Worst Sport Today? (2011)

[Libertine Seguros]

That's all GREEK to me! I have seen them doing it in the Olympics. Looks like it would be very difficult, XC racing, then stopping and being calm enough to shoot straight. Another endurance sport. No wonder the "D" comes up so often.

Not as often as straight XC skiing, surprisingly enough. Probably because the strengths required for the two disciplines are so different. There have been EPO cases for the skiing, and beta blockers for the shooting, but it's not as obvious as in XC, since if you can't shoot, you can't shoot, no matter how fast you are (Miriam Gößner, I'm looking in your direction here), though some people known for pretty reliable shooting suddenly became much better on the skis around about the Olympics, that's for sure (Elena Khrustaleva, I'm looking in your direction here).

Caveat: I have no reason to suspect Miriam Gößner has ever done anything wrong in that respect. Khrustaleva is another matter.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Nordic Biathlon has been in the winter Olympics for decades, and I definitely consider it a true sport. It's also definitely not easy. It takes great fitness and skill. Don't blame the Olympic Movement and it's massive problems on this fine sport.

NASCAR is dangerous, for sure, I'll give them that. But it's way more popular than it should be. IMO anyway.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Biathlon is my favourite sport outside of cycling, most likely. I'm just a bit confused as to the necessity of the use of "nordic" as a modifier, since every other two-event sport has come up with its own name (although they are all technically biathlons), because if you say "biathlon" most will think of the ski+shoot, because that's the one that's called Biathlon.

 

[slim charles]

for me it's american sports [baseball and the one they for some reason call football]. also, tennis is painfully boring and even worse - its EVERYWHERE. you cannot turn on the tv without seeing at least one channel that shows tennis.
boxing and formula 1 are far less interesting to me than they were a decade ago.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

for me it's american sports [baseball and the one they for some reason call football]. also, tennis is painfully boring and even worse - its EVERYWHERE. you cannot turn on the tv without seeing at least one channel that shows tennis.
boxing and formula 1 are far less interesting to me than they were a decade ago.

seriously? The height of the Schumacher domination era was more exciting?

 

[luckyboy]

I get bored of hearing about football and cricket all the time in this country. I can understand the blanket coverage of football because loads of people like it, but cricket isn't even that popular as far as I can tell.

I can watch the World Cup but football is pretty boring to me. And the amount they get paid is sickening.

I only really watch cycling and sometimes tennis (mostly women's), so I've not been exposed to many other sports.

I saw some of the Superbowl once about two years ago and it was awful. Everybody runs forward 10 metres and then gets tackled and then they all stop and rest, repeat etc...

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

NASCAR is dangerous, for sure, I'll give them that. But it's way more popular than it should be. IMO anyway.

I got convinced when talking with a racer in a bar about auto racing*. It isn´t as easy as i (and seemingly many others here) tought. Those guys really can drive fast and save, going 200+ rounds centimeters off wall.

What disturpes me is when at the start line 90% have no chance of winning and/or overtakes only happen when wheels are changed (Formula 1 that is; it´s BORING!!).

Nascar OTOH isn´t that bad as said here. True Legends were born (Yarborough, Earnhardt, Petty to name a few). Since decades, in the F1 legends are born only in the car fabrics. The last true champion might have been Nelson Piquet in 1987. After that money and science won the championships.

* I think pipo shouldn´t bash sports they don´t know or understand. If i criticise soccer, it´s rightfully earned. The game is dirty, overhyped, boring, corrupt, depending mostly on luck, and unfair. I grew up with it and played that game in league competition for long.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Since decades, in the F1 legends are born only in the car fabrics. The last true champion might have been Nelson Piquet in 1987. After that money and science won the championships.

While the money and science obviously plays a role, I ask why single out Piquet in '87? Were not Senna and Prost the best drivers in the late 80s? Sure, that McLarent was dominant, but they still had to beat each other. And then you have alternative factors; the Williams car that won Mansell the title in '92 and Prost the title in '93 was ludicrously good - but part of that was due to the brilliant test driver work of Damon Hill; in terms of driving ability Hill is one of the weakest drivers ever to win the championship, but part of the reason his car was so good was his own strength in working with developers and engineers, so he did deserve to benefit from that.

For me, endurance racing is far better. There's more excitement at Le Mans than in any GP.

 

[Fus087]

For me, endurance racing is far better. There's more excitement at Le Mans than in any GP.

Agreed.
After watching (part of) Le Mans this year for the first time, I can't see Formula 1 being interesting in any way - not that I cared for it before.
And after getting interested in rugby, I don't get anymore what's supposedly so great about American Football.

