MX Linux Forum

A supposed-to-be light-hearted discussion thread about your favorite sports to watch.

Firstly a preamble. An occasional look at Federer vs Nadal vs Djokovic or Serena Williams is 100% compulsory watching, from time to time, Olympics of course to some degree and both the summer and winter versions, some rarer Field Hockey except for disliking the blue pitches quite intensely, Super Bowl maybe or else not and maybe Cricket once in a while. Used to watch Tour de France, but perennial doping related scandals eventually killed the joy. Track cycling quite nice though. Used to love association football, but nowadays the major leagues are dominated almost completely by one single team – Bayern, Juventus, Paris, Barcelona/Real Madrid and Man City - while most televised matches showcase only Messi, Ronaldo or Guardiola’s team. Also so much diving or flopping over theatrically, over-reactions to and making the most of any small contact to claim the foul and serial crowding of and disrespect to the Referee. The recent women’s world cup was a bit more civilized.

1) Rugby Union is my own erennial favorite, but only in small doses the upcoming Japan World Cup and/or some 6 nations or Southern Hemisphere action. Like it because of the extreme physicality but also coming with a good amount of flair too. Plus the fans can fiercely cheer on their side and show fanatical passion - but still just mingle freely together and have a good time. The players too. They fully respect the Referee and mostly each other. Fight for everything fiercely and still show camaraderie. The points scoring system is also just the right amount, I’d like to think. Not 2.5 goals like soccer or 100+ baskets like NBA, but a fair sized 7~8 scores per team. Also like that the match clock can be stopped and that the team in possession is allowed to play-on far past final whistle, until the opponent legally recovers the ball.

2) Always quite like the NBA, but only really watch the play-offs. Fast-paced, high-scoring and some amazing skills. Don’t understand it all fully, like the intricacies and tactical nuances of player positioning (i.e. I can never spot traveling) - but can still revel in the sheer ability of Durant/Curry/Klay vs LeBron/Kyrie vs Kawhi/Kyle vs Harden vs Westbrook.

3) Formula One. Love cars to bits and modern-day 4K+ TV’s are simply just made for this sport. Use PiP and PuP to heart’s content. Granted, the current almost total domination of Hamilton and the Mercedes Power Unit in the current V6 hybrid era makes for much ultra boring and procession-style racing. Ferrari do try to compete but mostly on sheer power versus overall car balance while Red Bull is best of the rest. McLaren maybe returning. However in yesteryear, Schumacher also entirely dominated too. There are also only 4 engine suppliers nowadays and one single tyre supplier and the cars are simply enormous these days and very heavy to boot. Hard to get overtaking really happening.

For all the predictable snoozefests though - some few circuits do guarantee lots of fun. Especially, the higher altitude circuits - like Austria (what a race!) , Mexico and Brazil – which completely cancel-out Mercedes incredible downforce and their very tightly packed engine cannot be cooled in the thinner air either. Then super-talent Verstappen can compete fully. The future looks bright enough. Verstappen, LeClerc and Norris all look destined to battle it out with Hamilton in the next few years.

4) I also just simply love competitive Chess (possibly contentious if it can be called a sport, by many). I’ll almost stop at this, as otherwise a huge risk of descending into the very murky waters of tldr stuff. Playing it, watching it, more liking the older non-computerized version of it, but the rise of Stockfish could not ever be stopped. Huge admiration for Magnus nowadays, but more liking of the school of Fischer/Karpov/Kasparov ...when nothing was quite so clear cut. Also still a time-frame when almost all (Russian) Chess knowledge just told you to always play (or seek to play) the very best move at all times. Nonsense states Stockfish. Give me still Kasparov-Topalov anno 1999, when this knowledge was not yet fully known or else implemented. A very easy draw for Black, but then the world would not have seen a mesmeric sequence of moves to justify a bold rook sac on d4, with it’s true point only to be seen many, many moves ahead. Sometimes the more you know is not better.

The other Chess great in Karpov’s best-ever game was also versus Topalov too btw, just 5 years earlier ….as-in it always takes two to tango. Topalov always fully prepared to risk the consequences of losing, if he could not fully “see” the winning sequence of moves, often deeply hidden. Toplaov could have easily liquidated both positions to simple draws and nowadays he surely might have done so, but he did not think that way and did not overly respect the top of the tree in Chess. His attitude was one of “I don’t see it, so you must prove it to me”. Prove it they both then did, with piece sacrifice after piece sacrifice. This stuff was ideal for both Kasparov and Karpov too. The opponent would not get suspicious and just flee to a drawn game, but would fight you all-the-way into history-making and shaping games, by trying to either prove or disprove the soundness of a singular move.

