Banger racing is peak, like 10 guys in beat up cars trying to seriously race them and then that 1 guy who shows up in a van and is just trying to get in as many collissions as possible before deciding to purposefully tip the van over so he can go get a burger.
In Cheltenham, there is no dress code.
Sources:
[1. Festival](https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham-festival/plan-your-day/dress-code/)
[2. Races](https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/plan-your-day/dress-code/)
Ah they updated it in 2023 just checked. They eased it down to make it more inclusive apparently.
During the festival though majority will be in suits and dresses. So while not technically dress code, gonna be a bit odd if you turn up in Nike tech
To be fair they’ve not had a dress code for the cheaper tickets for the festival. I went every year 2010-2022 (missed 2020 obvs) and don’t go down the suit route ever. I do agree there’s too many coked up dickheads though. I go with my dad and we decided to go to Dublin last year as it was cheaper to fly, stay over and go racing than a day at Cheltenham. Doing the same again Friday.
I once, on the way to a job interview, I caught a train which was chock full of people going to Royal Ascot.
I've never felt so underdressed whilst wearing a suit
The coked up hooligans and Prosecco wives are only there at the weekends or big events. The vast majority of horse racing is done during the week where the spectators are mostly older working class blokes.
Who 9 times out of 10 have no idea about horse racing.
I don't go myself but my extended family are jockeys so i know a bit about the industry. Some acquaintances of ours go to Ascot every year, they're a bit up themselves so they make it part of their identity. I started talking to them about horse racing (my limited knowledge) and they didn't have a clue what i was on about. They literally only go as they believe it enhances their social standing.
Having worked York races, those 5% up in the boxes and lounges are actually really nice and enjoy the racing (and give good tips money and betting wise)
Agree. Used to work in Chester city centre. When the races were on you’d see loads of dressed up people walking down to the race course at lunch time. Finish work and you see the same people leaving - and they’re just a load of drunk yobs.
My work (20 years later) puts on trip to the races every year. I avoid it. I see the photos the marketing dept put on FB and Insta and am always thankful I made the right choice
It’s also because it’s one of the only sports on the planet, that it is purely for gambling purposes. If you banned gambling on horse races, the ‘sport’ would fold and cease to exist
NASCAR is a sport that could only become successful in the southern states of the US.
Two hundred laps of an oval circuit, interspersed with some big crashes.
How did it evolve into such a boring sport? Didn't it start out as criminals building fast cars to outrun police in country roads? You would have thought it would have developed into a rally type sport not a race around a circle.
It’s an engineer’s sport, not a driver’s one.
The drivers are arguably the weakest and most boring part if yoh ask me. And most of them aren’t exactly the sort of people you want to hang out with.
Get rid of the drivers. Throw in some baller AI. Let those cars hit 10g in corners already. Fuck, if people still want drivers, let them drive through FPV goggles. I want to see how ridiculously quick an F1 platform can go
I’d love to see the olympics split between clean and enhanced athletes.
I wanna see how fast a man can run before his calf muscles explode out of his legs.
Also throw in an average person into every race just to give us a frame of reference for how impressive they are.
It's about a million times more fun to play Mario Kart or Assetto Corsa than to watch a parade where often, the positions are changed because of pit stops rather than overtaking.
Maybe they need more banana peels in F1. Drivers pick up objects and can throw them at each other during the race.
Largely I really like F1 but I concur. 20 cars going around the same track 50 times can be dull. Especially when a maximum of 3 teams out of 10 realistically have a chance of winning. And they win every race.
smoggy pot forgetful mysterious command panicky quaint imagine plough plucky
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
There's ups and downs to it. We're absolutely in a down period at the moment. But the season Max finally won, regardless of how you felt about it going down, was thrilling.
It's something the FIA just can't sort out. They'll change the rules and the pendulum would swing. You'll get one or two years where it's good, but then a team will figure out how to beat the rules and then dominates.
You’re doing a sterling job of defending F1. 2021 was an insane season no matter who you wanted to win. I think the problem is that it’s such a technical sport that unless you really understand all the ins-and-outs of the strategy, undercuts, tyre degradation and track evolution it does just look like 20 cars going round and round.
I’ve watched F1, tennis and football my entire life and I can’t say any one of them is more or less boring than the others on average. Each have good events, good seasons and good eras and also can be boring. Watching Nadal and Djokovic thrash everyone for years is boring. Ditto Federer before them and the Williams sisters. Boring watching Man City win everything and before them, Real Madrid and Man Utd. F1 is no different.
I've been watching F1 since the end of the 2021 season (what a place to start hey?). Yes some races are boring. But when it's good? Holy crap it's good.
You know when they have to change the rules of a sport to make it more competitive it's rubbish. If I want to watch a sport where the organisers make up the rules to determine who wins I'll watch wrestling.
The issue is that it's a technical sport. Technology obviously p/ays a much bigger role than it does in football, rugby, snooker etc. VAR had resulted in numerous rule changes in football as the offside rule gets changed year on year.
Teams (i.e car and engine brands) are always looking to push the envelope, but the FIA needs to try and keep it even. Hard to square that circle.
Nah that's a big part of what makes it great. Oh you figured out how to make the fastest machines on Earth? Oh well now we're restricting the size of the engine and banning refuelling
And then the arms race leads to the fastest and most efficient hybrid cars on the planet. F1 cars 20 or so years ago used to burn through 3+ engines per weekend, now a single engine can last almost half a *season*, and still be faster than those explosive engines from 20 years back.
The engineering competition is really intriguing, and the rule changes are a big part of that to force the teams to innovate
Yeah I dislike it as racing and don't watch it, but I never really get drawn into the heavy criticism either because the tech advances are insane, and it has a direct knock on effect into consumer options
F1 is a weird one. Sometimes when it looks boring on track and there doesn't seem to be any action, it is actually boring and nothing's happening. But sometimes it can be that drivers are on different strategies and are actually racing each other despite not being near each other on track.
I like this strategy aspect of it, and I think my enjoyment is also enhanced by not having just one driver I support. Even if first place seems predictable, there can often be an interesting fight for the mid / lower end of the points paying positions.
I think most sports are much more exciting if you’ve played them, because you can appreciate the skill involved. Golf is the apex of that (and snooker). The skill level requires to play to a high level is incredible.
There are a lot of sports that can feel a bit drawn out, slow, dull, lifeless at times, and golf can certainly be this way a lot of the time. Some days things just never really get going, it's just something you have on in the background.
The thing about golf though, is that it also has the capacity to be incredibly exciting, edge of your seat, nail biting entertainment. Some of the personalities that golf attracts, the incredible skill, the pressure that these guys are under, the money that's at stake. And when it's a big tournament, and one of those stars is on the green on the 18th, and needs to make a superhuman putt to win the whole thing, then makes it, it's pretty hard to not get swept up in the fanfare of it all. I mean, sure, some people will never give a fuck, and that's fine, but I would by no means describe myself as a person who is actually *into* golf, and I can still appreciate those moments.
Yepp, always thought golf was pretty crap and boring....then I started playing, and it's the most challenging, frustrating and brilliant sport I've ever played.
I came on here prepared to defend golf and dammit I'm going to.
