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Is there any sport better than American football??!
- Thread starter LuckyBrand
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SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
NFL football is my favorite sport, and here's why. I shouldn't need to say this, but this is all my own opinion, based on my nearly 40 years of life as a sports spectator 
- Strategy is unmatched by any other sport.
- A much wider variety of players and skills are required than any other sport.
- A single star player cannot dominate an entire game (would the Bulls have won as many games without Jordan scoring 30-40 points?)
- The small number of games means that almost every single game is important. Baseball's over 160 games trivializes the importance of a single game. I think hockey and basketball have too many games, as well.
- NFL football has a better playoff and championship system than any other sport. Best of 7? Sure, let's coddle the teams & forgive them for having an off day! In NFL football, you have to be on top of your game -- offense, defense, coaches -- every single week.
- NFL football is much more exciting to watch than any other sport, especially baseball and soccer. Basketball comes in second, followed by hockey.
- All of these team sports are tons of fun to watch in person, but again, the short NFL season makes each game you DO see in person that much more meaningful.
Is NFL the "best" sport? That's a matter of opinion. But I sure do love it!
GO SKINS!!
- Strategy is unmatched by any other sport.
- A much wider variety of players and skills are required than any other sport.
- A single star player cannot dominate an entire game (would the Bulls have won as many games without Jordan scoring 30-40 points?)
- The small number of games means that almost every single game is important. Baseball's over 160 games trivializes the importance of a single game. I think hockey and basketball have too many games, as well.
- NFL football has a better playoff and championship system than any other sport. Best of 7? Sure, let's coddle the teams & forgive them for having an off day!
In NFL football, you have to be on top of your game -- offense, defense, coaches -- every single week.- NFL football is much more exciting to watch than any other sport, especially baseball and soccer. Basketball comes in second, followed by hockey.
- All of these team sports are tons of fun to watch in person, but again, the short NFL season makes each game you DO see in person that much more meaningful.
Is NFL the "best" sport? That's a matter of opinion. But I sure do love it!
GO SKINS!!
SteveMeister
Hang out with Steve.
Alucard said:
Actually I think you can say that about baseball and basketball, too. Hockey & soccer aren't popular enough in the US for the athletes to be that way, but I imagine in other countries they have their sports scandals in soccer, too.
I like this article:
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1270849,00.html
Also, I wonder how many kids play Little League Soccer compared to Little League Baseball.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,6903,1270849,00.html
Also, I wonder how many kids play Little League Soccer compared to Little League Baseball.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I love soccer and defend it to my friends. It was the only sport I was ever good at. I pay for Fox Sports World just to watch it. The drama of national rivalries and the intesity of the World Cup is unmatched.
But I still think the American brand of football is a superior spectator sport. The game is difficult to understand and appreciate initially, and that probably turns off many people who prefer the elegantly simple game of soccer. I wish you international forum members were in a position to really appreciate the game, I think you would like it.
But I still think the American brand of football is a superior spectator sport. The game is difficult to understand and appreciate initially, and that probably turns off many people who prefer the elegantly simple game of soccer. I wish you international forum members were in a position to really appreciate the game, I think you would like it.
brooklyngooner
Member
I really want to like American football more than I do, but I just find the culture surrounding it so inane. The whole silly "war" mentality and those fucking ridiculous Coors Light and UnderArmor commericials. They are farcical to the point of self-parodic. And rugby players are tougher and those fuckers are nuts. Also rugby players could drink American football players under the table.
Mixed Martial Arts is the only true sport out there. Everything else is just a game...like darts or tiddlywinks. I mean, sport is about imposing your will on your opponent. With things like football or basketball, this idea is completely abstracted. You demonstrate your dominance by throwing a leather ball through a hoop or walking over some arbitrary line. MMA is just removes all these abstractions. There's nothing purer than knocking out or making your opponent submit.
EDIT: Plus, football is fucking boring.
EDIT: Plus, football is fucking boring.
DJ_tet: Do me a favor and stop using "futbol" as if the sport were of spanish origin. The Germans call it 'fussbal" while the English use "football". The sport is "football". It's completely different from American Football, certainly, but the name of the sport is still Foot-ball.