Chess is very different now, best-move seeking no longer applies, tiny advantages and lesser known lines abound. Forcing lines are almost left unplayed. A very different animal.

Competitive dance! Irish dancers are a very competitive bunch, and outdoing each other when it comes to that really fancy noisy fun dance is awesome to watch! American clogging (think of what Redneck Riverdance would look like) is almost as competitive, and in multiple categories. My favorite is a capella, where the only music is the tap, slide, chug, and stomp sounds the dancers make. In competition they actually turn the judges' chairs around and they judge only by what they hear rather than on how great the cloggers look doing it.

Most of the sports I watch are those which I do myself as past time activities. I usually watch:

1) Mountain bike races - I love watching the UCI mountain bike world cup & world championships (Nino Schurter just won his first WC for 2019 last weekend). I can stand watching these races that last around 1.5 hours each. Something I would not have time for if it was NASCAR.

2) NBA & NCAA basketball - Unlike American football, basketball is so easy to understand by just watching it.

3) Pro Boxing - This was my top favorite during the early 90's when all of the popular fighters were not "defense only" cowards. I'm not impressed if a fighter has ZERO loss if his style is to run away from the opponent for 12 rounds (winning only because the fighter would earn points by tagging the opponent that is trying to catch him as he runs away).

4) Chess - Unless it's a blitz match, I don't watch the games as they progress. I just review the moves after the matches.

5) Archery - My interest in archery started before I entered 1st grade in school, and I made my own bows & arrows (imagine how bad they were). But I've lost interest as I grew up, because I couldn't find anybody else who's in to archery. But my interest rekindled recently after watching the Korea vs France match last 2016 Olympics. My first real bow (yes, unlike the ones I used when I was a kid) will be coming this week. I just wish I had thought of this when my eyesight was still perfect 20/20.

Baseball in the summer even though the Toronto Blue Jays are dreadful this year and basketball in the winter because, well, it's the Raptors -- reigning NBA champions. I also like to watch the major golf tournaments including the Tournament Players Championship and the Ryder Cup.

Rider cam motorbike racing. There's nothing quite like watching footage of the horizon tipping over to 60 degrees when cornering and the tarmac ahead turning into the sky as the bike power stands through the gears and the bikes ahead laying long rubber lines around corners because the tyres are nearly unwinding themselves under intense acceleration. Only thing is, I can't do it too often because I might get a growling from the pacemaker clinic

None. Games are fun to play sometimes but I have no interest in watching others play them. I've attended a baseball game, a basketball game, and a junior hockey game with friends but I only went to spend a sociable afternoon or evening with my mates. I used to occasionally watch the Seattle Seahawks play on Sundays just so I could participate in the Monday-morning conversations with my co-workers, but I could take it or leave it. I'd never attend a game on my own (and pay ten bucks for a paper cup of draft American lager beer, or worse, Bud Light.)

I used to have a C-band satellite TV dish and receiver setup and one Superbowl Sunday I got bored with the game (there wasn't anything else to do but watch it) and I started channel- and "bird"-hopping. I found Univision's live feed of the game and watched the Superbowl in Spanish for a while (I don't even speak Spanish, but I was that bored), then... do you know that one camera that they cut to every so often that shows close-ups one of the fans in the stadium? Well, that camera is actually always on and zooming in at various people and I found its live uplink feed, so I sat there and watched people watching the Superbowl for a while. (I have basically no interest whatsoever in televised sports.)

When I was a kid though, I used to like watching "The Wide, Wide World of Sports." They had sporting events and games that as an American I'd never seen or heard of. I remember one All-Ireland National hurling championship game which IIRC was between Ulster and Connaught. The rules were, you get two substitutions if some of your players get seriously injured or killed, but no more than that: you just keep playing short-handed. Also, whatever the referee doesn't personally see is legal. No protests by players allowed. I think Connaught won, and I remember that the team members lifted their captain onto their shoulders and carried him around in celebration. He'd gotten his front teeth completely knocked out and there was blood all over his chin and shirt. Oh, yes: this was an amateur sport and his day job was Catholic priest!

Watch less and less as time goes on. As a teenager, very much a sports fan, live and die with the local teams, played all sports. Now not so much. Occasionally attend local uni football, semi-pro baseball, junior hockey. Like to orienteer, but do it badly.