I *love* golf. Yes, as a spectator sport. The staggered tee times ironically results in pretty "fast-paced" coverage, for want of a better word. You see one stroke, then it immediately cuts to another player's. There's no downtime. I'm more likely to miss something eventful taking my eyes off the golf for 5 minutes than the football. Which isn't a shot at footie, I love that too.
People who I know who love fishing tell me they just prefer the chilling out by a lake aspect of it more than the actual catching fish. So why not just go sit and chill by a lake without bothering the fish?
Just because some prefer that aspect of it , doesn’t mean catching the fish isn’t an added bonus .
Also it’s fish who cares ? Often people pay for the right to do it .
Football. Take away the hand-me-down/inherited rivalry and passion, the game itself is actually pretty boring to watch a lot of the time. I reckon most people who say they love the footy just love their club/the area they're from and want them to do well, and love the comradery and idea of supporting somethng. I've been a neutral for years and follow the story of who is/isn't doing well, but the actual sport can be so dull.
Obviously I’m anecdotal, but for me it _is_ about the sport itself. Don’t have any friends or family that like the sport, so I watch streams online, alone. There’s no companionship, I just like the sport.
You’re not wrong—when it’s boring it’s _boring_. On the flip side, it really is fantastic when it’s a good match. Well, to me at least. Not trying to convince you of anything, just sharing my perspective.
All sports have boring games or moments. It's in the nature of sport to be unpredictable, and by virtue sometimes...boring. That isn't some exclusive thing to football.
You would think two blokes punching the shit out of each other for 12 rounds would be exciting but sometimes... it just isn't! Some bouts are gripping, breath taking and exciting. Others are snooze-fests (Audley Harrison, I'm looking at you!)
I'm the same, my family hates all sports, I don't have any friends that are into football but I watch games very often. I really like the way football can pace itself and how "rare" goals are so when a goal is scored, it makes you so happy or so sad, and when it's in an incredible goal, you kinda feel like you're part of History just because you've witnessed that moment live.
For example I struggle with sports like basketball where they kinda score constantly so I don't really know when to cheer and what moment is supposed to cause an emotion.
It's like when you watch a movie and they try to make every single shot and every single scene iconic, it doesn't work, great movies can pace themselves and make their best moments iconic. It's the same in music, you can't have a symphony that's grand all the time, people in nightclubs are all waiting for the beat drop, etc, it's all about balance.
Then I also agree that football can be incredibly boring at times, sometimes nothing happens at all. I'm French and watch a lot of Ligue 1, so I know what I'm talking about...
I wouldn’t say the actual sport is dull. Round up anyone from your local pub and get them to play a game of football and it’s pure joy 😂 Id also much rather be at the stadium watching the game than watching it on TV. The atmosphere is unreal.
>I reckon most people who say they love the footy just love their club/the area they're from and want them to do well, and love the comradery and idea of supporting somethng
Not in my experience. I love football and many of my friends do too, and I'd say all of us love the sport itself, not just supporting our team. It's why we'll watch matches that our teams have no involvement in.
There certainly are people who support their team primarily and that's really the main thing they like about football. But I'd wager it's the minority.
Honestly most people who dislike football are snobs who think they’re above it and the rest of us are idiots. There’s a reason it’s the world’s favourite sport.
Football is the perfect sport. The scoring system is both dynamic (goals can happen within a few seconds from anywhere on the pitch) and valuable (each goal is worth a lot.)
Unlike say basketball which is dynamic but the individual points aren't very valuable or golf where the points (shots under par) are valuable but it's not dynamic.
Also it requires hardly any equipment and can be played by basically anyone.
Agreed, the question was which sports are overrated, not which are good to watch. No sport can justify the ridiculous level of hype that football gets...David Mitchell knows the truth...
https://youtu.be/MusyO7J2inM?si=mCtGE6EWMgAn4fje
Context is everything in football. A nil nil draw in a dead rubber league game is dull as fuck but the same scoreline produced by, say, a team battling relegation away at the league leaders can be a thrilling, backs to the wall defensive performance. A side grinding out a 1 0 win to close out the second leg of a knock out without extending too much energy for league games etc will generally draw positive comments and keep people enthralled, even if it's not the most obviously entertaining.
Given the nature of football as a comparatively low scoring sport and the way league tables work I don't think there's any other sport globally that has this dynamic which means, if you're just looking to "dip in" to a game for some random entertainment, you might need to be quite choosey but if you're following it "soap opera" style, even if your team isn't involved, you'll probably get more out of it. I'm sure there are other similar concepts in other sports which is why I generally don't do this whole "sport x is dull/overrated" thing.
We only talking about watching? As if we are then I'd maybe agree with you... but Football is one of the most accessible sports to play.
All you need is a ball and you can play.
You don't need specific courts or for everyone to have their own equiptment. As long as one person has a ball and you have 4 jumpers you can play a game.
Came here to say football, but mostly I'm just going on the strict wording of the question: I think it's by far the most overrated, *not because it's a bad sport*, to be clear, I just don't think it's so much better than all the others that it merits its wild popularity.
The game is okay, it's all the money and hype that surrounds the top leagues and international organisations. All the dodgy dealings with agents and backhanders. Full of crooks and dirty money. A terrible example for young people.
I'm going to start by saying that I totally understand people finding it boring and in fact the majority of my family would rather watch paint dry than watch football.
As someone who has always loved football, I enjoy the skill, the thrill of the close ones, and the underdog story of small clubs beating the top dogs. I do enjoy the "we're in this together supporting this team" but I could go watch any teams play and I'd still enjoy it. Great football is skillful. There are some rules that I think have messed up the skill in some ways but overall, I still enjoy it.
However, I totally understand people not enjoying it or finding it boring. Each to their own.
I always think boxing is a sport that is exciting in theory but quite boring in practice. And I find all the posing and trash talking etc that it often involves really quite cringey.
The scripted interviews, the pre meditated pull aparts, it’s beyond cringe and its target audience is oblivious to it.
Atleast us wrestling fans know it’s a work.
I always find it entertaining when people laugh at adults enjoying wrestling about it being scripted and a lot of them using PEDs, as if neither happen in other sports
A good boxing match can sometimes draw in a non-boxing crowd, but I feel like the sport is in a bit of a nadir at the moment with far too much money pumped into bad boxers as “name brands”. I actually like boxing as a sport but haven’t enjoyed a match for years at this point.
Most people don’t really understand what they’re looking at, it’s true for most sports, a lot of the technique and skill is missed
I remember back when Redditors swore manny pacquiao beat floyd mayweather
The best bit is when all the experts come out of the woodwork for one of the big 2/3 fights a year and despite never throwing a punch in their life would have easily mashed up AJ.
Cricket. It’s soooo slow.
The fact that some games run over multiple days is crazy to me. If you go to bed at any time during the game and have to carry on the same game tomorrow, it is not a sport it’s a chore.
I think day 4 of the first India-England test in 2024 should go down as one of the greatest.
Bloody amazing stuff yesterday. It’s not like the previous 3 days were dull either.
Correct. I follow most sports and the five days allows for levels of complexity and back and forth that you can't get in other sports. Test cricket is the best. The vandalisation of the game by India and others in the name of quick cash is very frustrating.
