Sports

[beecee]

What are your favourite sports? Mine are Swimming, Rugby League and Cricket. But when the Olympic games come around and the total coverage on TV given it in my country, there are other sports that I get a deep appreciation for...cycling, for one...weightlifting is another. Sailing also has my interest, as well as rowing.

I also in my own mind like comparing similar sports, for example, cricket and baseball. At the risk of getting some Americans offside [which I'm always prepared to take ] I see cricket as analogous to a game of chess, while baseball is more akin to a game of draughts. I'm speaking of 5 day test cricket of course, as opposed to the "Mickey mouse" style One day Internationals and 20/20 cricket.

Other comparisons I tend to make is Rugby football [League or Union] with Soccer and American Grid Iron football. Having played League and Union in my time, I do have a bias towards them. 

What's your sport of choice? Which do you enjoy watching the most? What sport/s have you participated in at any level?

An Important issue I did not mention is of course the undeniable influence that science has on all sports in general...equipment, training methods, etc. In the Rugby League for example, any player that takes a knock to the head is taken off the field for a HIA [head  injury assessment] He then needs to pass certain tests as performed by a Doctor before returning to the field. If he fails those tests as conducted by a doctor, he is not allowed to return to the field of play.

This has come about due to scientific findings in American football and the cumalitive  effects of head knocks, which was highlighted in the movie "Concussion". 

 

Edited March 25, 2019 by beecee

[Ghideon]

1 hour ago, beecee said:

But when the Olympic games come around and the total coverage on TV

The first that I can think of in the above context is Curling. I never think of Curling for four years and then during the winter Olympics I watch lots of it. I think it depends on the production;  usually skilled commenters analyse and describe the intriguing details of the game. The same could be said about biathlon.  

I don't watch much sports frequently but probably I've spent most time on motorsports and Ice hockey (both on TV). Where I grew up Ice Hockey and motorsports were common activities and it probably had an impact. But now-days I believe I'm drawn more to big championships and events rather than specific sports.

 

 

Edited March 25, 2019 by Ghideon

[Janus]

The sports I tend to watch are those I have some history with.  I played football( American) in high school, so I do watch it. (Though with the NFL, I really only watch the two teams I follow; It just doesn't keep my interest otherwise. With College ball, I can watch games when I have nothing in stake with either team.

My daughter played youth soccer, with which I became more and more involved until I was helping coach. Thus I watch MSL soccer ( though again mainly my team),  and European Football if its on.

I wrestled in high school also, but don't enjoy watching wrestling at the Olympics as much, mainly because the rules differ from the scholastic wrestling I'm used to.

I threw discus and shot put also in high school, but these aren't exactly what I'd call spectator sports.

Along those same lines, I've played a few rounds of golf in my life, and while I found it fun enough, I just don't get the appeal of watching someone else play it.

The same goes for fishing. I've done it and enjoyed it, but watching other people do it on TV would bore me to tears.

 

[beecee]

46 minutes ago, Janus said:

The sports I tend to watch are those I have some history with.  I played football( American) in high school, so I do watch it.

Yeah I have watched a game of American football. Interesting but It lacks imo, the 80 minute non stop action of Rugby League...... 

 

[MigL]

Only played rugby during my first year of University.
The recruitment slogan that caught my eye was
"You gotta have leather balls to play rugby"

[beecee]

21 minutes ago, MigL said:

Only played rugby during my first year of University.
The recruitment slogan that caught my eye was
"You gotta have leather balls to play rugby"

Just last week, the first round of our NRL competition, one of our top notch players is out for a month or more with a ruptured testicle. Brings a tear to your eye just thinking about it. 

[zapatos]

32 minutes ago, MigL said:

Only played rugby during my first year of University.
The recruitment slogan that caught my eye was
"You gotta have leather balls to play rugby"

I played during first year of University also.

Our slogan was "rugby players eat their dead". I had a tee-shirt with a sketch of a scrum and the scrum-half tossing out the ball. But the ball turned out to be one of the player's heads.