If you want to be unambiguous use Soccer or Association Football.
If you want to be unambiguous use Soccer or Association Football.
Hockey is the best..
The reason American Football is so popular is because you have a friggin' week to hype each game to shit. By the time the game comes around, everyone is foaming at the mouth in anticipation.. ready to bash heads in. Actually Playing > Hype/trashtalk.
That being said, I love football (both varieties).
The reason American Football is so popular is because you have a friggin' week to hype each game to shit. By the time the game comes around, everyone is foaming at the mouth in anticipation.. ready to bash heads in. Actually Playing > Hype/trashtalk.
That being said, I love football (both varieties).
BigGreenMat
Member
Football is probably the best to watch on television. As far as being a great game it still might be tops although Hockey is a damn fine sport as is Rugby. Soccer in all honesty is simply not that great a sport. Hockey is not as great as it used to be simply because it is starting to take on a few of the negative aspects that soccer has.
LuckyBrand
Banned
brooklyngooner said:
COOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hitokage said:
Guess you haven't seen the commercial. I'm not going to stop, and I knew what Germans called it. My calling it futbol is a matter of personal preference, not an insight into who invented the game. Don't read into it that much.
Besides, nothing makes futbol quite as exciting as seeing some spanish commentary on the games. Hell, that's the ONLY way to play Winning Eleven 7
evil solrac v3.0
Member
football the best? nah, that'd be baseball.
Guileless
Temp Banned for Remedial Purposes
I wonder what would really happen if, for example, Deuce McCallister and Ray Lewis played rugby. Would they dominate? Most of the guys I see playing rugby on tv look pretty much normal-sized. How would they fare against people who are 250 pounds and run a 4.5?
Spectral Glider
Member
Breaks down like this...
NFL - (Unmatched.)
NHL (Post season hockey is almost as good as the NFL, almost)
MLB (Regular season blows, post season is usually interesting, at the last few years have been.)
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NBA
I'll watch tennis, bowling, pool, anything except golf, over an NBA game.
NFL - (Unmatched.)
NHL (Post season hockey is almost as good as the NFL, almost)
MLB (Regular season blows, post season is usually interesting, at the last few years have been.)
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NBA
I'll watch tennis, bowling, pool, anything except golf, over an NBA game.
While I'm a huge fan of the actual game of soccer, and played it 8 years and still do on and off today, I have to give it up to American football. The whole show is great. Stats and strategy and rivalries and big hits and great camera work. The whole thing is just so much more rewarding than anything I watch in soccer, except maybe the World Cup. Nothing quite tops the best world sport on an international level like that. World Cup is like the Olympics...it's bigger than the Olympics...I think. But I love American football. Fun to watch at the pro and college levels, but even going to a high school football game is a fun affair. Football is the number sport I watch. It comes before all else really. I don't think that'll change when I move to Europe, but we'll see. I'd like to watch more soccer, but they aren't always the most exciting matches, and there's usually something better on. I do watch Brazil everytime they're on. My favorite team as far as style is concerned. They're always fun to watch. PEACE.
My opinion is the best sports are:
1. American football - brilliant mix of tactics/ strategy and sheer physicality and skill. great scoring system. To me it is a perfect example of a well designed sport. Rugby in comparison seems like that english 16th century game of running a pigskin bladder between two villages with no rules.
2. Cricket - i can seriously get enthralled at the sheer beauty of this game sometimes.. when there is a international test match on I could watch that shit for 5 days straight without getting bored. It is good how it has the english sport factor of a very idiosyncratic thing that has evolved over many years. Then there is the gracefullness of the batting with cover drives etc. how the ball is seamed so you can have swing bowling, spinners, movement off the seam. Even down to the brilliant names for all the fielding positions like slip, silly point, gulley, extra cover, third man etc. Its also cool how it is so tied to the geographical sprawl of the British Empire.. basically every cricketing country is part of the British Empire like Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, India etc. its a shame that the Brits didn't colonise more countries and introduce more people to cricket. unfortunately because it is so slow basically it is not a game any country would 'get' unless the English invade you get to see 1st hand how cool the game is when they build you some cricket ovals. Also cricket has the best sports commentator ever.. Richie Benaud. the guy looks like a prune but he has such a great old-school Aussie voice.. totally perfect for watching cricket.
