Sports: The topic that will probably turn into a debate

[PJ]

I like badminton and curling.

I wish curling was publicized more often.

[Shad Lexer]

This:


Or this:





Why do you think it isn't publicized more?

[PJ]

It doesn't matter to me why it's not. Afterall, I prefer curling to baseball. I just wish it was.

[Jonathan]

After thinking a lot about it, I've decided I don't like to watch sports. Well, no, I realized that several years ago--I mean I couldn't think of a sport I like to watch (especially in the case of football, what on earth is wrong with the Vikings besides the obvious fact that they can't play the game?). I do like playing various sports with friends now and then just for the fun of it, but none of this organized team stuff where you actually pay attention to all the rules

edit--And after thinking about the last sentence I just wrote, I've come to the conclusion that Calvinball would be a good game for me

[Clodius Albinus]

Having the Vikings for a team would sour a person on football, but now that they're getting some young blood in there, like Gus Frerotte, things are bound to improve!

(And if not, perhaps Brad Childress can coax Vinny Testeverde back into the league.)

[Jonathan]

Having the Vikings for a team would sour a person on football, but now that they're getting some young blood in there, like Gus Frerotte, things are bound to improve!

That's because things can't get much worse

And it wasn't just the Vikings souring me on football--over the last several years, for a variety of reasons, I've lost any and all interest in watching sports. Football was one of the first sports where I lost interest.

[King Butter Turtle]

Volleyball is a sport, but juggling is not. I suppose I didn't specify, but I was mainly talking about team sports, and that's why golf wasn't on the list.

I personally love, love playing ping-pong. I could play for hours, but I won't really say its a sport. Tennis is a sport, and ping-pong is a game for people who can't play tennis at the current time.

Also, curling may take skill or whatever, but I still think it's the dumbest thing besides professional badminton.

Juggling is a sport!

Table tennis is a sport!

Curling is an awesome sport!

Badminton is an awesome sport!



or





or

[Shad Lexer]

You have to be reasonable, they weren't even playing in those baseball pictures.. But even still, that lush green field looks better than some bald guy throwing balls in the air anyways.

Maybe if they technically are sports, they are still lame.

[Clodius Albinus]

I shall use this forum to relay an observation of no significance or value, and which could, perhaps, be contradicted: fantasy leagues are to sports what speculation markets are to commodities, at least where the owners and commissioners are concerned. They make the sport a constant consideration, but level out the peaks and valleys.

Were I not involved in two fantasy leagues, for instance, I could take greater pleasure than I already do in the under-performance of the Browns and Colts. As a fantasy owner, however, these reactions are moderated by concern for the continued utility of Reggie Wayne, a designated keeper in one of my leagues, and Braylon Edwards, whom I acquired in trade at the conclusion of week one.

On the other hand, my antipathy towards the Cowboys for their recent victories would be much stronger were I not starting Marion Barber and Jason Witten in one league, and Terrell Owens in another. Speculation charts a middle course, moderating the reactions of the market, and similarly, fantasy leagues moderate the temperament of the team owner.

There is, finally, the ethical component. Some question the morality of speculation in general, while others content themselves to question certain trading practices. There are, of course, similar questionable trading practices in fantasy leagues, and sometimes the profit motive comes before one's sense of propriety. How else to explain my decision to draft Terrell Owens in the fourth round?

You may now return to the question of what constitutes a sport. I, on the other hand, will be keeping an eye on the Keystone Bowl, the battle of Browns past and present, and the game in which I am unreasonably hoping that David Garrard will put up better numbers than Peyton Manning.

And that, my friends (to borrow from Sen. McCain), is putting principle over self-interest, since David Garrard is starting against one of my teams today. It gets worse when you consider that one of my foes is starting Willie Parker as well. On the other hand, I won't have much trouble rooting against Brett Favre, Phil Dawson, or the Dallas defensive unit. And he may not be on either of my rosters, but here's hoping for a phenomenal game by Aaron Rogers and his supporting cast. Let's see Donald Driver outperform Terrell Owens as Dallas falls to 2-1. But still, Wade Phillips, give it to Marion Barber on the goal line a few times, okay? None of this Felix Jones substitution nonsense!

[King Butter Turtle]

You have to be reasonable, they weren't even playing in those baseball pictures.. But even still, that lush green field looks better than some bald guy throwing balls in the air anyways.

Maybe if they technically are sports, they are still lame.

Wow, I can not believe you just dissed Jason Garfield, one of the greatest jugglers ever to live. I don't know what your qualifications are for being a sport, but just 'cause you don't like something doesn't mean it's a children's game. None of those sports are lame at all, well... except baseball.

[Jonathan]

You have to be reasonable, they weren't even playing in those baseball pictures.. But even still, that lush green field looks better than some bald guy throwing balls in the air anyways.