We played our games on Saturday. I didn't recover until Thursday. I got the hell beat out of me every week. One year was all I could take.

We also had kegs at every game, Thursday night practice was at a bar and the only thing we practiced was rugby songs.

Loved every minute of it. 

[beecee]

59 minutes ago, zapatos said:

I played during first year of University also.

Our slogan was "rugby players eat their dead". I had a tee-shirt with a sketch of a scrum and the scrum-half tossing out the ball. But the ball turned out to be one of the player's heads.

We played our games on Saturday. I didn't recover until Thursday. I got the hell beat out of me every week. One year was all I could take.

We also had kegs at every game, Thursday night practice was at a bar and the only thing we practiced was rugby songs.

Loved every minute of it. 

Obviously speaking of Rugby Union, the game they play in heaven, as it is often said.  I played Hooker in both Rugby codes, and while Union can be tougher, League is more open and faster, with less emphasis on the ruck and mauls. League could take a lesson off Union though with the far more tidier scrums, which in League have become a farce now and sacrificed for the faster, more open game. Being an old Hooker though, not fully to my satisfaction. 

[zapatos]

Just happened to run across this picture.

 

[beecee]

1 hour ago, zapatos said:

Just happened to run across this picture.

All football codes in Australia now, have woman giving it a go. I watched a woman's Rugby League final last year, and thank christ I was not on the receiving end of some of their tackles!!!

[DrP]

6 hours ago, zapatos said:

Just happened to run across this picture.

She's a fine looking hooker. ;-)

[swansont]

12 hours ago, Ghideon said:

The first that I can think of in the above context is Curling. I never think of Curling for four years and then during the winter Olympics I watch lots of it. I think it depends on the production;  usually skilled commenters analyse and describe the intriguing details of the game. The same could be said about biathlon.  

I watch curling during the Olympics and when I live in Canada.

 

In addition, I watch gridiron football and baseball (both of which I played) and soccer when the World Cup is on.

[Silvestru]

I enjoy watching combat sports. I know it sounds anticlimactic but I think the more risk the more entertainment. A loss in curling is just a loss, a loss in a muay-thai match can mean end of you career. Actually a win can also mean that sometimes.

[Phi for All]

I stopped watching baseball when the player's union strike caused the World Series to be cancelled in the mid-90s. I stopped watching basketball when some of the players claimed they weren't role models for children and could act any way they wanted to. I stopped watching American football when my team's owner threatened to take the team to another city if we didn't build him a new stadium with taxpayer dollars. At that point, I was 200% done with their shit.

Personally, I dislike the emphasis on individual superstars in team sports. I dislike the win-at-all-costs mentality of professional sports (cheating, doping, etc). I think it's led to the acceptance of unnecessarily high levels of aggression and corruption in other areas of our lives, most notably business and finance. It also supports tribalism and violence against those who aren't part of your group. As the OP mentions, some sports are so violent it's causing medical conditions in the players, especially amateurs trying to emulate the much better protected pros. 

I haven't watched professional sports in 15 years. Instead, I joined a great science discussion forum, and I've been reading and writing and learning ever since. 

[StringJunky]

24 minutes ago, Phi for All said:

I stopped watching baseball when the player's union strike caused the World Series to be cancelled in the mid-90s. I stopped watching basketball when some of the players claimed they weren't role models for children and could act any way they wanted to. I stopped watching American football when my team's owner threatened to take the team to another city if we didn't build him a new stadium with taxpayer dollars. At that point, I was 200% done with their shit.

Personally, I dislike the emphasis on individual superstars in team sports. I dislike the win-at-all-costs mentality of professional sports (cheating, doping, etc). I think it's led to the acceptance of unnecessarily high levels of aggression and corruption in other areas of our lives, most notably business and finance. It also supports tribalism and violence against those who aren't part of your group. As the OP mentions, some sports are so violent it's causing medical conditions in the players, especially amateurs trying to emulate the much better protected pros. 

