Emotional sport

Hello one and all :)

I feel its time for another discussion thread, and as always with no conflict, but just perspectives and respected opinions, banter of course.

So this is about sport and what sports you enjoy, dislike or any other reason. But delving deeper into your emotions of why you like or dislike. Hope this is interesting enough, and I will get the ball rolling (pun intended of course)

Okay I am a chap, however I have a dislike for football..

I will be honest it started at school, where school chums were sub-grouped when it came to football. You were almost out-casted if you didn't follow a team, and even if you did you would be snubbed by opposing supporters.. but then we were only kids.
Over the years I have seen how football can cause violence, and even to the extreme of football supporters going to matches for one intention - for violent reasons. But I guess there is of course passion and pride, but for me there lies a sad undertone, and football today is so commercialised and money madness. In fact too far too many top flight footballers are paid ridiculous amounts, and are even publicly show behaviour, maybe reflecting this, I'm not sure, just an opinion.

So hope some of you poet get on board with this, and will come back at some point with my passion and emotion with a particular sport.

Much love
Michael x :)

Football - American football - is 100% my jam.

Fall is my favorite season and a huge part of that is due to football. I love everything about it - the game, the conversations, the competition, the gatherings, going to the games, tailgating, winning (duh, lol), the food - I have pictures of me as a teeny tiny sitting on my Dads lap, engrossed in the game, so it's no surprise I live and breathe football now.

My husband, when we met, didn't watch sports. I literally told him that if we were going to continue dating, he'd have to get into football at the least. We drive down to Eugene for the Oregon Ducks games on the regular, and it. is. life. Even with a crap season like we're having, but hello 3rd string QB.

I even love playing football on video games. Guys, it's a problem, only it's not a problem.

Michael,
While I recognize your issues about sports are real, I none the less enjoy sports avidly. The Dallas Cowboys have been a great thrill for me (at least in previous years) as well as heartbreak (the past 25 years).
I have to admit that I get excited about other sports only when they are in the play off season. However, there are some sports that always drive the adrenalin: the Triple Crown in USA Horse racing (even 44 years later I still remember breathlessly watching Secretariat's three races); the Super Bowl (even though the Cowboys haven't been there for 25 years); and the Olympics.

How wonderful Larry and Britt to hear your passion with American football. :)

As I refer to English football, which certainly has its cultured difference. I have never heard of violence or hooliganism with American football, and I can imagine the excitement.
And again this is how we learn about our differences in culture, emotions and way of life. it really is lovely to hear how you both feel bout your nations sport and the comparisons.

Thank you both for sharing how you feel about a sport you grew up with and how you still feel today, it really is interesting :)

Michael x

Soccer sucks, I'd be bleh about it, too. ;) Ha!

I used to think I liked soccer, but I was lying to myself. I love basketball. Basketball is my jam. I only started watching 3 years ago, but now Kevin and I try to catch every Warriors game. My dad has been a fan for decades, so he's happy I finally hopped on the bandwagon. I'm from Oakland, so I have a special pride that our team is so phenomenal right now. We also bought a hoop for our backyard and I've discovered that I'm a pretty good shot. I can make baskets further from the net than Kevin or any of his friends. *smirk*

What else... I grew up horseback riding (22+ years now) and playing lacrosse (8 years). I've never watched a professional lacrosse game. I started an adult softball league while living in Tahoe. I generally like playing sports more than watching them. However, nothing beats $1 day at Golden Gate Fields, which is a horse racetrack where I used to work. Every Sunday, there are $1 bets, $1 beers, and $1 hotdogs. I love going to look at the horses. I miss working there. Gorgeous animals.

I have no interest in football. I haven't watched the Superbowl in years. I don't really like how aggressive and machismo it seems. But maybe I'll learn to enjoy it someday. I like that Britt likes football.

Sports much more enjoyable playing than watching: baseball, golf, auto racing

PS: You are from this point "3-point Jane" - good shooting

Does poetry count as a sport? ????

No, honestly, I’m not a fan of sports per say. Mainly because they are NOT my forte. At. All.
That being said I enjoy badminton, because it’s pretty much the only thing I’m good at.

I’ve taken up running though. I bloody hate it, but the endorphin high is what keeps me coming back.

I accept my new name with pride.

Badminton, yes! I’m not great at it, but SO fun to play.

Great thread Michael :-)
I totally agree with you about English football ... sweeeeeping generalisation here ... but ... played by thugs with too much money, supported by their thugs (not enough money) using it as just another excuse to start a fight about something! We don't have enough police here ... not by a long shot ... but when the big football games are played, huge numbers of police have to be drafted in to control the crowds, taking them away from actual needy people ... how is that fair!!!!?