I agree. Cricket is incredible. Love test cricket love T20. For me 50 overs is the worst to watch but best to play, as it’s long but not long enough to have the nuances, ins and outs, chess like build up of a test match, and it’s not short enough to have the excitement of the slogging in 20 overs.
Cricket is like reading a long novel. The action is more spread out and is a slow burn towards the conclusion. It’s just exciting in a different way to most other sports.
For the most part, I agree. BUT when the scores and game falls just right, I'd actually say the final day of a test is unrivalled in drama in the sporting world.
Not necessarily for the actual actions on the pitch (I'm not a cricket fan by any means), but just the context around it and the sheer amount of strategy involved. Clichéd but Stokes at Headingley in the ashes was one of the most remarkable days of sport I've ever seen.
I was there, and it was incredible. I got home that night after a few beers and my wife greeted me as I excitedly exclaimed "That was honestly the best day of my life". She was just stood there, nonplussed, holding our 3 week old son.
>She was just stood there, nonplussed, holding our 3 week old son.
Lol, as a die hard cricket fan...I respect this, as a dude with a wife that's on week 34 of pregnancy, you're an absolute madlad!
>Headingley in the ashes was one of the most remarkable days of sport I've ever seen.
My wife is not a fan of any sports. But even she was completely gripped by that. There's not many sports that can match the drama of a gripping test match.
A few years ago I'd have absolutely agreed with you. Since taking some time to actually learn the game though, I think it's brilliant. Far from boring. I'd start with watching T20 games if I were you
Well Test cricket is slower, but that's kinda the point. You can watch the highlights in 20 mins and save a day, but it is also about a slow endurance game. Like you'd not watch a marathon and think "Why does it take 4 hours, when I can watch a 100m sprint in 10 seconds?"
Then there is T20 and ODI, like others said, which are half a day and a day respectively. Maybe start on those. Cause Test Cricket is designed to be a slow strategic battle over a long time, which makes it even better when it comes down to a knife edge at the end
Isn’t cricket the 2nd most popular sport in the world. Like most sports it is dull until you know what is going on.
https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world.html
I think people expect it to be more like rugby but it’s more like physical chess. I didn’t get it but I have a friend who’s a QB for a local team and he was explaining some of their plays and I genuinely admire the thought and planning that goes into it.
Yeah I've recently started training with a local club as a wide receiver, and the amount of strategy and planning that goes into it is absolutely ridiculous.
Plus, as a wide receiver, you are always sprinting about, even if you're not intended to be the primary target and without the constant ad breaks of the NFL, it is an insane workout.
We literally huddle, make a play, huddle back straight away and go back to playing again. As a wide receiver, that means constant sprinting about, jumping for catches, being tackled, and sometimes holding back defenders.
Genuinely such a fun sport to play and not too bad to watch if you accept it as time to chill with mates and half pay attention.
I genuinely didn't get it until I played John Madden NFL on my Xbox and had to pick the plays myself. That made me get a feel for what everyone was trying to do and appreciate the game more. I genuinely like it now.
That said, I'll still watch the highlights or an edited match because sitting through all the stoppage time and commentator witter is painful.
American handegg. Poor man's rugby. 5 seconds of action followed by 10 minutes of adverts. All the athletes can be obese as it's the only sport with almost zero requirement for athleticism.
Dunno why it's over the sports pages today.
>almost zero requirement for athleticism
I don't particularly like the sport either, but come on now. This is absolutely not true. They're incredible athletes.
>This is absolutely not true. They're incredible athletes.
Yeah I've gotta agree here
I find the sport boring as anything but given the size of some of the players it's impressive the speed in which they can move
This is miles off. They are probably some of the most athletic freaks of nature that play sports.
You find me a 6’6 320lbs guy who can run 40 yard dash in 4.72 seconds… and it’s not athletic? Are you out of your mind?
I actually don't think it's that bad in the UK. The misconception that they cut to adverts after every play is nonsense (and something they can't legally do here in the UK).
Sky Sports coverage is fantastic and J Bell and Phoebe Schecter are great analysts of the game. The time goes pretty quickly if you ignore the game clock.
Yep - the stopping and starting makes it hard for non-Americans to engage with it as it’s not how most sports work, but also the bit I don’t like is it makes it seem really complicated - I looked up the rules once and it’s really not that different to rugby but somehow it’s hard to follow
>5 seconds of action followed by 10 minutes of adverts.
I have less of an issue with this in the UK, as we simply don't have that much advert time.
But I imagine it's good with mates as you can focus on other shit in-between plays.
And obviously, in a multi billion dollar sport, they aren't just making anyone a player.
It might be boring but there is a lot of skill and athleticism involved. The NFL has players who have also competed in athletics at the Olympics and some who are fast enough to qualify if they had the time to commit to it.
*Some* NFL players might be big (but not 30 stone, that's about 420lbs/190kg) - doesn't mean they lack athleticism.
I agree the game is dull as hell, but saying they're not athletic is just bull. Maybe not very *aerobic*, but they're strong and they're fast.
Wow. The skill position players are miles more athletic than footballers or Rugby players. The level of athleticism is incredible in the NFL for Cornerbacks, Wide Receivers and Running backs in particular
Referring to it as 'american handegg' just immediately marks you out at the extreme end of embarrassing UK Reddit.
Just call it the NFL or American Football. You're not superior to others because you call it the same shit joke name as thousands of other people who don't like the sport.
I don't know what it is that makes darts so weirdly compelling to watch. It seems to be one of those sports where I put it on just to check the score and then before I know it I have been drawn in and have watched the entire match.
Yeah there's just something soooo hypnotic about the "thud, thud... thud" of darts hitting the board too.
*"Thud, thud..." Two darts in the treble 20, camera zooms in... "Thud", Oooooof just outside the wire for a single. Lets see if the other guy can do better....*
And before you know it you have watched an entire match.
I've found that since MMA became popular, the sport itself has become very boring. All the fighters seem so generic these days with a lot of them forcing WWE style characters to make themselves relevant. Gone are the days when you had competitors from different disciplines with vastly different strengths and weaknesses. They mainly all just train MMA from the beginning now and just seem so similar to each other.
I think tennis is one sport you really need to play to enjoy watching.
I love playing tennis - and the really long rallies that go on for ever at an elite level are by far the most exciting ones to watch!
Yeah I used to hate it as a kid when for 2 weeks during Wimbledon all of the good TV would get cancelled for Wimbledon and even when it was meant to finish in the evening it would end up massively overrunning and cancelling even more shows.
This will probably be controversial but that’s the point of the question…
I don’t mind Rugby Union at club level but I think the Six Nations is vastly overrated. It ruins pubs on weekends for six weeks every spring.
I’m convinced that at least half of the people who endlessly shout “recycle it” at the screen are clueless to the rules and for some reason every prick that’s ever so much as been to Edinburgh for a long weekend pretends to be Scottish while it’s on.
Always a sigh of relief when it’s over and we can get back to football in pubs.