I haven't watched professional sports in 15 years. Instead, I joined a great science discussion forum, and I've been reading and writing and learning ever since. 

Isn't that largely innate and it's being given a relatively harmless outlet for expression. On a larger scale, we are seeing this being expressed in right-wing views coming to the fore and nationalism trumping globalism; people want to be in a team or tribe. Games were originally mini battles between combatants.

[Phi for All]

1 minute ago, StringJunky said:

Isn't that largely innate and it's being given a relatively harmless outlet for expression.

Certainly, but it's also something I feel we need to overcome as our societies grow to encompass more peoples. I'm not against competition, but professional sports often display a corruption of the ideals of fair play, sportsmanship, and athleticism. I find the parallels with modern business alarming, and I wonder if the two don't help reinforce one another's worst habits. 

But I don't think this line of thought is consistent with the spirit of the OP, so it should be pursued in its own thread, if at all.

[StringJunky]

1 minute ago, Phi for All said:

Certainly, but it's also something I feel we need to overcome as our societies grow to encompass more peoples. I'm not against competition, but professional sports often display a corruption of the ideals of fair play, sportsmanship, and athleticism. I find the parallels with modern business alarming, and I wonder if the two don't help reinforce one another's worst habits. 

But I don't think this line of thought is consistent with the spirit of the OP, so it should be pursued in its own thread, if at all.

Yeah, true. Mouth zipped.

[peterwlocke]

19 hours ago, beecee said:

What are your favourite sports? Mine are Swimming, Rugby League and Cricket. But when the Olympic games come around and the total coverage on TV given it in my country, there are other sports that I get a deep appreciation for...cycling, for one...weightlifting is another. Sailing also has my interest, as well as rowing.

I also in my own mind like comparing similar sports, for example, cricket and baseball. At the risk of getting some Americans offside [which I'm always prepared to take ] I see cricket as analogous to a game of chess, while baseball is more akin to a game of draughts. I'm speaking of 5 day test cricket of course, as opposed to the "Mickey mouse" style One day Internationals and 20/20 cricket.

Other comparisons I tend to make is Rugby football [League or Union] with Soccer and American Grid Iron football. Having played League and Union in my time, I do have a bias towards them. 

What's your sport of choice? Which do you enjoy watching the most? What sport/s have you participated in at any level?

An Important issue I did not mention is of course the undeniable influence that science has on all sports in general...equipment, training methods, etc. In the Rugby League for example, any player that takes a knock to the head is taken off the field for a HIA [head  injury assessment] He then needs to pass certain tests as performed by a Doctor before returning to the field. If he fails those tests as conducted by a doctor, he is not allowed to return to the field of play.

This has come about due to scientific findings in American football and the cumalitive  effects of head knocks, which was highlighted in the movie "Concussion". 

 

I could care less about sports but how is cricket like chess. 

[StringJunky]

2 minutes ago, peterwlocke said:

I could care less about sports but how is cricket like chess. 

It's slow and boring to watch.

[peterwlocke]

2 minutes ago, StringJunky said:

It's slow and boring to watch.

heh

well I should retcon that I do play some sports like wrestling but it is mainly for college and fun.

[beecee]

4 hours ago, peterwlocke said:

I could care less about sports but how is cricket like chess. 

Cricket, that is 5 day test cricket, is a game of tactical skills, in field positioning, bowling methodology in line with wicket and pitch conditions and progressive  deterioration, hand/eye coordination, fitness, concentration and observation of probable weather conditions that may or may not affect bowling and/or batting.

4 hours ago, StringJunky said:

It's slow and boring to watch.

The innovation of "Mickey mouse" one day cricket, and more recently 20/20 cricket, were driven by many who prefer outright slogging and swinging on a purposely flat prepared pitch, to constantly create excitement of achieving boundaries, as opposed to the thoughtful skill needed when confronted with grassy more innovative pitches that contribute to ball swing and deviation, and the skill required to know when to let a ball go through to the keeper, or otherwise. Yes, sometimes 5 day test cricket can appear boring, but with the advent of the other two forms of the game, most International sides  now play an attractive attacking brand of 5 day test cricket.