Do more listening on the radio than watch on TV because that seems like such a wasted commitment of time. While half-listening, can do other things. Does anyone else remember when baseball games were reconstructed via ticker tape feeds? Used to listen to Detroit Tigers games that way as a kid. Had me fooled.

Baseball and football (U.S.). Born a Cubs fan, been a Bronco's fan for 50 years...

My favorite sport is Cricket. Born in the West Indies, so it's obvious....

Any kind of racing is my druthers.

One example: Youtube link

Oh yeah why? Been a 2 wheeler nut since a kid.

NFL Football.
I have subscription to NFL Redzone. Non stop action. No commercials.
I am in some Fantasy leagues so I keep up with the stats.

I love motorbike racing: World Superbikes, British Superbikes, the TT and especially MotoGP. I ride a motorbike for a living so it's good to get some tips

m_pav wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2019 3:36 am the horizon tipping over to 60 degrees when cornering

Did you see Marc Marquez at Sachsenring this weekend? 66° of lean at turn 3

I know it might be hard to believe, but for me it's IU football and basketball.

When I quit drinking I would still to go to bars, drink cokes, and hang out. Watching folks get drunk, and act like fools while I was sober was eye opening. To me it seems the same when I'm around folks watching sports.

Head_on_a_Stick wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2019 12:43 pm Did you see Marc Marquez at Sachsenring this weekend? 66° of lean at turn 3

No I didn't. That's mental and I love it. The town I live in used to have an annual Paeroa Battle of the Streets all-day Bike Race event and it was just so awesome, but the 20-year license expired and the new regulations made it just too expensive to re-apply. Talk about a real stinker.

5-day cricket ..... not

Old Giza wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:27 am Watch less and less as time goes on.

Same here. I still follow sports quite a bit -- reading articles, checking standings and stats -- but I don't sit and watch nearly as much as I used to. And I don't like to pay to watch anything anymore.

Old Giza wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2019 9:27 amDo more listening on the radio than watch on TV because that seems like such a wasted commitment of time.

Yep. Or if I do have something on tv, I'm usually listening more than watching, or glancing over at the tube here and there.

uncle mark wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2019 8:08 pm I know it might be hard to believe, but for me it's IU football and basketball.

There you go! Well, I'm not really an IU fan, but I always like seeing your avatar, man! I grew up in Michigan, watching the Spartans, Wolverines, etc. I liked IU in hoop, when I wasn't hating them! These days, when it comes to Big Ten hoop and football, I'm more a fan of the game than a fan of any particular team, though. (That's really how it is for me now when it comes to all sports -- I like the competition, and I'm usually pulling for the underdogs instead of always pulling for a certain team. I love upsets!)

Anyway...

- The Olympics (just about any event), World Cup soccer, the Grand Slam tennis tournaments.
- The NBA, the WNBA, and college basketball -- mostly during the playoffs and the NCAA tournament.
- The NFL. And I'll look at some college football, but I don't bother watching bowl games anymore.
- I have a hard time sitting through MLB games on tv. Being at the ballpark is a lot more fun for me, but it's been a while since I've been able to attend any MLB games. And sometimes I like to kick back in the stands and watch high school baseball and softball.

(non-American) Football.

Others that I do watch occasionally are badminton, tennis, rugby (well, 7-a-side at least), even golf.

Nothing where vehicles, humans or animals go round and round (or up and down) a track or circuit numerous times ad nauseam.

jj1j1 wrote: Thu Jul 11, 2019 8:36 pm When I quit drinking

I once didn't drink for 14 years.




Then I turned 15.

jackdanielsesq wrote: Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:18 am 5-day cricket ..... not

Many decades ago it used to be longer, until a result was achieved, even if it took 10 or 11 days.

Hence, why did the English invent cricket?

Because they're not a particularly religious lot so the game of cricket gave them some idea of the concept of eternity.

LU344928 wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2019 11:49 am

jackdanielsesq wrote: Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:18 am 5-day cricket ..... not

Many decades ago it used to be longer, until a result was achieved, even if it took 10 or 11 days.

Hence, why did the English invent cricket?

Because they're not a particularly religious lot so the game of cricket gave them some idea of the concept of eternity.

No that's not it. Ever read the rules? Whoever invented this sport definitely put the "O" in o.c.d.

j2mcgreg wrote: Thu Jul 18, 2019 12:53 pm No that's not it. Ever read the rules? Whoever invented this sport definitely put the "O" in o.c.d.