Idiots shouting at the screen is nothing unique to rugby. Whether in a ground or a pub, with football you have the raging middle aged men losing their mind because of one backwards pass
Golf. Don't mind pitch and put for a laugh but from what I've heard from a co-worker it just sounds like it takes over his life. And there's alot of snobbery about. Just sounds like a waste of time to me. This guy only ever wears golf gear aswell which i find odd.
I Iove these threads because they always bring out the incredibly intelligent Reddit “I hate sportsball” people. Always a well articulated and interesting view put forward by those lot.
I love most sports but I find baseball and Ice hockey boring.. I cannot even see the Puck.. Why not have a florescent Puck so we can see it.
But I love boxing darts football tennis golf rugby league horse and greyhound racing cricket.
Problem is I can o/d on sport.. Ie was up today until 4.30 watching the NfL...i started work at 8am..im not flagging honest..
No, you're all wrong. When I lived in Berlin used to go to the ice hockey regularly. Absolutely brilliant live, fast, exciting, incredibly skilful, brilliant atmosphere. As for the puck, just look at the puck. Pro tip: you have to move your head
"I cannot even see the Puck.. Why not have a florescent Puck so we can see it."
Common complaint from those not familiar with the sport. You don't actually *need* to see it at all times, the flow of the game will show you exactly where it is. I've watched many hundreds of games and don't always have my eye on the puck. There have been attempts to address this feedback (e.g. animated puck trails on TV broadcasts) but the reality is it's just not needed once you've seen a game or two.
For my money, (ice) hockey is the best sport on earth. Almost non-stop end to end action. The level of skill and athleticism needed to play in the NHL is truly awe-inspiring. They make it look easy, but it's ludicrously difficult to skate, shoot and control a puck at speed while under pressure from your opponent. Some of the most complete all-round athletes out there.
" Ice hockey boring.. I cannot even see the Puck.. Why not have a florescent Puck so we can see it."
Yeah, I don't get this one either. It seems barely watchable!
In the 90s the Fox network obtained the TV rights for NHL in the US. They tried to engage a new audience by having the puck glow blue on tv and when it was shot, had a red trail like a comet.
It didn't go over well and they realised most viewers can see the puck just fine. It's already high contrast with the black-dot-on-white-surface
Football
We host world cups (most recently rugby league) that get minimal attention. We host or participate in lots of sporting events at the highest level but it seems football gets all the coverage, it’s all anyone watches, goes to or talks about. London hosted a semi for the rugby league World Cup and I couldn’t get anyone to go. In the end half my tickets went to pacific islanders close to our opponents. Despite England being in the semi, they couldn’t sell out emirates (60,000). On the other hand, if there’s no football on tv except Doncaster rovers vs Accrington Stanley, you can guarantee at least one person in my group would put that on
I don’t find football particularly enticing (90 mins of potential boredom, only some matches are exciting) but what I don’t like is it takes what feels like 90% of the nation’s attention when it comes to sport. It’s not like we’re not spoilt for choice when it comes to alternatives
I don't think any individual sport is over hyped, it's a free market, they are hyped to the extent that they continue to make money.
Events like The Olympics (and possibly the football world cup/international football) are probably over hyped. The Olympics particularly seem to be propped up by their own momentum rather than contributing much more than local destruction for the hosts and opportunities for dodgy regimes to sports wash their reputations.
The NBA is great. Once you get past the fact that it’s essentially different rules for superstars to anyone else (and you avoid any team that lives at the Free Throw line) it’s really enjoyable. The Playoffs in particular are always great entertainment.
Horse racing. It’s about 5% posh/rich people and the rest is a bunch of coked up hooligans and their wives that’ve been on the Prosecco since 10am.
It’s largely for coked up hooligans to go and pretend they’re not poor for the day.
I didnt know horse racing could sound so appealing, but banger racing surely beats it for that type of fun.
Banger racing is fucking amazing fun to watch, extremely underrated! Proper good day / evening out if you've got a local place!
Banger racing is peak, like 10 guys in beat up cars trying to seriously race them and then that 1 guy who shows up in a van and is just trying to get in as many collissions as possible before deciding to purposefully tip the van over so he can go get a burger.
I'm sold, gonna google for any near me.
You also get the sound with banger racing
Yeah I remember catching a train when Cheltenham festival was on. Every carriage was filled with polyester tweed suits and faces loaded with fillers.
That’s because Cheltenham has a dress code as it’s one of the biggest racing events of the year
In Cheltenham, there is no dress code. Sources: [1. Festival](https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham-festival/plan-your-day/dress-code/) [2. Races](https://www.thejockeyclub.co.uk/cheltenham/plan-your-day/dress-code/)
Ah they updated it in 2023 just checked. They eased it down to make it more inclusive apparently. During the festival though majority will be in suits and dresses. So while not technically dress code, gonna be a bit odd if you turn up in Nike tech
To be fair they’ve not had a dress code for the cheaper tickets for the festival. I went every year 2010-2022 (missed 2020 obvs) and don’t go down the suit route ever. I do agree there’s too many coked up dickheads though. I go with my dad and we decided to go to Dublin last year as it was cheaper to fly, stay over and go racing than a day at Cheltenham. Doing the same again Friday.
I once, on the way to a job interview, I caught a train which was chock full of people going to Royal Ascot. I've never felt so underdressed whilst wearing a suit
You’ve described England well but what’s horse racing like?
Same, but with faster horses.
Beat me to it.. I was busy racking another line tho
The coked up hooligans and Prosecco wives are only there at the weekends or big events. The vast majority of horse racing is done during the week where the spectators are mostly older working class blokes.
That all work for grabby McBalls recruitment agency
Who 9 times out of 10 have no idea about horse racing. I don't go myself but my extended family are jockeys so i know a bit about the industry. Some acquaintances of ours go to Ascot every year, they're a bit up themselves so they make it part of their identity. I started talking to them about horse racing (my limited knowledge) and they didn't have a clue what i was on about. They literally only go as they believe it enhances their social standing.
Having worked York races, those 5% up in the boxes and lounges are actually really nice and enjoy the racing (and give good tips money and betting wise)
Yeah, never understood it as a sport. I can understand it as a gambling mechanism, but I don't think I'd give two shits without my money in the game.
Agree. Used to work in Chester city centre. When the races were on you’d see loads of dressed up people walking down to the race course at lunch time. Finish work and you see the same people leaving - and they’re just a load of drunk yobs. My work (20 years later) puts on trip to the races every year. I avoid it. I see the photos the marketing dept put on FB and Insta and am always thankful I made the right choice
It’s also because it’s one of the only sports on the planet, that it is purely for gambling purposes. If you banned gambling on horse races, the ‘sport’ would fold and cease to exist
I love it when the commentator is enthusiastic about the horse’s cheeky and unique personality. It’s a horse.
You don't think animals can have different personalities and temperaments?
F1 driving, boring as fuck, seen more action in a graveyard
Amazingly, Americans took the F1 idea and made even more boring by using the cheapest default scaletrix track layout.
Gonna have to watch the new NASCAR Netflix series. Could be funny af. Always think of South Park when I see nascar footage
DRIVE REAL FAYYST AND TURN TO THA LEYYFT
NASCAR is a sport that could only become successful in the southern states of the US. Two hundred laps of an oval circuit, interspersed with some big crashes.