5 hours ago, Phi for All said:

I stopped watching baseball when the player's union strike caused the World Series to be cancelled in the mid-90s. I stopped watching basketball when some of the players claimed they weren't role models for children and could act any way they wanted to. I stopped watching American football when my team's owner threatened to take the team to another city if we didn't build him a new stadium with taxpayer dollars. At that point, I was 200% done with their shit.

Players conduct on and off the field, is under intense scrutiny all of the time in my country, and many a player has been penalised, dropped and even banned in certain cases for off the field conduct that is less then desirable. In this day and age of professionalism, they are virtually held to account for everything and anything they do, even in their private lives. 

 

Quote

Personally, I dislike the emphasis on individual superstars in team sports. I dislike the win-at-all-costs mentality of professional sports (cheating, doping, etc). I think it's led to the acceptance of unnecessarily high levels of aggression and corruption in other areas of our lives, most notably business and finance. It also supports tribalism and violence against those who aren't part of your group. As the OP mentions, some sports are so violent it's causing medical conditions in the players, especially amateurs trying to emulate the much better protected pros. 

I'm a mad Roosters/Eastern Suburbs supporter, one of the teams in the video I linked to, and I often when at a club, having a drink, or socialising, indulge in harmless banter and rubbishing of opposing sides, as do the vast majority of sports lovers in my country at least. The tribalism you speak of is conducted [at least where I am] in an air of joviality and harmless fun. And while there at times have been some violence, as well as acts of racial vilification among spectators, when that is discovered and revealed, severe action and penalties are invoked. Spectators have been given life bans in attending any game for certain remarks against certain players. The authorities are doing, and have done a good job where I am, in stamping out and discouraging such conduct. 

Quote

I haven't watched professional sports in 15 years. Instead, I joined a great science discussion forum, and I've been reading and writing and learning ever since. 

I love my science, I love learning and picking up more and more of aspects I was or am ignorant of. I love participating in this, and in the past, other science forums. I also love my sport.

4 hours ago, Phi for All said:

Certainly, but it's also something I feel we need to overcome as our societies grow to encompass more peoples. I'm not against competition, but professional sports often display a corruption of the ideals of fair play, sportsmanship, and athleticism. I find the parallels with modern business alarming, and I wonder if the two don't help reinforce one another's worst habits. 

But I don't think this line of thought is consistent with the spirit of the OP, so it should be pursued in its own thread, if at all.

Test Cricket Australia's national sport, recently had a incident of some undesired actions taken by three of our best players [in fact two of those players are among the top ten batsmen in the world] They were both given 12 months bans, which plunged Australian cricket in total turmoil and resulted in complete overhaul of the game. There is good and bad in any endeavour, even incidents sadly within the science community. 

Edited March 26, 2019 by beecee

[beecee]

Cricket: 

Arguably the greatest Sporting rivalry is between England and Australia in the Ashes series. The Ashes series started with Australia's tour of England in 1882, 19 years before Australia gained nationhood. Much to the dismay of the English, the colonists from "down under" won! This "momentous" defeat prompted the English press, to castigate the English cricket side unmercifully, culminating in the following "death notice" put in a prominent English newspaper of the day...The Aussies were given an urn, reportedly with the ashes of the cricket bails within......https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes#1882_origins. 

Hence the name "Ashes" a photo of the urn.....f

from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ashes#1882_origins

Edited March 26, 2019 by beecee

[Airbrush]

On 3/25/2019 at 1:15 PM, beecee said:

What's your sport of choice? Which do you enjoy watching the most? What sport/s have you participated in at any level?

Pole vault and big-wave surfing, which I rarely hear anything about in the news.