While there is some controversy over its origins the general consensus of opinion is that it 'may' have come from south-east England.

But whoever presented that little q&a (can't recall where I heard it) was just poking fun at the English.

No worries, cricket isn't even a sport.

Russia's sports ministry has refused to include cricket on its register of officially recognised sports.

The order was issued on 15 July - the day after England's dramatic Cricket World Cup final win over New Zealand.

Among the sports officially recognised in Russia are petanque, draughts and mini-golf.

I once went to a cricket match when very young. Had no idea what was going on, and still can't get the scoring even after making several attempts to read the rules.

I prefer amateur level rather than pro, especially boxing, because it makes you realize how hard and technical it is. When you're only used to watch the pros, you think it's easy and natural, because every move they do is perfect or near perfection. Also, amateur level is much more fun when one team or player is way better than their opponent. It becomes a "show" :)

First the why - I am a former athlete and competitor. I loved the competition and the effort it took to get better. I loved to win but even more I loved the effort and the fight to control my mind and body. I never did drugs but I imagine that sports done at a high level must be as euphoric. It was for me.

When I was young I was always looking for a competitive game. If there was no takers I would run and try to best myself, or lift weights, or play tennis against a wall or basketball on a hoop.

I like to play sports more than watch. But as I've aged I play less. But I still watch. I like watching if I see effort and competition. I switch it off if I detect apathy or self interest.

Secondly, what I watch:

Baseball (Yankee fan since early teens in Seattle. Now live in New York so it's now a good fit. Also like to root for the Mariners but often disappointed)

Basketball (Still play once in awhile. Knicks fan, again often disappointed. Liberty fan)

Tennis - Will watch almost any match. Was a Jonny Mac (John McEnroe) fan when young - now like the big four and Serena. Still play.

Golf - Mostly watch the majors. Still play.

Football (North American grid-iron style) - New York Giants fan. Washington Huskies fan. Former Seahawks and Bills fan.

Football (Called Soccer here in US) - Tottenham Spurs supporter. Like watching EPL matches. Also international tournaments. Also watch NY Red Bulls and NYCFC and Seattle Sounders in MLS. Also Follow USWNT.

Formula 1, Indycar, Sportscar (a little bit of Nascar occasionally)

Olympics - track and field, weight lifting, skiing, skating, archery, swimming, diving, water polo, hand ball, hockey, curling, crew rowing, etc.

Seaken64

Enjoyed watching The Open today. Congrats Lowry!

Agreed xxx my partner and I set-up an
MRO facility in SG, and were invited to a country club to watch a cricket game - we passed, not
in that sweltering heat, but our hosts graciously insisted, say the English were in town, promised
an exciting, entertaining game and that the clubhouse had frigid A/C and very, very cold draft ..

We acquiesced and met out our hosts in the clubhouse, which was packed - suddenly there was a
loud roar and the medics ran onto the pitch with a stretcher, loaded up one of the poms who had
fainted from heat exposure ... this continued whilst the Singapore side simply clubbed the ball out
of the grounds - English didnt even bother to chase the ball after a while ...... the game still sucks

Regards

Jack

Old Giza wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 8:05 pm No worries, cricket isn't even a sport.

Russia's sports ministry has refused to include cricket on its register of officially recognised sports.

The order was issued on 15 July - the day after England's dramatic Cricket World Cup final win over New Zealand.

Among the sports officially recognised in Russia are petanque, draughts and mini-golf.

I once went to a cricket match when very young. Had no idea what was going on, and still can't get the scoring even after making several attempts to read the rules.

Old Giza wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 8:05 pm No worries, cricket isn't even a sport.

Russia's sports ministry has refused to include cricket on its register of officially recognised sports.

The order was issued on 15 July - the day after England's dramatic Cricket World Cup final win over New Zealand.

Among the sports officially recognised in Russia are petanque, draughts and mini-golf.

I once went to a cricket match when very young. Had no idea what was going on, and still can't get the scoring even after making several attempts to read the rules.

When I first saw that I thought, oh they've disregarded it because it's only played at the professional level in ten or so nations, nearly all of them former British colonies. But that's not the reason. Maybe next year's reappraisal will put it in better stead.

jackdanielsesq wrote: Sun Jul 21, 2019 3:44 pm the game still sucks

It's definitely an acquired taste.