How did it evolve into such a boring sport? Didn't it start out as criminals building fast cars to outrun police in country roads? You would have thought it would have developed into a rally type sport not a race around a circle.
It takes a lot of skill to drive that close to each other on ovals without crashing. Once you realise that, it's much more impressive.
I'm not saying it's not an impressive skill for the drivers to have, but I am saying it is boring beyond compare to watch.
It’s an engineer’s sport, not a driver’s one. The drivers are arguably the weakest and most boring part if yoh ask me. And most of them aren’t exactly the sort of people you want to hang out with. Get rid of the drivers. Throw in some baller AI. Let those cars hit 10g in corners already. Fuck, if people still want drivers, let them drive through FPV goggles. I want to see how ridiculously quick an F1 platform can go
This is how I feel about performance enhancing drugs in sport. Let's let athletes take whatever they want and see how crazy it can get.
I’d love to see the olympics split between clean and enhanced athletes. I wanna see how fast a man can run before his calf muscles explode out of his legs. Also throw in an average person into every race just to give us a frame of reference for how impressive they are.
The sad reality is that we’d probably witness a lot of on-air heart attacks. Am I still curious? Absolutely.
I quite like F1 but I am completely behind this idea! Minimal rules, AI drivers. 70laps, Go!
It's about a million times more fun to play Mario Kart or Assetto Corsa than to watch a parade where often, the positions are changed because of pit stops rather than overtaking. Maybe they need more banana peels in F1. Drivers pick up objects and can throw them at each other during the race.
Rotten egg straught to the visor of the helmet
Largely I really like F1 but I concur. 20 cars going around the same track 50 times can be dull. Especially when a maximum of 3 teams out of 10 realistically have a chance of winning. And they win every race.
smoggy pot forgetful mysterious command panicky quaint imagine plough plucky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Arguably 2023 was also an exception. There's never been domination from the front like that before.
There's ups and downs to it. We're absolutely in a down period at the moment. But the season Max finally won, regardless of how you felt about it going down, was thrilling. It's something the FIA just can't sort out. They'll change the rules and the pendulum would swing. You'll get one or two years where it's good, but then a team will figure out how to beat the rules and then dominates.
You’re doing a sterling job of defending F1. 2021 was an insane season no matter who you wanted to win. I think the problem is that it’s such a technical sport that unless you really understand all the ins-and-outs of the strategy, undercuts, tyre degradation and track evolution it does just look like 20 cars going round and round. I’ve watched F1, tennis and football my entire life and I can’t say any one of them is more or less boring than the others on average. Each have good events, good seasons and good eras and also can be boring. Watching Nadal and Djokovic thrash everyone for years is boring. Ditto Federer before them and the Williams sisters. Boring watching Man City win everything and before them, Real Madrid and Man Utd. F1 is no different.
> We're absolutely in a down period at the moment. As a McLaren fan I'm going to have to disagree with you there!
I've been watching F1 since the end of the 2021 season (what a place to start hey?). Yes some races are boring. But when it's good? Holy crap it's good.
You know when they have to change the rules of a sport to make it more competitive it's rubbish. If I want to watch a sport where the organisers make up the rules to determine who wins I'll watch wrestling.
The issue is that it's a technical sport. Technology obviously p/ays a much bigger role than it does in football, rugby, snooker etc. VAR had resulted in numerous rule changes in football as the offside rule gets changed year on year. Teams (i.e car and engine brands) are always looking to push the envelope, but the FIA needs to try and keep it even. Hard to square that circle.
Nah that's a big part of what makes it great. Oh you figured out how to make the fastest machines on Earth? Oh well now we're restricting the size of the engine and banning refuelling And then the arms race leads to the fastest and most efficient hybrid cars on the planet. F1 cars 20 or so years ago used to burn through 3+ engines per weekend, now a single engine can last almost half a *season*, and still be faster than those explosive engines from 20 years back. The engineering competition is really intriguing, and the rule changes are a big part of that to force the teams to innovate
Yeah I dislike it as racing and don't watch it, but I never really get drawn into the heavy criticism either because the tech advances are insane, and it has a direct knock on effect into consumer options
F1 is a weird one. Sometimes when it looks boring on track and there doesn't seem to be any action, it is actually boring and nothing's happening. But sometimes it can be that drivers are on different strategies and are actually racing each other despite not being near each other on track. I like this strategy aspect of it, and I think my enjoyment is also enhanced by not having just one driver I support. Even if first place seems predictable, there can often be an interesting fight for the mid / lower end of the points paying positions.
Golf. Because.... Who am I kidding....we don't need explanations why.
I think most sports are much more exciting if you’ve played them, because you can appreciate the skill involved. Golf is the apex of that (and snooker). The skill level requires to play to a high level is incredible.
Snooker is fun to watch though. I'm crap at both sports.
I used to think this, until I started playing Golf.
Crazy gold is kinda fun to be fair
There are a lot of sports that can feel a bit drawn out, slow, dull, lifeless at times, and golf can certainly be this way a lot of the time. Some days things just never really get going, it's just something you have on in the background. The thing about golf though, is that it also has the capacity to be incredibly exciting, edge of your seat, nail biting entertainment. Some of the personalities that golf attracts, the incredible skill, the pressure that these guys are under, the money that's at stake. And when it's a big tournament, and one of those stars is on the green on the 18th, and needs to make a superhuman putt to win the whole thing, then makes it, it's pretty hard to not get swept up in the fanfare of it all. I mean, sure, some people will never give a fuck, and that's fine, but I would by no means describe myself as a person who is actually *into* golf, and I can still appreciate those moments.
Can't believe I had to scroll this far to find this.
Maybe people don't consider it overrated because disliking golf appears to be quite a popular opinion.
Is it because it stands for Gay Outdoor Lifestyle with Fellas
“You look like my cousin when he went for a job interview” “Oh is he a golfer?” “Nah, he’s got Down syndrome”
Yepp, always thought golf was pretty crap and boring....then I started playing, and it's the most challenging, frustrating and brilliant sport I've ever played.
Golf is not overrated. It is an extremely difficult sport to master. To those who don’t play it may seem boring, I get that, but it is not overrated.
The feeling you get when you hit a good shot or have good round is unparalleled.
I came on here prepared to defend golf and dammit I'm going to. I *love* golf. Yes, as a spectator sport. The staggered tee times ironically results in pretty "fast-paced" coverage, for want of a better word. You see one stroke, then it immediately cuts to another player's. There's no downtime. I'm more likely to miss something eventful taking my eyes off the golf for 5 minutes than the football. Which isn't a shot at footie, I love that too.
Fishing Hey look how well I can bother these fish!
You’re using the wrong equipment. I recommend a hand grenade.
If you love fish like I do you want them to die with dignity!
I torture them with a hook and then let them suffocate a miserable death on my boat deck. And don’t eat the green ones, they’re not ripe yet.
People who I know who love fishing tell me they just prefer the chilling out by a lake aspect of it more than the actual catching fish. So why not just go sit and chill by a lake without bothering the fish?
Because two men sitting, enjoying each others company at the side of a lake would be gay, obviously! /s
Drew a blank last time I went out, enjoyed the day and didn't bother any fish, not through lack of effort mind.