As an American I also always loved to watch pro football, basketball, and soccer, for sports widely broadcasted.  Baseball is boring as hell, and hockey you can't see what's happening because the puck is so small!  Boxing is barbaric and should be banned.  But you don't hear much about what's happening in pole vault or big-wave surfing. 

The year before I entered high school a good friend, Eddie, who was a couple years ahead of me got a few others of us interested in pole vault using a big bamboo pole.  We built standards to hold a cross bar and it was so exhilarating to clear 4 or 5 feet high using a bamboo pole.  I was eventually able to clear 6'6" that year using a broken fiberglass pole that Eddie salvaged from high school, when their star vaulter broke his pole.  When I entered high school, at Bosco Tech in Rosemead, I wanted more than anything to go out for the track team so I could pole vault.  By the end of my freshman year I was able to clear 8 feet, by the end of my sophomore year, 9 feet, and by the end of my junior year I cleared 10 feet using a fiberglass pole that did not bend at all.  After that I left high school and never vaulted again.

Few people know that only 2 humans on planet Earth ever vaulted higher than 20 feet, Sergey Bubka, a Ukrainian, dominated pole vault for 23 years, since 1991, when he cleared 20 feet (6.1 meters).  The next and only other person to ever clear 20 feet was a Frenchman, Renaud Lavillenie, who set a new record in 2014 at 20 feet 2.5 inches (6.16 meters).  See the great moment below.  The elder man in a dark suit with blue necktie is the great Sergey Bubka who congratulated Renaud on his accomplishment beating his old record of 6.14 meters.  Interesting to note that Renaud was 5'10" tall and weighed only 152 pounds!

For big-wave surfing there are 4 outstanding waves that were ridden:  (1) Ken Bradshaw is credited with an 80-foot wave at Log Cabins, Oahu, on 1-28-1998 (it was not photographed and only some grainy video exists).  (2) Laird Hamilton claims that Brett Lickle towed him into a wave over 80 feet tall, there were no photographs or other witnesses, Brett called it "10 stories tall" (100 feet high) at a little-known break called "Outer Sprecks" (also called "Egypt") on the north shore of Maui in December of 2007.  (3) Only a couple weeks later, on 1-05-2008 a few surfers challenged giant waves at Cortes Bank, 100-miles off the coast of San Diego, CA.  Mike Parsons is credited with a 77-foot wave, verified by photograph.  See the photo (which is also my avatar):

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&id=0249728B53231A3CE73FBED30319FCDA83F21D65&thid=OIP.nr-9O4GOeGLslu82KHZsYgHaDp&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fgraphics8.nytimes.com%2Fimages%2F2008%2F01%2F09%2Fsports%2F09surf.1.600.jpg&exph=296&expw=600&q=surfers+defy+giant+waves+awakened+by+storm&selectedindex=0&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=1,2,6

According to witnesses, Greg Long was seen on a wave near 90 feet tall that same day but it was not photographed. 

Lastly, (4) Rodrigo Koxa, is credited with an 80-foot wave at Nazare Portugal on 11-08-2017.  Sorry the video is so blurry, that's the best view available.  See my painting reconstruction of his famous wave.  https://fineartamerica.com/featured/nazare-portugal-11-08-2017-john-kaelin.html

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rodrigo+koxa+nazare+80+foot+youtube&view=detail&mid=D41B67AF5A72B9621951D41B67AF5A72B9621951&FORM=VIRE

See the collection of my paintings of the biggest waves ever surfed at "biggestwaveseversurfed.com."

https://john-kaelin.pixels.com/

Edited March 27, 2019 by Airbrush

[beecee]

2 hours ago, Airbrush said:

Pole vault and big-wave surfing, which I rarely hear anything about in the news.

Living close to a beach [Maroubra] in Sydney, surfing [as opposed to big wave surfing] was also one of my favourite pastimes. Maroubra beach probably averages around 4 to 5 ft waves, which does me fine.  Thanks for those links to big wave surfing, incredible stuff verging on M-A-D!!! This is Maroubra beach and a typical average swell. 

