# Stupidest "sport" you've seen televised **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [September 20, 2018, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656 "2018-09-20T22:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![blob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blob/32/489_2.png) [@blob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blob)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2018, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/81 "2018-09-21T23:58:27Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > It’s the sport everyone likes to joke about, I guess. It’s the trousers, and the yelling. I quite like watching it on the olympics if I catch it. The players are so skilled. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/82 "2018-09-22T00:51:01Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > One of my Facebook friends recently caught her 4-year-old son watching a You Tube video of someone watching You Tube. She should put her 4 year old on Youtube! A Youtube of a person watching a Youtube of another person watching a Youtube. I’d watch! ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/83 "2018-09-22T01:15:12Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > She should put her 4 year old on Youtube! A Youtube of a person watching a Youtube of another person watching a Youtube. I’d watch! That would be like John Malkovich entering the mind of John Malkovich. ---
**Author:** ![Teuton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/teuton/32/3864_2.png) [@Teuton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Teuton)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/84 "2018-09-22T08:17:15Z")
[The Indoor League](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Indoor_League) included shove ha’penny, and had Fred Truman hosting the show with a pint. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/85 "2018-09-22T08:44:34Z")
back when no serious pro league would have anything to do with espn they used to show things like "the world lumber jack games " pool and bowling were on a lot ski jumping on wide world of sports ….basically these guys skied down a bob sled ramp and jumped …… every one got injured in some way and abc had the judges call it all a tie the funniest was watching Minnesota fats job to willie mosconi when fats was supposed to the best ever …… Funny thing about people watching lets play aka video gaming videos …. the number one you tuber is a guy that plays video games called Dantdm…. hes funny and dosent really play them better ot worse than anyone on the street ……hes just funny most of the time …. usually unintentionally ---
**Author:** ![Plumpudding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@Plumpudding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plumpudding)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/86 "2018-09-22T13:33:13Z")
I was gonna say rock paper scissors… So instead I’ll mention [World Sauna Championships](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Sauna_Championships)! ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/87 "2018-09-22T18:32:41Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Depends on which teams are playing. De La Salle vs. Mater Dei was a decent game. Did you see #3 in the nation Mater Dei (CA) vs. #1 ranked IMG Academy (FL) last night? That was a great High School contest. Mater Dei 28-24 over IMG breaking their 41 game win streak. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/88 "2018-09-22T19:16:52Z")
> [@Plumpudding](#): > > I was gonna say rock paper scissors… > > So instead I’ll mention [World Sauna Championships](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Sauna_Championships)! And that page links to Wikipedia’s page of [List of unusual deaths](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_unusual_deaths). ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/89 "2018-09-22T19:38:43Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Battle of the Network Stars Celebrity Dunk Tank](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ9yqEMYx20) > > It wasn’t really about the athletics. That is one of the greatest sporting events I have ever seen. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2018, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/90 "2018-09-22T19:59:18Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > I swear to God, I saw Electric Belt Sander Racing on the TV once. Apparently, its what keeps Canadians occupied during the long, cold and dark winter. I remember a Dave Barry column about that. He also did one about people who lifted weights with their body piercings; use your imagination about that. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/91 "2018-09-23T01:26:49Z")
> [@Ambivalid](#): > > Poker. W-T-F. Seconded. I’ll add Dwarf Tossing which IIRC was big in the late 70s and early 80s on Wide World or one of the like shows. I believe it sprang out of the “toughest bouncer” contests; was one of the “challenges” of that almost equally stupid sport. I believe Mr T was discovered when he was a participant in one of those sports. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/92 "2018-09-23T01:41:58Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > Cow Chip Tossing > [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWGqhIbXh-I](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWGqhIbXh-I) > > [mike drop] Or watermelon seed spitting? Yeah, Mike Rowe did that. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/93 "2018-09-23T01:54:41Z")