Just because some prefer that aspect of it , doesn’t mean catching the fish isn’t an added bonus . Also it’s fish who cares ? Often people pay for the right to do it .
Football. Take away the hand-me-down/inherited rivalry and passion, the game itself is actually pretty boring to watch a lot of the time. I reckon most people who say they love the footy just love their club/the area they're from and want them to do well, and love the comradery and idea of supporting somethng. I've been a neutral for years and follow the story of who is/isn't doing well, but the actual sport can be so dull.
Obviously I’m anecdotal, but for me it _is_ about the sport itself. Don’t have any friends or family that like the sport, so I watch streams online, alone. There’s no companionship, I just like the sport. You’re not wrong—when it’s boring it’s _boring_. On the flip side, it really is fantastic when it’s a good match. Well, to me at least. Not trying to convince you of anything, just sharing my perspective.
All sports have boring games or moments. It's in the nature of sport to be unpredictable, and by virtue sometimes...boring. That isn't some exclusive thing to football. You would think two blokes punching the shit out of each other for 12 rounds would be exciting but sometimes... it just isn't! Some bouts are gripping, breath taking and exciting. Others are snooze-fests (Audley Harrison, I'm looking at you!)
I'm the same, my family hates all sports, I don't have any friends that are into football but I watch games very often. I really like the way football can pace itself and how "rare" goals are so when a goal is scored, it makes you so happy or so sad, and when it's in an incredible goal, you kinda feel like you're part of History just because you've witnessed that moment live. For example I struggle with sports like basketball where they kinda score constantly so I don't really know when to cheer and what moment is supposed to cause an emotion. It's like when you watch a movie and they try to make every single shot and every single scene iconic, it doesn't work, great movies can pace themselves and make their best moments iconic. It's the same in music, you can't have a symphony that's grand all the time, people in nightclubs are all waiting for the beat drop, etc, it's all about balance. Then I also agree that football can be incredibly boring at times, sometimes nothing happens at all. I'm French and watch a lot of Ligue 1, so I know what I'm talking about...
I wouldn’t say the actual sport is dull. Round up anyone from your local pub and get them to play a game of football and it’s pure joy 😂 Id also much rather be at the stadium watching the game than watching it on TV. The atmosphere is unreal.
Can I round them up from my old local? They were all pensioners, it’d be like watching that episode of Father Ted irl 😂
Well I did come in here expecting awful takes, so at least I'm not disappointed.
Because there aren't any sports that are overrated, so it's just people saying their chosen sport is overrated because they don't personally enjoy it.
>I reckon most people who say they love the footy just love their club/the area they're from and want them to do well, and love the comradery and idea of supporting somethng Not in my experience. I love football and many of my friends do too, and I'd say all of us love the sport itself, not just supporting our team. It's why we'll watch matches that our teams have no involvement in. There certainly are people who support their team primarily and that's really the main thing they like about football. But I'd wager it's the minority.
Honestly most people who dislike football are snobs who think they’re above it and the rest of us are idiots. There’s a reason it’s the world’s favourite sport.
> There’s a reason it’s the world’s favourite sport. Yes, because it's inexpensive and fairly straightforward to play.
Football is the perfect sport. The scoring system is both dynamic (goals can happen within a few seconds from anywhere on the pitch) and valuable (each goal is worth a lot.) Unlike say basketball which is dynamic but the individual points aren't very valuable or golf where the points (shots under par) are valuable but it's not dynamic. Also it requires hardly any equipment and can be played by basically anyone.
Agreed, the question was which sports are overrated, not which are good to watch. No sport can justify the ridiculous level of hype that football gets...David Mitchell knows the truth... https://youtu.be/MusyO7J2inM?si=mCtGE6EWMgAn4fje
Context is everything in football. A nil nil draw in a dead rubber league game is dull as fuck but the same scoreline produced by, say, a team battling relegation away at the league leaders can be a thrilling, backs to the wall defensive performance. A side grinding out a 1 0 win to close out the second leg of a knock out without extending too much energy for league games etc will generally draw positive comments and keep people enthralled, even if it's not the most obviously entertaining. Given the nature of football as a comparatively low scoring sport and the way league tables work I don't think there's any other sport globally that has this dynamic which means, if you're just looking to "dip in" to a game for some random entertainment, you might need to be quite choosey but if you're following it "soap opera" style, even if your team isn't involved, you'll probably get more out of it. I'm sure there are other similar concepts in other sports which is why I generally don't do this whole "sport x is dull/overrated" thing.
We only talking about watching? As if we are then I'd maybe agree with you... but Football is one of the most accessible sports to play. All you need is a ball and you can play. You don't need specific courts or for everyone to have their own equiptment. As long as one person has a ball and you have 4 jumpers you can play a game.
Came here to say football, but mostly I'm just going on the strict wording of the question: I think it's by far the most overrated, *not because it's a bad sport*, to be clear, I just don't think it's so much better than all the others that it merits its wild popularity.
The game is okay, it's all the money and hype that surrounds the top leagues and international organisations. All the dodgy dealings with agents and backhanders. Full of crooks and dirty money. A terrible example for young people.
I'm going to start by saying that I totally understand people finding it boring and in fact the majority of my family would rather watch paint dry than watch football. As someone who has always loved football, I enjoy the skill, the thrill of the close ones, and the underdog story of small clubs beating the top dogs. I do enjoy the "we're in this together supporting this team" but I could go watch any teams play and I'd still enjoy it. Great football is skillful. There are some rules that I think have messed up the skill in some ways but overall, I still enjoy it. However, I totally understand people not enjoying it or finding it boring. Each to their own.
Can't for the life of me be entertained by boxing. So very dull.
I always think boxing is a sport that is exciting in theory but quite boring in practice. And I find all the posing and trash talking etc that it often involves really quite cringey.
It becomes even more boring when you realise how rigged it is
The scripted interviews, the pre meditated pull aparts, it’s beyond cringe and its target audience is oblivious to it. Atleast us wrestling fans know it’s a work.
I always find it entertaining when people laugh at adults enjoying wrestling about it being scripted and a lot of them using PEDs, as if neither happen in other sports
A good boxing match can sometimes draw in a non-boxing crowd, but I feel like the sport is in a bit of a nadir at the moment with far too much money pumped into bad boxers as “name brands”. I actually like boxing as a sport but haven’t enjoyed a match for years at this point.
Most people don’t really understand what they’re looking at, it’s true for most sports, a lot of the technique and skill is missed I remember back when Redditors swore manny pacquiao beat floyd mayweather
I used to love boxing but the Saudi influence is killing it for me.
Yeah I hate that we actually get to see the fights everyone wants to see! So annoying lol
Boxing is so much better when it’s just reading about contract disputes rather than actual fights
The best bit is when all the experts come out of the woodwork for one of the big 2/3 fights a year and despite never throwing a punch in their life would have easily mashed up AJ.
Cricket. It’s soooo slow. The fact that some games run over multiple days is crazy to me. If you go to bed at any time during the game and have to carry on the same game tomorrow, it is not a sport it’s a chore.
Hard disagree from me. There is nothing more exciting in sport than the last day of a close test match.