Edited March 27, 2019 by beecee

[StringJunky]

2 hours ago, Airbrush said:

Pole vault and big-wave surfing, which I rarely hear anything about in the news.

As an American I also always loved to watch pro football, basketball, and soccer, for sports widely broadcasted.  Baseball is boring as hell, and hockey you can't see what's happening because the puck is so small!  Boxing is barbaric and should be banned.  But you don't hear much about what's happening in pole vault or big-wave surfing. 

The year before I entered high school a good friend, Eddie, who was a couple years ahead of me got a few others of us interested in pole vault using a big bamboo pole.  We built standards to hold a cross bar and it was so exhilarating to clear 4 or 5 feet high using a bamboo pole.  I was eventually able to clear 6'6" that year using a broken fiberglass pole that Eddie salvaged from high school, when their star vaulter broke his pole.  When I entered high school, at Bosco Tech in Rosemead, I wanted more than anything to go out for the track team so I could pole vault.  By the end of my freshman year I was able to clear 8 feet, by the end of my sophomore year, 9 feet, and by the end of my junior year I cleared 10 feet using a fiberglass pole that did not bend at all.  After that I left high school and never vaulted again.

Few people know that only 2 humans on planet Earth ever vaulted higher than 20 feet, Sergey Bubka, a Ukrainian, dominated pole vault for 23 years, since 1991, when he cleared 20 feet (6.1 meters).  The next and only other person to ever clear 20 feet was a Frenchman, Renaud Lavillenie, who set a new record in 2014 at 20 feet 2.5 inches (6.16 meters).  See the great moment below.  The elder man in a dark suit with blue necktie is the great Sergey Bubka who congratulated Renaud on his accomplishment beating his old record of 6.14 meters.  Interesting to note that Renaud was 5'10" tall and weighed only 152 pounds!

For big-wave surfing there are 4 outstanding waves that were ridden:  (1) Ken Bradshaw is credited with an 80-foot wave at Log Cabins, Oahu, on 1-28-1998 (it was not photographed and only some grainy video exists).  (2) Laird Hamilton claims that Brett Lickle towed him into a wave over 80 feet tall, there were no photographs or other witnesses, Brett called it "10 stories tall" (100 feet high) at a little-known break called "Outer Sprecks" (also called "Egypt") on the north shore of Maui in December of 2007.  (3) Only a couple weeks later, on 1-05-2008 a few surfers challenged giant waves at Cortes Bank, 100-miles off the coast of San Diego, CA.  Mike Parsons is credited with a 77-foot wave, verified by photograph.  See the photo (which is also my avatar):

https://www.bing.com/images/search?view=detailV2&id=0249728B53231A3CE73FBED30319FCDA83F21D65&thid=OIP.nr-9O4GOeGLslu82KHZsYgHaDp&mediaurl=http%3A%2F%2Fgraphics8.nytimes.com%2Fimages%2F2008%2F01%2F09%2Fsports%2F09surf.1.600.jpg&exph=296&expw=600&q=surfers+defy+giant+waves+awakened+by+storm&selectedindex=0&ajaxhist=0&vt=0&eim=1,2,6

According to witnesses, Greg Long was seen on a wave near 90 feet tall that same day but it was not photographed. 

Lastly, (4) Rodrigo Koxa, is credited with an 80-foot wave at Nazare Portugal on 11-08-2017.  Sorry the video is so blurry, that's the best view available.  See my painting reconstruction of his famous wave.  https://fineartamerica.com/featured/nazare-portugal-11-08-2017-john-kaelin.html

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=rodrigo+koxa+nazare+80+foot+youtube&view=detail&mid=D41B67AF5A72B9621951D41B67AF5A72B9621951&FORM=VIRE

See the collection of my paintings of the biggest waves ever surfed at "biggestwaveseversurfed.com."

https://john-kaelin.pixels.com/

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