All it takes is a couple of ticky tack falls to be called on a player early in a game and all of a sudden he is sitting out for most of the rest of the first half or having to not be aggressive.  It hurts the game.  And, no, I don't think you should be able to rack up fouls all day, but make it to where, in college, for example, once you get your 5th foul, every time that player commits a foul, you treat it like a technical: one shot and the ball (or two shots if it was a shooting foul).  That would add a lot more strategy to the game.

I disagree.  I like that you can foul out in basketball, it is part of what makes it different than other goal-oriented sports.  Yeah, it sucks when some of those are ticky-tack or questionable block/charge calls; but by in large it makes it adds something to the sport's uniqueness.  I don't feel like writing any more because I'm not going to change your mind and I don't really care to argue because you won't change mine.

 

Fair enough.

Anyway: Football, Hockey, NL, basketball, AL.  I'm not a DH fan.  Deal with it.

Me neither.  If you are playing, you should play the field AND bat.

[dparrott]

Favorite: baseball.  Always loved it.  Mainly because in L.A. we've had the legend Vin Scully calling games. 
I like playing basketball but not watching it.  The scoring is too predictable and it's a lot of showboating.

[Dr. DTVT]

The reason I dislike the DH rule is part of the charm of baseball for me is that more in-game tactical decisions are made in baseball than any other sport other than American football.  Having a DH makes decisions easier because you remove some decisions and simply others.  Having a manager stew over whether he should double switch or save a pinch hitter adds a layer of intrigue to the game.

[dparrott]

I defend baseball against the "boring" tag.  Yes it is not as action filled as the other sports and there is less physical contact.  If that is what you like, then I can see it.  But I view it as more of a relaxed game with occasional bursts of excitement.  I also love the "setting" of baseball.  Baseball stadiums usually have more of an open atmosphere with views of the city around it. 

[orcus116]

The thing about baseball too is that, due to no time limit, anybody can win any game even if the odds are almost nil. Sure in other sports there are late game strategies that, if pulled off correctly, can result in an upset but you're always playing against the clock and there is always a point where a team just simply can't come back.

[Neon]

I defend baseball against the "boring" tag.  Yes it is not as action filled as the other sports and there is less physical contact.  If that is what you like, then I can see it.  But I view it as more of a relaxed game with occasional bursts of excitement.  I also love the "setting" of baseball.  Baseball stadiums usually have more of an open atmosphere with views of the city around it.

It's true that baseball moves more slowly, but when it DOES have exciting plays, particularly in the playoffs, there's nothing quite like it. 

Baseball was my first sports love, so it will always hold a special place

[dparrott]

Great baseball plays are always fun for me to watch.  These guys run, sometimes dive, get up, sometimes have to spin, take a small ball out of their glove into their hand and make an accurate throw all within like 3 seconds....amazing. 

[snapple]

Baseball has actually tried (and is still trying) to clean ip their sport.

[hefdaddy42]

Baseball is three minutes of nonstop action crammed into three hours.

[jammindude]

When I was a kid, I thought basketball was exciting and baseball was boring.

Now that I'm in my 40's, I feel exactly the opposite.   Baseball has *FAR FAR FAR* more strategy involved in every aspect of the game than basketball does.   Some of the most exciting and knuckle-biting moments are the times when nothing is technically happening.   Because once you know the game well enough, you can see some of the decisions being made, and how they set up what's about to happen.   (Pitching changes, how the outfield is playing, how the infield is playing, switching players, or simply just the battle of wills that's happening between a pitcher and batter....the list goes on and on)

[antigoon]

When I was a kid, I thought basketball was exciting and baseball was boring.

Now that I'm in my 40's, I feel exactly the opposite.   Baseball has *FAR FAR FAR* more strategy involved in every aspect of the game than basketball does.   Some of the most exciting and knuckle-biting moments are the times when nothing is technically happening.   Because once you know the game well enough, you can see some of the decisions being made, and how they set up what's about to happen.   (Pitching changes, how the outfield is playing, how the infield is playing, switching players, or simply just the battle of wills that's happening between a pitcher and batter....the list goes on and on)

Eh. Defensive and offensive schemes in the NBA are pretty complex and nuanced these days. You're not giving it enough credit. 

[Dr. DTVT]

I think if you know enough about a sport, you can enjoy watching it.  My appreciation of soccer greatly increased when I understood started looking for the nuances and got past "How does a sport with big freaking nets get so many 0-0 ties?".

What makes baseball, basketball, football, and hockey great is that they are different enough from each other that they can fulfill different viewing needs.  It's a part of the reason those are major sports, and similar sports like lacrosse and soccer are seen as minor compared to hockey, rugby as minor to football, korfball and netball as minor to basketball, and cricket as minor to baseball.