Let’s see, either golf or curling. Waiting for the Canucks in 5, 4, 3, 2… ---
**Author:** ![BobBitchin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ea924/32.png) [@BobBitchin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobBitchin)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/94 "2018-09-23T02:14:03Z")
> [@bump](#): > > I think there are two contenders. > > First, back in about 1994 or so, I watched about 15 minutes of figure-eight auto racing on ESPN2 in the wee hours of the morning after a night out in college. Just dumb; the whole point was watching to see if they’d collide as the leaders started to intersect the drivers at the end. > > The second was at a similar time on the same channel at about the same time- it was swamp buggy racing. More inexplicable, less pointlessly dangerous. > [@Dinsdale](#): > > When I used to be into classic cars, we did an outing where they featured figure-8 BUS races! :eek:😃 > > Yeah - alcohol was involved by the spectators - as well as, I imagine - the participants! > > I remember barrel jumping on WWS. Wonder if they still do that anywhere? > > Two of my nieces are on the US national underwater hockey team. Recently competed in the world championships in Quebec. Gotta be one of the stupidest activities I’ve ever heard of. I’ve seen it on-line, but can’t imagine it has ever been more widely televised. > > These young women are INCREDIBLY fit. Not taking anything away from them in that respect. But MAN, is their chosen avocation silly. I currently live within 100 miles of TWO facilities with figure 8 tracks. One of them does BUSSES and vehicles towing TRAILERS:eek: (separately)😃 I may be going next month, but I don’t think figure8 is on the menu that night. Just some sportsman and a few lower classes, but we’ll see. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/95 "2018-09-23T14:06:10Z")
Have they ever televised the Shrove Tuesday pancake races between Liberal KS and Olney England? Because that would get my vote. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/96 "2018-09-23T15:51:07Z")
> [@kunilou](#): > > [Battle of the Network Stars Celebrity Dunk Tank](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ9yqEMYx20) > > It wasn’t really about the athletics. If you post that, I have to add the [“Network Battle Of The T’s and A’s”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0f1Ywnjq0A) (potentially NSFW, even though it’s an old SNL spoof). ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/97 "2018-09-23T16:12:53Z")
[Campeonato mundial de lanzamiento de rabiosa](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=lanzamiento+de+rabiosa) (world’s hoe throw championship). It’s a joke, but it’s a joke that worked well enough it gets repeated every year. “What’s the stupidest thing we can make a world championship of?” ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2018, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/98 "2018-09-23T16:38:38Z")
> [@That\_Don\_Guy](#): > > Depends on which teams are playing. De La Salle vs. Mater Dei was a decent game. no, not really. it’s _high school football._ IMO the only reason it gets televised at all is for the parents, so they can DVR it and try to guilt their friends into watching their kid on TV so they can feel special. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/99 "2018-09-24T08:15:50Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > ESPN has aired the National Spelling Bee for about 20 years; it made it to network TV for a few years but now it’s back to ESPN only. (And yes, I do watch it!) I recall that during the last NHL strike (2004?), we got a lot of spelling bees on Canadian sports channels. Likely because those channels had bought so many hockey games prior to the season, that they had nothing to show during the strike, so the channels were looking for anything to fill the time. Anyway, I also recall darts, snooker, and lumberjack competitions during that time; but it’s the spelling bees that stand out. They showed how desperate Canadian sports channels were for content during a time of no hockey. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2018, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656/100 "2018-09-24T11:45:26Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > no, not really. it’s _high school football._ IMO the only reason it gets televised at all is for the parents, so they can DVR it and try to guilt their friends into watching their kid on TV so they can feel special. Nah, I enjoy watching the games sometimes, and I have no kids in high school. I usually root for my alma mater or another Catholic League Conference team. Remember, the world record for most attended sporting event was at one time the 1937 Prep Bowl in Soldier Field, with an estimated crowd of 120,000. Clearly, high school sports doesn’t have quite the following it did back then, but it’s still reasonably followed, at least in my neighborhood in Chicago. Definitely not just for the parents. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupidest-sport-youve-seen-televised/821656.md?page=6)