I don't enjoy watching sports at all ... with the exception of Wimbledon tennis - love that!
I'm tall and used to play netball at school which I loved ... I was goalkeeper, and the shooters hated me because they could never get the ball past my outstretched arm ... lol :-)

My personal thing now is a cross-trainer (my knees won't allow any high impact stuff) - oh, and hula hooping ... is that a sport? ;-)
=^.^=

How could I forget tennis?! I can’t play for beans, but I love watching Wimbledon too! And the Australian Open, U.S. Open, etc. Who are your favorite players? I love Roger Federer and Serena Williams. Sad they’re both getting older.

I used to be very sporty. Gymnastics and cross country running. I also used to play football and rounders with my brothers however I've never liked sitting on the sideline watching others play sports.

If i can't learn and compete in a sport then I find it extremely boring. I think it probably stems from not being allowed to play certain sports because I was a girl even though I'd played them out of school and because a particularly nasty games teacher didnt like me so tried to make my games life hell

Hi all :)

Some great little posts coming with your feelings around sport, whether liked or some did-likes.

I myself have a passion for Snooker, I played as a child and developed a good level and played for the county and rubbed shoulders with a couple of Professionals.

I feel its the one on one/ my mind against another's as snooker is a psychological game as well as a very skilled one. My adrenalin would pound when I was entering into a game, and I couldn't wait to play. I loved the silence of the game, which created an intensity and nerves could show too. I always played as if the other player was better than me, some cases they were haha! But such a beautiful sport in my mind.

I enjoy most sports that are one against one... tennis, badminton etc, it really is down to one person to make every quick thinking decision and the battle upon a field with two competitors trying to outwit, out-think and out-smart their opponent.

Much love
Mx

Jane, I'd have picked the same two, they're fascinating to watch. I like watching Andy Murray too as he's just so hard on himself!

Milly, I think PE teachers are a certain breed! I had a nasty one too!

Michael, you're on for a game of pool if you can lower yourself to that? I'm pretty nifty ;-)
I think snooker is boring to watch but fun to play for the reasons you've said x

Kitty =^.^=

Hey Michael! Which professionals did you meet? Hendry, Davis and O'Sullivan are my favorites. Watched a lot of snooker over the years, it's really difficult to play as well.

Did not think of pool. Suppose it is a sport, though. I once earned a job promotion by beating my boss & my rival. Up to that point my ADD was making my game sporadic, but they put $50 on the outcome & I cleared the table (9 balls left). I have trick shots (jumping the cue, ugly leaves).

Regarding pros: I once met Andre the giant and my crew & I ate dinner with him. Amazing appetite and such a gentle man!

EDIT: The Houston Astros are now in the World Series of baseball. I am pumped!

Yay... I read pool and I was like I can relate after all. I love pool. It relaxes me. :-)

Hi all :)

I must say for me that snooker and pool are very different sports, like Chess (which I also love) and Draughts haha! But I still enjoy a game of pool with a few beers and Californian Dreaming playing on a juke-box :)

The skill involved with snooker is learning angles of the table, positioning with detail and the pure psychology. There is a great deal of safety play in snooker as well as being able to pot and make the breaks to win a match.

I have played against John Parrott back in late eighties, and been to Sheffield Crucible to watch Jimmy White and Ronnie O'Sullivan two of my heroes and genius at what they do (more so Ronnie, as Jimmy cracked in many world finals) but the way they play is like they have been gifted :)

Mark - as I mentioned played against John Parrott who went onto win a world championship, and also met Steve Davis at a charity do. My all time favourite has to be Ronnie O'Sullivan, you must read his auto-biography really interesting :)
Much love
Mx

Older, Jane, but not an awful lot worse for it! Federer is world number 2 and Serena Williams will get back to the top when she returns from maternity leave, I'm sure.

Michael,
I love Australian Football (AFL).

I also love a bit of extreme fishing.. probably not a sport sport, but the strength some of those guys/gals need to pull in some of the larger fish such as marlin and tuna.. And the extent they go to keeping it on the line..

I guess watching fishing reminds me of times when my father and i used to go camping and fishing.. which we havent done in a while...

Excellent topic for discussion..

Update: if you follow American sports at all, you may guess that Houston has a great emotional response to Major League Baseball. The Houston Astros have won the World Series and are the world champions in baseball!!
I am closing my office at noon today so that my staff can go down to the welcome parade for the team.