here is quite a funny compilation of sledging or insults between cricket players
http://www.cricket365.com/Features/Mouthing_Off/story_5588.shtml
1. American football - brilliant mix of tactics/ strategy and sheer physicality and skill. great scoring system. To me it is a perfect example of a well designed sport. Rugby in comparison seems like that english 16th century game of running a pigskin bladder between two villages with no rules.
2. Cricket - i can seriously get enthralled at the sheer beauty of this game sometimes.. when there is a international test match on I could watch that shit for 5 days straight without getting bored. It is good how it has the english sport factor of a very idiosyncratic thing that has evolved over many years. Then there is the gracefullness of the batting with cover drives etc. how the ball is seamed so you can have swing bowling, spinners, movement off the seam. Even down to the brilliant names for all the fielding positions like slip, silly point, gulley, extra cover, third man etc. Its also cool how it is so tied to the geographical sprawl of the British Empire.. basically every cricketing country is part of the British Empire like Australia, West Indies, Pakistan, India etc. its a shame that the Brits didn't colonise more countries and introduce more people to cricket. unfortunately because it is so slow basically it is not a game any country would 'get' unless the English invade you get to see 1st hand how cool the game is when they build you some cricket ovals. Also cricket has the best sports commentator ever.. Richie Benaud. the guy looks like a prune but he has such a great old-school Aussie voice.. totally perfect for watching cricket.
here is quite a funny compilation of sledging or insults between cricket players
http://www.cricket365.com/Features/Mouthing_Off/story_5588.shtml
ConfusingJazz
Member
brooklyngooner said:
Well, you may say that rugby tougher because of pads and yadda yadda yadda, there is a reason for it. President Teddy Roosevelt demanded that college players require padding after 18 players in 1905.
Also as a result of this, the best innovation in sports was created, the forward pass. Now if want some highlights, look at some of those, they will blow you away.
Dagless M.D.
Member
I just chalked up a few people for possible ignore listing because of this thread.
If you don't follow a sport, then your opinion means nothing on it. I watch soccer and rugby more than any other sports, I feel that I could give a valid opinion of the high points and low points of those games. I however don't watch baseball, and have no real wish to. But I'm not going to go out and say 'baseball is shit because nothing ever happens, all they do is hit a ball with a stick' because I've never watched it and given it the chance to impress me. But when I see people saying how much x,y,x sucks despite the fact that all they have seen of it is five minuets while channel surfing, it gets me angry.
Just face the fact that if a sport is as popular as it is, there is a REASON for it (that applies to all major sports posted in this thread)
If you don't follow a sport, then your opinion means nothing on it. I watch soccer and rugby more than any other sports, I feel that I could give a valid opinion of the high points and low points of those games. I however don't watch baseball, and have no real wish to. But I'm not going to go out and say 'baseball is shit because nothing ever happens, all they do is hit a ball with a stick' because I've never watched it and given it the chance to impress me. But when I see people saying how much x,y,x sucks despite the fact that all they have seen of it is five minuets while channel surfing, it gets me angry.
Just face the fact that if a sport is as popular as it is, there is a REASON for it (that applies to all major sports posted in this thread)
I know "American football" was used to signify the difference between soccor and football, but would the CFL be considered "Canadian football"?
I don't mind the CFL, I find it more exciting than the NFL because of the larger fields, and the 3 downs rather than 4 make it far more tense and dramatic.
SteveMeister: That was a good breakdown of why you like football. I agree with many of those points (thought not all). The original poster should have posted something like that.
I don't mind the CFL, I find it more exciting than the NFL because of the larger fields, and the 3 downs rather than 4 make it far more tense and dramatic.
SteveMeister: That was a good breakdown of why you like football. I agree with many of those points (thought not all). The original poster should have posted something like that.
