Are Sports Better Today?

[vtbub]

Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic over the holidaies, but it seems to me that the level of play in sports was a hell of a lot better in the 80's then it is today. Am I offbase here?

[LionsFan10]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic over the holidaies, but it seems to me that the level of play in sports was a hell of a lot better in the 80's then it is today. Am I offbase here?

Nope.

[Easy Mac]

Yes

[vtbub]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

Yes

Thanks for that well thought out answer.

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic over the holidaies, but it seems to me that the level of play in sports was a hell of a lot better in the 80's then it is today. Am I offbase here?

This actually means that you are becoming an OLD FART.

[st.cronin]

dola by the way

Welcome to the club.

[bselig]

Standards in all measurable athletic events have tended to go up over time(though of course with diminishing returns), so I think it's likely that teams today are better then teams of 20 years ago(leagues have added teams not greatly in excess of population growth, so I don't think it's a huge factor in aggregate quality). Additionally, in the three major US sports that are popular overseas, each has seen an increase in international players in the US, presumably growing the talent base.

That might not result in a more enjoyable game from a spectator's perspective, of course. The NBA game got worse to watch from the 80s to the 90s due to a defensive trend, more domineering coaches, more willingness to foul etc., but as an NBA fan I think it's improved greatly since the lowpoint in 99. I'm not as big an NHL fan but it seems like the same thing happened there, and they're only now working their way out of it.

Of course, anything that happened in our youth has a built in advantage as seeming to be the baseline to which things should return.

[vtbub]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

This actually means that you are becoming an OLD FART.

Mid 30's is not OLD FART yet. *sniff* My teeth, however, are a bit long.

[Easy Mac]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Thanks for that well thought out answer.

Thething you're going to wonder is, which question was I saying yes to?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Mid 30's is not OLD FART yet. *sniff* My teeth, however, are a bit long.

It's all relative. I've been an old fart since I was 17.

[sabotai]

Originally Posted by vtbub

Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic over the holidaies, but it seems to me that the level of play in sports was a hell of a lot better in the 80's then it is today. Am I offbase here?

That's because when you think back, you only remember the great plays, the great players, the great games (and even the bad ones). When you don't rmember 20 years later is the mundare, medicore, grind it out, standard games/plays/players that make up 80% of sports (arbitrary number, yes) .

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by bselig

That might not result in a more enjoyable game from a spectator's perspective, of course.

You pretty much hit on what I was thinking.

I'm not sure what the level of play has done but I know that I find the current state less enjoyable than 25 years ago.

Then again, I'm 25 years older than I was then too.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by bselig

The NBA game got worse to watch from the 80s to the 90s due to a defensive trend, more domineering coaches, more willingness to foul etc., but as an NBA fan I think it's improved greatly since the lowpoint in 99. I'm not as big an NHL fan but it seems like the same thing happened there, and they're only now working their way out of it.

When I saw the thread title, these same exact thoughts entered my mind. The NBA had a real bottoming-out in terms of excitement for me around the turn of the century. I actually think the Spurs/Knicks finals, and the Lakers-Nets finals a handful of years later, were two of the most boring finals I've ever watched. Last year's tilt between the Spurs and Pistons weren't exactly 1980's Lakers vs. Celtics, but the games were hard-fought and largely enjoyable. The game is definitely on the way back up.

The rule changes in the NHL have made a huge difference, IMO. I couldn't watch regular season games at all for the past few seasons. Now, if a Sharks game is on, I'll stay on it instead of watching Elimidate or some other trashy program.

The NFL is rather boring to me at this point. Maybe it's because the 49ers are terrible, but I attribute it more to parity. It's always fun to have at least 1 or 2 juggernauts to root against come playoff time. I loved cheering against the vaunted Cowboys and Packers (and even the Warner-era Rams for a split-second). I don't really feel any emotions toward the Colts, Steelers, Seahawks or Broncos. I suppose the level of play is always rising, and nutrition and fitness are always advancing, but it's less fun for me to see 9 or 10 out of 12 playoff teams being new every year. The variety is good, but it seems like such a violent turnover year after year.

Baseball seems the most consistent to me, especially with the crazy HR total days apparently over. Who knows what Bonds could do next year, though?

[streetballer22]

The sport that I pay most of my attention to is basketball. Since the 80's the players have become much more athletic, big guys that can shoot it are common, and the team game has somewhat diminished.

[Buccaneer]

Originally Posted by sabotai

That's because when you think back, you only remember the great plays, the great players, the great games (and even the bad ones). When you don't rmember 20 years later is the mundare, medicore, grind it out, standard games/plays/players that make up 80% of sports (arbitrary number, yes) .

I agree with this. However, what have changed are the economics (an escalation in costs, contracts, contractual demands and adverstising), the media (pervasive advertising, many more media outlets and therefore, many more media types surrounding the game and its players), and a more highlight-centric style of play in all sports to feed the media. Of course such style has always been there but with many more competing media outlets, the 20% becomes more dominant, more newsworthy than they should and more entainment-based at the expense of sportsmanship and team play. I would also add a corrolary in that players are much bigger, faster and powerful, thus creating a more violent, hyper-aggressive and rage-fueled type of games.

[Klinglerware]

I think the level of play in sports is much better than it was 20 years ago. As others have mentioned, the talent pools have increased substantially since the 80s. Sports at the college and high school level are much more sophisticated, both in terms of playcalling/strategy systems and training regimens. Also, as sabotai mentions, over time, we only remember the exciting pivotal plays, not that weak groundout by Ken Phelps in the bottom of the fifth back in '85, in front of that no one in particular Kingdome crowd. To take the media argument further, there are so many outlets for sports nowadays, you see a lot more mediocre games televised. In the 80s, aside from your local teams' games, most of the games you saw on TV were likely to be marquee matchups.

[Karlifornia]

Originally Posted by Klinglerware

To take the media argument further, there are so many outlets for sports nowadays, you see a lot more mediocre games televised. In the 80s, aside from your local teams' games, most of the games you saw on TV were likely to be marquee matchups.

This is an interesting inference.

[PineTar]

I don't think baseball has ever been better than it is today.