Maybe if they technically are sports, they are still lame.

Wow, I can not believe you just dissed Jason Garfield, one of the greatest jugglers ever to live. You are such a jerk, I don't know what your qualifications are for being a sport, but just 'cause you don't like something doesn't mean it's a children's game. None of those sports are lame at all, well... except baseball.

I'm not a mod, but still,

1. Don't resort to name-calling.

2. You're hypocritical in that post, getting mad at him for dissing your sports, and then you go and dis his.

Just one reason I don't like sports. Folks take things far too seriously.

[Termite]

You think they're taking it seriously? I was crying when the Charlotte Eagles lost the championship...

Time stops for those inside the stadium. He steps up, places the ball on the spot. He steps back, all his focus on the object awaiting him. Everything becomes quiet. The ref blows his whistle. The player takes several running steps, and shoots. It takes the ball an eternity to find its mark, but when it does...
It has found the back of the net.
The World Cup is theirs.

Football. It's the Beautiful Game. It's active - no stopping for about 47 minutes unless there's a foul our other dead ball. In England especially, the ball is constantly moving around. The ball never stays in a perimiter of 20 feet very long. Balls are played up, back, across, wherever it needs to go. Players challenge for the ball by sliding in, either tackling the ball successfully - or the person by accident or intent.

Teams battle for some of the most well-known competitions: the jewel of England - the FA Cup, the European championship - the Champions League. The UEFA Champions League.
The league cups: Barclay's Premiere League, the Scudetto, the La Liga, and other various leagues.
And then there is the Super Cup. That is between the Champions League and UEFA Champions League winners. That completely desides who is the greatest European champion.

And yet even then there are so many lesser leagues. League Champions, League 1, League 2, Conference Nationa - which are all in England, with more than 10 leagues underneath CN.
Serie B, Serie C, Lega Pro Prima Division 1 & 2, Serie D, Eccellenza, and Promozione. Italy.
Segunda Division, and Segunda Division B. Spain.
And then think of all the other countries that probably have more than one league. And all the youth clubs pertaining to every professional team there is. And then all the amateur, for younger children. Recreation. Club. School. There are so many.

There are several world class clubs from each league. Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool. Inter Milan, Juventus, Roma, AC Milan. Barcelona, Villareal, Real Madrid. Those are all noted as the top teams in the world - none can match them, unless they have an off-game or are missing nearly haf their starting squad.

Some of the most well-known athletes compete in Barclays, Serie A, La Liga - where in Serie A there are 3 'International Player of the Year' on one club, AC Milan. Ronadhino, Kaka, Andri Shevchenko. And yet there are so many more. Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Fernando Torres, Thierry Henry, and David Beckham - who happens to be the highest paid athlete in the world at 50 million a year. And then there are so many teenagers who one day could eclipse any of those men in years to come: Alexandre Pato, Jo, Carlos Vela, and Jack Wilshere - who is 16 and started for Arsenal and scored in his debut.

Who could not love the Beautiful Game? It is the most popular sport world-wide. It is the national sport in nearly every country. Players come from all over the world to the numerous leagues, from Africa, Asia, South America, North America, even - though those players are few and far beyond.

Are there any channels solely for baseball, football, tennis, swimming?
Channel 147: Fox Soccer Channel.

Football. Yet with all of its beautiful aspects, there is still agony when your club fails to reach the Champions League final, loses their league title, or even loses one of their greates players to injury, retirement, or tansfer to another team.

Football fans truly understand the agony of tragic love.

~*~

*coughs* *hops off of *
Sooo... did anybody actually read that? I wouldn't blame you if you didn't.
Soc-football all the way! Every other sport annoys me...(excluding things like swimming and such, Olympic games like that)

Y'Know that sport with the oblong brown ball? That's throwball.

[Jonathan]

You think they're taking it seriously? I was crying when the Charlotte Eagles lost the championship...

Case in point

Football. It's the Beautiful Game. It's active - no stopping for about 47 minutes unless there's a foul our other dead ball. In England especially, the ball is constantly moving around.

It took me a while to realize that you were talking about what we call soccer, and I was confused for a bit there.

[Termite]

That's because techincally it is football... I mean, they punt the ball and kick field-goals with it in the American version of rugby. That's why we call it 'throwball'.

Oh! Rugby! I knew I was forgetting something. I've yet to watch a full rugby game, but from what I've seen of the highlights it'd probably become my second-favorite sport.

[Aeva]

Wow, Kaka. What a post.

I love soccer too.

The trick to really appreciating soccer is to not watch the player with the ball. You have to watch all the players around the ball. According to my coach, "Don't be where the ball is. Be where the ball is going to be."