So, what’s your list? I’m sure there are a lot more “sports” that suck that I left out. Especially interested in international dopers opinions, since this is an Ameri-centric list.
Watchable, in order of preference:
[ul][li]Football[/li][li]Baseball[/li][li]Soccer[/li][li]Cycling[/li][li]Tennis[/li][li]Hockey (sorta here too)[/ul][/li]Unwatchable (order not important):
[ul][li]Auto racing[/li][li]Golf[/li][li]Bowling[/li]Basketball (sorry, can’t stand it)[/ul]
Lacrosse. Fastest game on two feet. A little tough to watch televised, but great IRL.
NBA finals. Don’t watch any other time of year, but it sure as heck is worth it to watch the finals
Tennis. I like tennis a lot. I play tennis. I like watching tennis.
Rugby. How can you not like this sport?
Baseball. Boring. Really boring. I can go eat dinner, come back, and nothing’s happened. Or both teams have scored once, or one twice, whatever. It * is * good to have on the radio, because the visuals are usually not all that impressive anyway, and this way it doesn’t take up all your concentration.
Other sports: Golf…why?
Bicycling: Uhh, I like to know who won, but really, watching isn’t all that exciting.
Hockey: sometimes fun in the 3rd period when the game is close.
NASCAR: I don’t understand this at all…they just go around in a glorified circle 200 times.
Oh yeah, one I forgot:
This thing on ESPN that was the championship for lumberjack events–log sawing (both hand saw and chainsaw), axe-chopping, etc. Very entertaining.
Can we all agree that football is the most watchable sport?
Watchable-
Football
Hockey
Baseball
Horse Racing
Track/Field
College Basketball, Football
Non-Watchable
Soccer (0-0 ties!)
Nascar
curling
tennis (highlights are cool)
golf (again the highlights are good)
Never seen Rugby, but I assume it is cool. In elementry school when they banned tackle football we started playing Rugby and the lunch moms threw a fit.
Let me first note that I rarely watch sporting events. I’m usually too busy. But given the choice:
Best:
Baseball. It’s not slow, it’s suspenseful. No other game comes close. Plus it has the best collection of statistics, which make its history so rich. You can compare players to your heart’s content.
Hockey. When I want action instead.
Football. Tradition, mostly. But something is fundamentally wrong with a sport which generates such long injury lists and the current NFL play is boring for someone who was raised on the old AFL. Let them take the one good idea from basketball and ban zone defenses.
Golf. I’m getting older. But the strategy and shotmaking make is interesting on a dull day.
Worst:
Auto racing. Speed is dull and I can see traffic jams (and accidents) on the drive home from work.
Fishing. I hate to fish, and I don’t care to watch others do it.
Basketball. Clunky giants. There’s something wrong with a sport in which a good defense holds you to under 100 point.
BTW, in all sports, the college version is inferior to the pros.
What is that modified vehicle bog racing thing they have in the South?
Not only boring but weird.
I would have to say the NCAA March Madness is the pinnacle. Drama, excitement, office pools. Cripes everyone in our office was wired for it this year. Everyone was hitting refresh on their browser every 10 seconds and that were a lot of low murmurs, groans and whoops of joy.
I’m going to reveal myself as the classless closet redneck I really am here, but NASCAR is not boring to watch. In truth, I find it more interesting to listen to on the radio, but with good commentators and some knowledge of the sport, it makes for damn find entertainment!
As hell, you could say that about ANY of these sports, so why am I bothering?
But really. Racing is not just zipping around in ovals for countless laps. It’s a bunch of tradeoffs, all the time, and a lot of chance-taking. I get pretty charged up watching.
Does anyone else find softball immensely entertaining? It’s compact, fast-moving, and fun to watch. Baseball is ok, but it gets very old… it’s just kinda slow… and besides, who doesn’t like girls more than boys? j/k, of freaking course. I’m not a homo… well, not yet anyway… nevermind, I’m just bored. Ignore this.
Watchable (no order)[ul]
[li]Football[/li][li]Baseball (whole games only–can’t get into highlights, because they don’t convey the suspense alluded to by RealityChuck. And don’t get me started on ESPN’s “Going, Going, Gone!” homerun feature: video clip of swing, look, first three steps toward first, repeat with different uniform, repeat, repeat . . .)[/li][li]Volleyball (both types)[/li][li]Skiing[/li][/ul]
Not Watchable[list]
[li]Basketball[/li][li]NASCAR/Indy[/li][li]Bowling[/li]Skeet/Trap Shooting
In ALL sports Chuck? Think college fotball. Think U-M Wolverines, and then think Detroit Lions. But, football is the only sport where the college version is better.
My list. Watchable:
1)Baseball
2) Hockey…although during the playoffs, the NHL Finals overtake the World Series.
3) Football
4) Soccer. And during the World Cup, soccer gets bumped to number 1 on my list.
5) Golf.
But the strategy and shotmaking make is interesting on a dull day.