 

[slim charles]

seriously? The height of the Schumacher domination era was more exciting?

well, then i guess it was more than a decade since i last enjoyed formula 1

 

[Izzy eviel]

Cricket is a brilliant sport!!!

The worst sports I've seen on Eurosport is Tractor pulling & Orienteering.

 

[rickshaw]

A Definition

Having read through all theses posts I think I have a reasonable definition of "boring / bad sport".

"A boring / bad sport is one that I don't find interesting."

There just might be a Samurai Bass fisherman cursing as I write.

A funny T-shirt someone I know has:
"Too dumb for Opera
Too Smart for NASCAR"

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

While the money and science obviously plays a role, I ask why single out Piquet in '87? Were not Senna and Prost the best drivers in the late 80s? Sure, that McLarent was dominant, but they still had to beat each other. And then you have alternative factors; the Williams car that won Mansell the title in '92 and Prost the title in '93 was ludicrously good - but part of that was due to the brilliant test driver work of Damon Hill; in terms of driving ability Hill is one of the weakest drivers ever to win the championship, but part of the reason his car was so good was his own strength in working with developers and engineers, so he did deserve to benefit from that.

For me, endurance racing is far better. There's more excitement at Le Mans than in any GP.

Agree with all you said. I singled out Piquet as last true champ, b/c since after then (1988+) dominant big company teams came up together with the big money. Science took over, while overtaken got eliminated (LOL). Bascially it became a 1-Man-Championship year in, year out (the best team´s managment decided who´s the No. 1 Driver, who got the best mechanics, newest material, etc.). The worst "hights" were reached when Schumacher was No. 1 driver at Ferrari´s 500-Mio-Dollar-Experiment. Dull, dull, dull.... and he wasn´t even the best (Senna gave him no chance in the race of truth, qualifying that is: Until his death in 1994 it was 5-0 for Senna during that season). Senna could win with 2nd class cars like Lotus, even Mansell wasn´t as bad as tought (a true qualifiying champ when talent still mattered in the mid-80s). Nascar is wayyy better, IndyCar was, LeMans was, when they still had the long straight race track.
But the last 25 years, auto racing in europe is one great BS. I never watched a F1/Le Mans race since 1998, i had enough of wasting my time. Watching Boeing 747s starting is more interesting...

Agreed.
After watching (part of) Le Mans this year for the first time, I can't see Formula 1 being interesting in any way - not that I cared for it before.
And after getting interested in rugby, I don't get anymore what's supposedly so great about American Football.

Racing; see above.
Football; It´s the forward pass, it´s the forward pass that makes the difference.

BTW: For all those who don´t grasp Football; There is no "2-Minute-Standing-around". The ball is put in play latest after 40 seconds* between plays. There are only max. 6 time outs (40 seconds). And yes commercial breaks are bad (max. 110 seconds), but they are no original rules in the book.

* And in that time there is pre snap action, men are put in motion, substitutions are made, plays are called. A whole lot of stress and time pressure (you get penalized immediatley if delaying).
Now look at soccer: Players rolling on the ground for minutes pretenting injury, players discussing endlessly with refs, players shaving time by passing the ball to each other without any attacks, players discussing minutes for who´s shooting a kick, how far the defense wall has to stand, etc...
If Football is boring, there must be a new word invented for the dullness of soccer games.
And another big advantage in Football: It´s never over until the last second. You can be behind and still win with one single play when time expires**. It´s simply impossible in soccer. The max. you can do there is tieing a game when behind.

** Here is a great example of a last second miracle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3ykWbu2Gl0

 

[daveinzambia]

F1 is one the best designed sports ever

watch the start and first lap, fall asleep on your couch for a lovely 90 minute Sunday afternoon nap, wake up in time to watch the final lap.

 

[oldborn]

Once Milan-Inter, at their best sometimes ends with 1:0, Total Calcio.
Then cricket, and baseball for sure, but I found Taekwondo also boring, lot of noise, too much swift action and no one see anything.

Lately race walking, those guys looking like acting in some gay porno with black Dudes
I am just saying.

 

[LukeSchmid]

Horse racing is something I can find myself enjoying only if I see it live.

Dead horses don't run very fast so it has to be live.

 

[FoxxyBrown1111]

F1 is one the best designed sports ever

watch the start and first lap, fall asleep on your couch for a lovely 90 minute Sunday afternoon nap, wake up in time to watch the final lap.

Hilarious.... b/c it´s describing reality in a few words.

Once Milan-Inter, at their best sometimes ends with 1:0, Total Calcio.
Then cricket, and baseball for sure, but I found Taekwondo also boring, lot of noise, too much swift action and no one see anything.