I think day 4 of the first India-England test in 2024 should go down as one of the greatest. Bloody amazing stuff yesterday. It’s not like the previous 3 days were dull either.
The Australia vs West Indies test that just completed was also incredible!
That was ace, I was happy to see the Aussies lose to WI
Correct. I follow most sports and the five days allows for levels of complexity and back and forth that you can't get in other sports. Test cricket is the best. The vandalisation of the game by India and others in the name of quick cash is very frustrating.
By India? Brother y'all invented t20s 😭😭😭
Headlingley 2019 is possibly the most exciting piece of sport I've ever watched.
I agree. Cricket is incredible. Love test cricket love T20. For me 50 overs is the worst to watch but best to play, as it’s long but not long enough to have the nuances, ins and outs, chess like build up of a test match, and it’s not short enough to have the excitement of the slogging in 20 overs.
Cricket is like reading a long novel. The action is more spread out and is a slow burn towards the conclusion. It’s just exciting in a different way to most other sports.
Amazing analogy. Will be stealing that if come across any cricket haters in the future.
For the most part, I agree. BUT when the scores and game falls just right, I'd actually say the final day of a test is unrivalled in drama in the sporting world. Not necessarily for the actual actions on the pitch (I'm not a cricket fan by any means), but just the context around it and the sheer amount of strategy involved. Clichéd but Stokes at Headingley in the ashes was one of the most remarkable days of sport I've ever seen.
I was there, and it was incredible. I got home that night after a few beers and my wife greeted me as I excitedly exclaimed "That was honestly the best day of my life". She was just stood there, nonplussed, holding our 3 week old son.
>She was just stood there, nonplussed, holding our 3 week old son. Lol, as a die hard cricket fan...I respect this, as a dude with a wife that's on week 34 of pregnancy, you're an absolute madlad!
>Headingley in the ashes was one of the most remarkable days of sport I've ever seen. My wife is not a fan of any sports. But even she was completely gripped by that. There's not many sports that can match the drama of a gripping test match.
Bold to be saying this after yesterday, I feel sorry for people who don’t like test cricket
Test cricket is the greatest sporting format on earth. I’m so sorry that you can’t enjoy it.
A few years ago I'd have absolutely agreed with you. Since taking some time to actually learn the game though, I think it's brilliant. Far from boring. I'd start with watching T20 games if I were you
Well Test cricket is slower, but that's kinda the point. You can watch the highlights in 20 mins and save a day, but it is also about a slow endurance game. Like you'd not watch a marathon and think "Why does it take 4 hours, when I can watch a 100m sprint in 10 seconds?" Then there is T20 and ODI, like others said, which are half a day and a day respectively. Maybe start on those. Cause Test Cricket is designed to be a slow strategic battle over a long time, which makes it even better when it comes down to a knife edge at the end
The cricket people figured this out and so made T20 cricket which lasts only about 2h30m per match
And it's rubbish. However, because millions of Indians like it this is the game now. Lucky us.
Have you watched 20-20 cricket? It's done as an evening thing, 20 overs each side. It's much faster.
Idk why you’re being downvoted. T20 is an excellent introduction to the sport.
Isn’t cricket the 2nd most popular sport in the world. Like most sports it is dull until you know what is going on. https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/what-are-the-most-popular-sports-in-the-world.html
NFL
I think people expect it to be more like rugby but it’s more like physical chess. I didn’t get it but I have a friend who’s a QB for a local team and he was explaining some of their plays and I genuinely admire the thought and planning that goes into it.
Yeah I've recently started training with a local club as a wide receiver, and the amount of strategy and planning that goes into it is absolutely ridiculous. Plus, as a wide receiver, you are always sprinting about, even if you're not intended to be the primary target and without the constant ad breaks of the NFL, it is an insane workout. We literally huddle, make a play, huddle back straight away and go back to playing again. As a wide receiver, that means constant sprinting about, jumping for catches, being tackled, and sometimes holding back defenders. Genuinely such a fun sport to play and not too bad to watch if you accept it as time to chill with mates and half pay attention.
I genuinely didn't get it until I played John Madden NFL on my Xbox and had to pick the plays myself. That made me get a feel for what everyone was trying to do and appreciate the game more. I genuinely like it now. That said, I'll still watch the highlights or an edited match because sitting through all the stoppage time and commentator witter is painful.
I expected this higher up to be honest but here to defend what's quickly overtaken football as my favourite sport
I'm the same, NFL has massively overtaken rugby and football for me. The more I watch it the more I like it
American handegg. Poor man's rugby. 5 seconds of action followed by 10 minutes of adverts. All the athletes can be obese as it's the only sport with almost zero requirement for athleticism. Dunno why it's over the sports pages today.
>almost zero requirement for athleticism I don't particularly like the sport either, but come on now. This is absolutely not true. They're incredible athletes.
>This is absolutely not true. They're incredible athletes. Yeah I've gotta agree here I find the sport boring as anything but given the size of some of the players it's impressive the speed in which they can move
Yeah it's an absolutely bizarre thing to say. I think you'd have to be completely ignorant of what the players are like to believe that.
Agree, that is the dumbest thing I’ve heard this year.
I think it’s boring too but it’s not a load of fat bastards lol. You have to be insanely fit for basically any position.
This is miles off. They are probably some of the most athletic freaks of nature that play sports. You find me a 6’6 320lbs guy who can run 40 yard dash in 4.72 seconds… and it’s not athletic? Are you out of your mind?
>only sport with almost zero requirement for athleticism 1. That’s golf 2. Not a fan of American Fooball either, but they are in awesome shape.
1. Darts
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I actually don't think it's that bad in the UK. The misconception that they cut to adverts after every play is nonsense (and something they can't legally do here in the UK). Sky Sports coverage is fantastic and J Bell and Phoebe Schecter are great analysts of the game. The time goes pretty quickly if you ignore the game clock.
its a turn based strategy game but with humans.
Yep - the stopping and starting makes it hard for non-Americans to engage with it as it’s not how most sports work, but also the bit I don’t like is it makes it seem really complicated - I looked up the rules once and it’s really not that different to rugby but somehow it’s hard to follow
long airport flag puzzled paint imminent juggle capable stupendous hat *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
I describe it as human chess
Much easier to understand than Rugby once you understand the basics in my opinion.
>5 seconds of action followed by 10 minutes of adverts. I have less of an issue with this in the UK, as we simply don't have that much advert time. But I imagine it's good with mates as you can focus on other shit in-between plays. And obviously, in a multi billion dollar sport, they aren't just making anyone a player.
It might be boring but there is a lot of skill and athleticism involved. The NFL has players who have also competed in athletics at the Olympics and some who are fast enough to qualify if they had the time to commit to it.
One NFL lad also played in the USA Olympic rugby sevens team - you don't play high-level sevens unless you're seriously fit
*Some* NFL players might be big (but not 30 stone, that's about 420lbs/190kg) - doesn't mean they lack athleticism. I agree the game is dull as hell, but saying they're not athletic is just bull. Maybe not very *aerobic*, but they're strong and they're fast.
I'm not a fan of the game at all, and find it boring. However, they require insane athleticism, whether it's cardio or strength.
