thebluefood Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Pretty straight forward question. For me, it's baseball. It always has been baseball and it always will be baseball. I love the history of the game. It's so woven in with the United States and its people. Baseball predates the Civil War and America's Centennial. There have been so many great characters that have emerged from the game, heroes, villains, and clowns. Even its biggest black eye has brought forth some of the best and most entertaining sport this nation has ever seen. It is thoroughly American. I say this not in spite of, but because of, the fact that it came from many different versions of European (many of them British) bat and ball games. How much more American can you get? I love the general pace of baseball, which seems to be the biggest complaint its critics have. I love the fact that you can breathe during a baseball game. While you're watching a football or basketball or hockey game, you're holding your breath until the end of the game. In baseball, there is excitement. You just have to wait a little while for it. No one has ever claimed baseball to be "America's Sport." Many, though, have called it "America's Past Time." It's the sort of game you watch or play after church or during a picnic. It's meant to be absorbed and enjoyed methodically. In a world where things are whizzing by a mile at minute, it's nice to watch a game that is in no hurry. It's a "Sunday" kind of game. I don't think football has any business being played on Sunday. It rushes and hurries. Sundays are supposed to be for relaxing before you go to work the next day. Most of all, though, I think I love baseball because of its general mood. It's a lighthearted, jovial kind of game. It's sentimental. Apart from the names and faces, baseball has changed very little in the past century. As corny as it sounds, it does bring back images of fathers playing catch with their sons or family trips to the ball park. All of those things, thankfully, were part of my childhood. It's one of the things we can look at, as Americans, and say "well, at least we got that right." I'll take a quote from Ken Burn's film and say that the three greatest things America produced were the Constitution, Jazz music, and baseball. The beautiful game to the rest of the world is soccer. In America, though, it's baseball. It is truly a beautiful game and I love it dearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Short answer: Football, otherwise I wouldn't post on this site so much. I love all sports. But if I only had one to watch it would be football. So for you it's more tradition and nostalgia. At this point...it doesn't resonate to most Americans in today's world. Still a great game though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shuler74 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 The funny thing is I always raised and played basketball and football but the only sport I have never played in a team is baseball, so my favorites sport to play would be baseball. There is something special about playing baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Ice Hockey. The speed, physicality, intensity, finesse... it can't be matched. There is no sporting event like a Stanley Cup Playoffs game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushwack Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Ice Hockey. The speed, physicality, intensity, finesse... it can't be matched. There is no sporting event like a Stanley Cup Playoffs game. I agree with your reasons with Ice Hockey; however, my favorite sport soccer has great speed, intensity, and finesse as well, and there's a lot more physicality in soccer than most regular American sport fans realize. As for the 2nd part of your statement, I can't agree. There's no sporting event like a World Cup game. Any World Cup game trumps any American sporting event, including the Super Bowl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 You know, it's strange. Though I love football and baseball most of all, I've found myself enjoying the Stanley Cup playoffs, the World Cup, and even the UEFA Championship game immensely. These are sports I don't usually watch, but when all the chips are down, they are "must see TV." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I agree about Stanley Cup. The rest, I just watch when I catch it. I watched more of the French Open than I did the World Cup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Well, my #1 is obvious since I'm like 99% of this website so my #2 is hockey. Fast-paced, physical and exciting. Crowds are into the game the entire game. But what separates it is the NHL's (IMO) vast superiority. Since 2000, 9 teams have won the Stanley Cup. That's more than the NBA in 30 years. That is what a sports league is supposed to be all about. Any team can win any year. When you enter the Cup Playoffs, you cannot pick a final four with striking accuracy 9 years out of 10, you just don't know and that's something any sports fan can love. The 8-seed could advance to the Finals every year. And it's not a league based on having a having a couple superstars..Stanley Cup playoff overtime is the best in sports, period. A single bounce, deflection, screen or tip can end a season and every possession is raw anxiety. A series can change in an instant. Bonus - if Ovechkin or Crosby or the Sedins take a penalty, they don't get away with it because of preferential treatment; and embellishment penalties are called. Not every game but they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Sticks, same thing can happen in NFL overtime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Favorite Sport to play: Basketball Favorite:Sport to watch: Football I like all sports though. Could talk about them all except for cricket. :whoknows: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticksboi05 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Sticks, same thing can happen in NFL