[senecadawg2]

Still not entirely sure I get why or how Soccer became seen as minor to hockey. Nothing against hockey, but I've always had trouble understanding how any sport as massively popular, internationally, could be so easily ignored in the US. Obviously got everything to do with the market of the mls, as far as American viewership is concerned, but the relative apathy of Americans during the World Cup still manages to surprise me every four years. It does help that more and more children are growing up on it, although that still seems to remain almost-exclusively among the elite. Still, the same could be said about hockey. Hmph....

[Dr. DTVT]

Hockey is a faster, more action packed version of soccer.

[jammindude]

Still not entirely sure I get why or how Soccer became seen as minor to hockey. Nothing against hockey, but I've always had trouble understanding how any sport as massively popular, internationally, could be so easily ignored in the US. Obviously got everything to do with the market of the mls, as far as American viewership is concerned, but the relative apathy of Americans during the World Cup still manages to surprise me every four years. It does help that more and more children are growing up on it, although that still seems to remain almost-exclusively among the elite. Still, the same could be said about hockey. Hmph....

This answer was, is and always will be exactly the same.....simple, but stupid as it may seem....

ADVERTISING!!!!!!!

You can only put ads in the form of banners and backdrops in a soccer game....you can't cut to commercial every 10 minutes like you can with *EVERY OTHER POPULAR AMERICAN SPORT*!     

You can get into the in's an out's of other, more minor reasons.   But soccer does not fit into the established American advertising framework....and it never will.   

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Soccer is probably my absolute least favourite sport to watch personally, aside from Nascar. Which is funny because I'm a gigantic hockey fan and the similarities are plenty. But there's something about soccer I can't tolerate. Even baseball I enjoy a lot if I'm actually at the game. But going to a soccer game I can't even pay attention to the game itself. I really dislike it.

[Accelerando]

My favorite: Basketball

Least Favorite: Hockey

And i say this when I love all the four sports. Hockey is just the one sport that I follow the least.

[adastra]

Oh, Hockey is American sport.. I always thought it was Canadian. haha

But yeah, Boston Bruins all the way!
Football is kinda boring shit , I guess

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

least favourite sport to watch personally, aside from Nascar

Non
Athletic
Sport
Centered
Around
Rednecks

[dparrott]

I would like soccer if it was the size and speed of hockey.

[KevShmev]

I like soccer, but I hate that offsides rule.  If the last defender is dumb enough to let the offensive player get behind him, and the offensive player gets to the spot before the ball does, why should that be offsides?  I think there'd be more good scoring opportunities if you took that away.  Also, I enjoy the World Cup, but all of the diving and fake injuries are really a detriment to the sport.  And having games decided by a skills competition (the shootout) is really stupid, especially when you consider that the goalie has almost no chance of stopping a good shot (even if he is fortunate to guess right in regards to what spot the shooter is aiming for).

[JayOctavarium]

Bowling


Baseball
Football

Hockey

Basketball




Soccer




 

[Dr. DTVT]

I like soccer, but I hate that offsides rule.  If the last defender is dumb enough to let the offensive player get behind him, and the offensive player gets to the spot before the ball does, why should that be offsides?  I think there'd be more good scoring opportunities if you took that away.

I agree with you, yet somehow would argue that offsides is a necessary part of hockey.

Having games decided by a skills competition (the shootout) is really stupid, especially when you consider that the goalie has almost no chance of stopping a good shot (even if he is fortunate to guess right in regards to what spot the shooter is aiming for).

It's funny that they have it backwards from hockey.  In the NHL, shootouts are only used in the regular season, and in soccer they are only used in the knockout stage.  I think soccer should get rid of shootouts, and instead play 20 or 30 minute golden-goal overtimes, with each team given 2 or 3 more substitutions at each new OT period (for player safety reasons).

[cramx3]

I really like the NHL shootouts, but I agree that a skill competition shouldnt really end a game, but with the NHL as long as its regular season and you still get a point if you lose, than I think it works great.

Soccer though, I cant stand the skills competition, but that is mostly because its so much easier to score and unless the goaltender sees the shooter tipping to which way he is kicking, its like a pure guess and pure luck overall, which makes it even less about skills. 

I do really like the excitement as a bystander with no rooting interest watching games that come to shoot outs.

[Dublagent66]

Favorite: Football   Least Favorite: Hockey

Baseball would my next least fav followed by basketball.

[Neon]

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE that the NHL does shootouts- in my opinion, it's such a cheap, crappy way to win or lose a game.

[dparrott]

Wow...in that poll basketball is the least favorite by far.

[adastra]

I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE that the NHL does shootouts- in my opinion, it's such a cheap, crappy way to win or lose a game.

True!  Overtime should go for 10 mins  and  without a winning goal  the game should end in a tie  with both teams getting 1 score.

[LieLowTheWantedMan]

Sort of surprised hockey is second most popular. I have a lot of trouble finding hockey fans on other boards I frequent. Cool.