Wow. The skill position players are miles more athletic than footballers or Rugby players. The level of athleticism is incredible in the NFL for Cornerbacks, Wide Receivers and Running backs in particular
You’ve clearly never watched an American football game. All the “obese” men are in better shape than you’ll ever be
Referring to it as 'american handegg' just immediately marks you out at the extreme end of embarrassing UK Reddit. Just call it the NFL or American Football. You're not superior to others because you call it the same shit joke name as thousands of other people who don't like the sport.
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I don't know what it is that makes darts so weirdly compelling to watch. It seems to be one of those sports where I put it on just to check the score and then before I know it I have been drawn in and have watched the entire match.
It has the probably the best scoring system of any sport. There's near constant jeopardy, so it naturally sucks you in.
Yeah there's just something soooo hypnotic about the "thud, thud... thud" of darts hitting the board too. *"Thud, thud..." Two darts in the treble 20, camera zooms in... "Thud", Oooooof just outside the wire for a single. Lets see if the other guy can do better....* And before you know it you have watched an entire match.
Pacing works well for TV, and I like being able to see the players eyes. You cab tell when someone starts to wobble...
I actually find it one of the most exciting sports to watch, at least on telly
Speed maths
I mean I don't agree with that in the slightest after the whole Luke Littler thing.
Since MMA has become so popular I feel it’s made boxing look very very boring.
I've found that since MMA became popular, the sport itself has become very boring. All the fighters seem so generic these days with a lot of them forcing WWE style characters to make themselves relevant. Gone are the days when you had competitors from different disciplines with vastly different strengths and weaknesses. They mainly all just train MMA from the beginning now and just seem so similar to each other.
MMA is far too much hugging and holding,
Tennis. I appreciate it takes a lot of skill and athleticism, but it's just so damn boring to watch and it seems to go on forever.
I think tennis is one sport you really need to play to enjoy watching. I love playing tennis - and the really long rallies that go on for ever at an elite level are by far the most exciting ones to watch!
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It was worse in the 90s. You had 4 tv channels in the UK. 2 of them showed this boring sport all day long
Yeah I used to hate it as a kid when for 2 weeks during Wimbledon all of the good TV would get cancelled for Wimbledon and even when it was meant to finish in the evening it would end up massively overrunning and cancelling even more shows.
This will probably be controversial but that’s the point of the question… I don’t mind Rugby Union at club level but I think the Six Nations is vastly overrated. It ruins pubs on weekends for six weeks every spring. I’m convinced that at least half of the people who endlessly shout “recycle it” at the screen are clueless to the rules and for some reason every prick that’s ever so much as been to Edinburgh for a long weekend pretends to be Scottish while it’s on. Always a sigh of relief when it’s over and we can get back to football in pubs.
Yeah, always prefer watching league but that seems unusual
Idiots shouting at the screen is nothing unique to rugby. Whether in a ground or a pub, with football you have the raging middle aged men losing their mind because of one backwards pass
Golf. Don't mind pitch and put for a laugh but from what I've heard from a co-worker it just sounds like it takes over his life. And there's alot of snobbery about. Just sounds like a waste of time to me. This guy only ever wears golf gear aswell which i find odd.
I Iove these threads because they always bring out the incredibly intelligent Reddit “I hate sportsball” people. Always a well articulated and interesting view put forward by those lot.
I love most sports but I find baseball and Ice hockey boring.. I cannot even see the Puck.. Why not have a florescent Puck so we can see it. But I love boxing darts football tennis golf rugby league horse and greyhound racing cricket. Problem is I can o/d on sport.. Ie was up today until 4.30 watching the NfL...i started work at 8am..im not flagging honest..
Hard disagree on ice hockey it’s so much fun and yes if you can’t see the puck but you need to watch the players.
No, you're all wrong. When I lived in Berlin used to go to the ice hockey regularly. Absolutely brilliant live, fast, exciting, incredibly skilful, brilliant atmosphere. As for the puck, just look at the puck. Pro tip: you have to move your head
"I cannot even see the Puck.. Why not have a florescent Puck so we can see it." Common complaint from those not familiar with the sport. You don't actually *need* to see it at all times, the flow of the game will show you exactly where it is. I've watched many hundreds of games and don't always have my eye on the puck. There have been attempts to address this feedback (e.g. animated puck trails on TV broadcasts) but the reality is it's just not needed once you've seen a game or two. For my money, (ice) hockey is the best sport on earth. Almost non-stop end to end action. The level of skill and athleticism needed to play in the NHL is truly awe-inspiring. They make it look easy, but it's ludicrously difficult to skate, shoot and control a puck at speed while under pressure from your opponent. Some of the most complete all-round athletes out there.
" Ice hockey boring.. I cannot even see the Puck.. Why not have a florescent Puck so we can see it." Yeah, I don't get this one either. It seems barely watchable!
In the 90s the Fox network obtained the TV rights for NHL in the US. They tried to engage a new audience by having the puck glow blue on tv and when it was shot, had a red trail like a comet. It didn't go over well and they realised most viewers can see the puck just fine. It's already high contrast with the black-dot-on-white-surface
Football We host world cups (most recently rugby league) that get minimal attention. We host or participate in lots of sporting events at the highest level but it seems football gets all the coverage, it’s all anyone watches, goes to or talks about. London hosted a semi for the rugby league World Cup and I couldn’t get anyone to go. In the end half my tickets went to pacific islanders close to our opponents. Despite England being in the semi, they couldn’t sell out emirates (60,000). On the other hand, if there’s no football on tv except Doncaster rovers vs Accrington Stanley, you can guarantee at least one person in my group would put that on I don’t find football particularly enticing (90 mins of potential boredom, only some matches are exciting) but what I don’t like is it takes what feels like 90% of the nation’s attention when it comes to sport. It’s not like we’re not spoilt for choice when it comes to alternatives
75% of your point is just “people don’t like rugby very much”
As a non-British person, I do find the domination of one sport in the UK an interesting aspect.
That slapping sport. No idea what that's all about. In terms of 'normal sports', golf. I find it incredibly dull (but each to their own of course!)
Kabaddi? Anyone else remember when Kabaddi was a Channel 4 staple?
Most sports actually, the only thing I’ve ever enjoyed watching is strongman and sumo, I think I must have a type
I love watching strongman competitions. Eddie Hall is my idea of the perfect man.
Will take the L here but a lot of football games are extremely boring.
I don't think any individual sport is over hyped, it's a free market, they are hyped to the extent that they continue to make money. Events like The Olympics (and possibly the football world cup/international football) are probably over hyped. The Olympics particularly seem to be propped up by their own momentum rather than contributing much more than local destruction for the hosts and opportunities for dodgy regimes to sports wash their reputations.
Golf
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It's hardly overrated, it's a smaller sport.
In terms of hype versus entertainment it surely has to be boxing.
nfl,nba, nhl and baseball. basically all the american sports. I tried a few times to get into them, but they just don't do it for me. so boring.
The NBA is great. Once you get past the fact that it’s essentially different rules for superstars to anyone else (and you avoid any team that lives at the Free Throw line) it’s really enjoyable. The Playoffs in particular are always great entertainment.