overtime. Well, not anymore now. But yes, that is one reason that I was disappointed about the dumb rule changes. Sudden death creates the best sports situations. So why take that away from playoff football? But let's ponder this -- how many playoff football games go into multiple overtimes? How many Stanley Cup playoff games go into multiple overtimes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRobi21 Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Football. Grew up on it. The greatest sport there is. There it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Favorite Sport to play: BasketballFavorite:Sport to watch: Football I like all sports though. Could talk about them all except for cricket. :whoknows: I have honestly tried to watch a cricket game, since it is one of the predecessors to baseball. Folks, if you think baseball takes forever, you should try taking in a cricket game. Good heavens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Yes, indeed. Playing basketball only sucks if you have zero coordination. Love playing ball and miss playing a few nights a week. Love playing football too though. EDIT: Cricket is interesting, but brutal after more than 20 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 I have honestly tried to watch a cricket game, since it is one of the predecessors to baseball. Folks, if you think baseball takes forever, you should try taking in a cricket game. Good heavens. I know nothing about it. No positions, how to score points, equipment, nothing...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 I know nothing about it. No positions, how to score points, equipment, nothing...... Yeah, it was hard to follow. I don't know. Maybe I'm missing something. I'll have to do more research on it Maybe if I understood it, I'd be able to appreciate it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Yes, indeed. Playing basketball only sucks if you have zero coordination. Love playing ball and miss playing a few nights a week. Love playing football too though.EDIT: Cricket is interesting, but brutal after more than 20 minutes. People said I was better at football because of my quickness and hands, but I think I was better at basketball. All you need is one or two people to play basketball. You need at least 10-14 people to get a good game of football going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royallypwned Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Basketball and it's not close. Mavs are my favorite team (obviously) and again, it's not close. I would shed no tear if the Cowboys were to cease to exist as a franchise if it meant the Mavs won the championship this year. Basketball and the Mavs mean 100000 times more to me than football or the Cowboys ever will. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 Basketball and it's not close. Mavs are my favorite team (obviously) and again, it's not close. I would shed no tear if the Cowboys were to cease to exist as a franchise if it meant the Mavs won the championship this year. Basketball and the Mavs mean 100000 times more to me than football or the Cowboys ever will. Well, what is it about basketball that you love so much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renaissance Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 jai alai. mostly because it's fun to say. really though it's soccer and i don't think that's a huge surprise. i love the combination of intensity, endurance, finesse, strategy, athleticism, and skill. i also love that it's arguably the hardest sport to score in. it's a true team sport, it's likely the most international sport there is, it's a sport with tons of great history, and it's fun to watch and play. probably doesn't hurt that i grew up playing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Basketball and it's not close. Mavs are my favorite team (obviously) and again, it's not close. I would shed no tear if the Cowboys were to cease to exist as a franchise if it meant the Mavs won the championship this year. Basketball and the Mavs mean 100000 times more to me than football or the Cowboys ever will. You just said that. MLSKINS, I am good at both but great at neither at this point. Too old to beat you on a break but good enough to post you up or pass. Too old to run you over, but strong enough to let you know you didn't win the hit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Destino Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Favorite to play, basketball. I play at least twice a week. Favorite to watch is a tie between NBA and NFL. Really enjoy both. Best tournament however is the world cup and nothing else comes close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kosher Ham Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Harder to score in Hockey Ren. That is not an argument. I think hockey has all of those things you listed. But soccer is not that much fun to watch. And as far as international..that means nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrypticVillain Posted June 4, 2011 Share Posted June 4, 2011 Well, what is it about basketball that you love so much? I don't know about him, but too me, basketball is the sport where you can be the most creative. It's just as fun to watch as it is to play. Can't say that about all sports. Like Soccer. I can't stand watching a soccer match. But if you want me to play, I will meet you at the pitch. Same with baseball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thebluefood Posted June 4, 2011 Author Share Posted June 4, 2011 When I was in high school, I had to make a decision: baseball or music (with the school band). I picked music. Never played baseball again after 8th grade. I think I made the correct decision, but what I wouldn't give to give baseball another chance. It's so difficult to organize pick-up games (much harder than basketball). I play on the church softball league, but it isn't the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.