F the NCAA

[ChicagoHawk]

Even some televised summer exhibition games between major programs would be fun. I don’t fully understand why a CBB fan wouldn’t want a little extra basketball.

[Shirley]

I guess, to me, I feel like there’s not enough college basketball. November-January is swallowed by football. Just feels like as soon as college basketball gets good, it goes away.

It never used to for me.
Chiefs was always a far second for me.
Now it’s about even.

And I enjoy the summer being an offseason for all sports except for the Tour de France, which started today.

^^^

[jfish26]

Then everyone would complain about the guys that got injured in the summer and couldn't play in the fall.

But in basketball, how much is that really an issue? Shit, a guy who pops an ACL over the summer can now be back by conference play.

Look at Brandon Rush, almost 20 (gah!) years ago.

[pdub]

I guess, to me, I feel like there’s not enough college basketball. November-January is swallowed by football. Just feels like as soon as college basketball gets good, it goes away.

It never used to for me.
Chiefs was always a far second for me.
Now it’s about even.

And I enjoy the summer being an offseason for all sports except for the Tour de France, which started today.

^^^

I’d rather watch 20 Royals games this season in their entirety than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

It’s so so so boring.
So. Boring.

[pdub]

I’d rather watch 15 hours of Hallmark in July than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

[AlOerter]

Then everyone would complain about the guys that got injured in the summer and couldn't play in the fall.

But in basketball, how much is that really an issue? Shit, a guy who pops an ACL over the summer can now be back by conference play.

Look at Brandon Rush, almost 20 (gah!) years ago.

If it's a freshman or someone looking to have a breakout year, it is a major set-back.

[pdub]

I’d rather watch 20 hours of Ken Burns docs with no sound and no subtitles than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

[JKLivin]

I’d rather watch 15 hours of Hallmark in July than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

I’d rather watch Tour de France than soccer or baseball - numbers one and two on my list of most boring and pointless sports.

[TDub]

I guess, to me, I feel like there’s not enough college basketball. November-January is swallowed by football. Just feels like as soon as college basketball gets good, it goes away.

It never used to for me.
Chiefs was always a far second for me.
Now it’s about even.

And I enjoy the summer being an offseason for all sports except for the Tour de France, which started today.

^^^

I know 0 about cycling....and I with pdub....might be the most boring thing in the world for a spectator.


but...I randomly and without a clue that it was even happening until it was in front of me... watch Miguel Indurain win his 4th? tour de France. We happened to be on a bridge or maybe it was a little island on the river Seine right next to the Champs Elysses where they end the thing.

[TDub]

it was surprisingly packed. tons and tons of people going crazy....took us awhile to figure out what we'd wondered into

[pdub]

I’d rather watch 15 hours of Hallmark in July than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

I’d rather watch Tour de France than soccer or baseball - numbers one and two on my list of most boring and pointless sports.

Soccer rivals CBB and NFL in excitement for me.
It is the most popular sport in the world for a reason.

[RainbowsandUnicorns]

I’d rather watch 15 hours of Hallmark in July than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

I’d rather watch Tour de France than soccer or baseball - numbers one and two on my list of most boring and pointless sports.

Soccer rivals CBB and NFL in excitement for me.
It is the most popular sport in the world for a reason.

Soccer is the most popular sport because...... it's the most exciting? Well, a lot of people would say as such but I respectfully disagree. It's only exciting to me when it is the World Cup.

I believe the main reason Soccer is popular is because of its simplicity and easy ability for people to play it - and then relate to the best players.

For someone to say soccer and baseball are pointless - makes me question what sport/s they feel have/make a point.
Baseball is a thinking man's sport. There is a lot of mental and physical skill involved. One of the best sports ever invented. Meanwhile, I won't watch a full regular season MLB game unless I am attending it in person.

[pdub]

“ I believe the main reason Soccer is popular is because of its simplicity and easy ability for people to play it - and then relate to the best players.”