Lately race walking, those guys looking like acting in some gay porno with black Dudes
I am just saying.

LMAO, funny but true.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I think pipo shouldn´t bash sports they don´t know or understand. If i criticise soccer, it´s rightfully earned. The game is dirty, overhyped, boring, corrupt, depending mostly on luck, and unfair. I grew up with it and played that game in league competition for long.

I think you bring up a good point, and I find myself have to explain American football as much as defend it when it's criticized. Or cycling to Americans for that matter.

This is why I singled out boxing. I do know quite a bit about the sport and it's history. Thus believe today it's as bad as any sport out there. It and the "Olympic Experience".

On the flip side, for the life of me I don't get cricket. But I don't think it's the worst sport, I just honestly don't know enough about it to make such an evaluation. If I spent a summer in Bermuda watching it I may change my mind and think it's great, or awful.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Agree with all you said. I singled out Piquet as last true champ, b/c since after then (1988+) dominant big company teams came up together with the big money. Science took over, while overtaken got eliminated (LOL). Bascially it became a 1-Man-Championship year in, year out (the best team´s managment decided who´s the No. 1 Driver, who got the best mechanics, newest material, etc.).

But then, why Piquet? Prost and Senna in '88 and '89 were teammates; yes you had the 1-team championship but there was no backing down over who was #1.

The worst "hights" were reached when Schumacher was No. 1 driver at Ferrari´s 500-Mio-Dollar-Experiment. Dull, dull, dull.... and he wasn´t even the best (Senna gave him no chance in the race of truth, qualifying that is: Until his death in 1994 it was 5-0 for Senna during that season). Senna could win with 2nd class cars like Lotus, even Mansell wasn´t as bad as tought (a true qualifiying champ when talent still mattered in the mid-80s). Nascar is wayyy better, IndyCar was, LeMans was, when they still had the long straight race track.
But the last 25 years, auto racing in europe is one great BS. I never watched a F1/Le Mans race since 1998, i had enough of wasting my time. Watching Boeing 747s starting is more interesting...

Watching Peter Dumbreck in the Mercedes in 1999 WAS like watching a Boeing 747 start. And you should give Le Mans another go. 2007, 2008 and 2011 were really good races. 2009 was a bit processional after the first 8 hours, while 2010 could have been exciting had all the Peugeots not blown up. Sebring has been pretty good in the last few years (in 2008 you had the LMP2 Porsches challenging and beating the LMP1 Audi, which would never happen at Le Mans because of the gulf in straight line speed) too.

 

[Cobblestones]

Since both chess and boxing has been mentioned, I give you chess boxing (which technically might also be some kind of biathlon).

 

[zapata]

Ah, the mystery of chessboxing.

 

[pedaling squares]

Boxing and soccer also get my votes because they do their best to make fantastic sports miserable to watch.

Soccer should be the most amazing game to watch, it should translate beautifully to television. Fluid, creative, spontaneous, athletic... at least that is how it should be. But I too often see a few seconds of creativity spoiled by minutes of neutral tactics, interrupted by moaning, diving, and wagging fingers in the face of the referee. Honestly, how the refs don't snap those fingers off and stick them where only doctors' digits venture...

Admittedly, there are still moments of sheer genius that make you forget about the 85 minutes of crap you just sat through.

Boxing, as someone else wrote, probably takes the greatest combination of skill and athleticism of all the sports. But the matches are ruined long before the athletes climb through the ropes. Worst of all, it has lost its mystique and too few athletes are taking up the sport in their youth. That's how sports die.

Thank God for rhythmic gymnastics!

 

[oldborn]

Yeah boxing. The day when boxing die IMO is when Tyson get mad, Lewis retired, Valujev/"Kličko cold war relics technical superior bros" take place and base in Germany.
We need Black hope, some juvenal criminal for sure. Or just tell Tyson that Kličko does not like pigeons

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Yeah boxing. The day when boxing die IMO is when Tyson get mad, Lewis retired, Valujev/"Kličko cold war relics technical superior bros" take place and base in Germany.
We need Black hope, some juvenal criminal for sure. Or just tell Tyson that Kličko does not like pigeons

If that was all it took to have a fight, Mike Tyson vs. Tom Lehrer would have been signed years ago.

 

[Mambo95]

And another big advantage in Football: It´s never over until the last second. You can be behind and still win with one single play when time expires**. It´s simply impossible in soccer. The max. you can do there is tieing a game when behind.

It's possible in the Champions League knock-out rounds due to the away goals rule