LuckyBrand
Banned
Lathentar said:
i think thats a good way to characterize PART of football, but football really combines so many aspects of sport...
i could see football being confusing for a newby, and thereby maybe not fun to watch; hell i didnt even know the rules of football til high school and up until then I had no interest in watching it.. but freshman football in my high school taught me the rules and than i realized how awesome the sport was.. the more i learn about football, the more i love it.
Football does combine a lot of different sports. The hard hits of hockey, the tactics of basketball, the stats of baseball and the field, placement of soccer/rugby. Yeah, that's a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea. Without the hits, I probably wouldn't watch football. But without the strategy, it wouldn't have the same longevity either. I like watching one coach planning against another. When you can read the defense and offensive schemes and know what generally happens, it's amazing to watch. But the same goes for any sport. I love soccer, but I can't watch some of the tactical teams. The slow passing and waiting is sometimes unwatchable. I love a team with flair. Senagal is one, but a team like Brazil that can play some great longball is my favorite. Italy and Germany too. I don't watch club soccer much. It's mostly scheduling problems like I said before. I like club games that I do catch b/c club teams play more together and thus play better ball despite having less talented players overall. That and some of the best goals I've seen have come in club play. Guys tend to wing it a lot more there and some of the results are staggering. 8O I don't think there's a bad sport. Maybe baseball, b/c it's boring as shit. But I also like auto racing, and a lot of people find that to be incredibly boring. Different strokes. PEACE.
Meatpuppet
Member
Rugby >> Ice Hockey >> Football >> American Football >> Basketball >>>>>>>>>>>...
[some hours later] >>>>>>>> Baseball/Gaelic Football
[some hours later] >>>>>>>> Baseball/Gaelic Football
LuckyBrand
Banned
God just told me if you think American Football isnt the best sport around, you are going to hell...
he said that mostly applies to those that like soccer.
he said that mostly applies to those that like soccer.
MrPing1000
Member
See the problem is Americans have attention spans smaller than the average human. Thats why they have to be entertained everytime or they don't bother. Why do u think American Sports have cheerleaders? Sports isn't just about entertainment, theres going to be times when games suck but thats the way it goes.
The rest of the world recognises that football (soccer) is the best sport in the world, more people watch it than any other sport.
Also note the NFL owns the rights to the phrase "American Football"
Fifa owns the word "Football"
but as far as American Sports go, the NFL is the only one I find remotely watchable. But its still wousy compared to Rugby (2nd best sport in the world)
The rest of the world recognises that football (soccer) is the best sport in the world, more people watch it than any other sport.
Also note the NFL owns the rights to the phrase "American Football"
Fifa owns the word "Football"
but as far as American Sports go, the NFL is the only one I find remotely watchable. But its still wousy compared to Rugby
(2nd best sport in the world)tracky_dacks
Member
I tried getting into American "football" -- no, I really did -- but just find it so damn boring and don't see all the hoopla over it. If you ask me, it's a sad man's version of rugby -- with tons of padding and as Cockles said, less action yet so much more field time.
Anyway's, here's my favourite sports to watch:
1. Aussie Rules (AFL) -- Grand Final in two weeks!
2. Soccer
3. One Day Cricket -- Test matches only if Australia are involved
4. Motorsports -- Formula 1 (well not lately) / V8 Supercars / Rally etc.
5. Rugby Union -- League is gay
6. Basketball
Favourite sports to play:
1. Aussie Rules
2. Go karting
3. Soccer
4. Golf
5. Cricket
6. Basketball
7. Tennis
Anyway's, here's my favourite sports to watch:
1. Aussie Rules (AFL) -- Grand Final in two weeks!
2. Soccer
3. One Day Cricket -- Test matches only if Australia are involved
4. Motorsports -- Formula 1 (well not lately) / V8 Supercars / Rally etc.
5. Rugby Union -- League is gay
6. Basketball
Favourite sports to play:
1. Aussie Rules
2. Go karting
3. Soccer
4. Golf
5. Cricket
6. Basketball
7. Tennis
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