I think this is a factor but it’s also severely underselling the billions of people who find the sport exciting because of the actual play on the field.

[JKLivin]

I’d rather watch 15 hours of Hallmark in July than 1 hour of people riding bikes.

I’d rather watch Tour de France than soccer or baseball - numbers one and two on my list of most boring and pointless sports.

Soccer rivals CBB and NFL in excitement for me.
It is the most popular sport in the world for a reason.

There’s little to no scoring and lots of fake injuries. That’s not exciting in my book. Tour de France is an amazing test of endurance, courage, and strategy. An admirable undertaking in my book.

I recognize that some of my disdain is generational. When I was a kid, the only people who played soccer were foreign exchange students and guys who were too weak and timid to go out for football. Not a good way to get girls to go out with you.

I managed to get all three of my older kids through school without having to go to a soccer game. Now, I’m working on making sure my 9-month old gets interested in tennis and basketball so I can keep the streak alive.

[pdub]

I’m a man.
Foreign people and weak timid boys make me upset.
They don’t get hot girls.

I’m cool. I played football. I got hot girls.

Eyeroll out of my skull.

[jfish26]

I think soccer is awesome, but it doesn’t really sing until you get to the highest levels (where the collective skill and savvy just makes the whole thing amazing).

(It’s also such a friendlier consumer sport than most American sports; no breaks, not over-long.)

[Shirley]

I’d rather watch Tour de France than soccer or baseball - numbers one and two on my list of most boring and pointless sports.

Soccer rivals CBB and NFL in excitement for me.
It is the most popular sport in the world for a reason.

There’s little to no scoring and lots of fake injuries. That’s not exciting in my book. Tour de France is an amazing test of endurance, courage, and strategy. An admirable undertaking in my book.

I recognize that some of my disdain is generational. When I was a kid, the only people who played soccer were foreign exchange students and guys who were too weak and timid to go out for football. Not a good way to get girls to go out with you.

I managed to get all three of my older kids through school without having to go to a soccer game. Now, I’m working on making sure my 9-month old gets interested in tennis and basketball so I can keep the streak alive.

"...lots of fake injuries..."

^^^

I don't hate soccer and played some indoors during med school and really enjoyed it. But, it's insulting to watch a grown man who I'm supposed to hold in high regard because of their exulted physical skills who was just writhing in pain on the pitch one minute pop up and resume playing as if nothing every happened, the next. If your heart is in the WWE, make yourself happy and go do that, and let us watch a competition without the fake drama. dammit

This day and age I'd be surprised if you can avoid your kid playing soccer again, KJ. And, it's such fantastic exercise for them, it would be hard for me to discourage it.

When I was in grade school "soccer" was played on a baseball field, and the pitcher rolled the ball to the "batter" who kicked it and then took off to run the bases. I loved "soccer". The best part about it was fielding the ball and throwing and hitting people running between the bases to get them out.
By high school we played soccer a little but no one knew what they were doing, there was no strategy of any kind, and, of course, everyone simply migrated toward the ball unless they were the goalies. Maul ball, if you will.

Great story about happening onto the TDF, TDub. My wife and I had it on our bucket list to attend.

Until I got into mt biking I wouldn't have given you a nickel to watch cycling, either. But once you understand the strategy and have done some cycling yourself, it can be pretty interesting.

There are 21,000 feet of elevation gain, climbing, in yesterday and today's first two stages of the 21-stage TDF.
That's some suffering.

[pdub]

I’m not doubting the incredible shape you have to be in to cycle competitively.

It’s just like race car driving or marathon running or cross country skiing etc. it’s just so dull to me.

[AlOerter]

There are lots of sports that take a tremendous amount of skill, stamina, strength, speed, agility, mental acuity, etc., but not all of them are fun to watch by everyone. People tend to watch what they know the best. In the USA we have a vast array of choices. We even have a professional pickle-ball league for Pete's sake! Many of us on this board played basketball or football or have someone close to us that does or did.