Things I hate most in sports

[AgustusM]

Yes, I am an old Curmudgeon but I must vent

1. Football Kickers – any league, any level. They all suck. Men, real men, battle their hearts out with blood sweat and tears for three hours in heat, rain, snow whatever. They play with broken legs and bruised kidneys. Football is strategy and pain. Heart and courage. Struggle and will. And then on trots some 125 lb pansy from chorus line and he tip toes up to the ball and Kick, 2, 3, 4. The fate of the team is decided. It just isn’t right.
2. The Wave – Its not so much the wave as it is the TIME people choose to do it. Let see middle of the third inning, pitchers warming up, great time for a wave. Late in the game two on and two out – not quite the time – but for some odd reason the time they choose to do it.
3. Celebrations (especially NFL) – Running back cuts up field eludes a tackle dives forward and gets up showboating and dancing. Did he just score the winning TD to bring his team back from a historic deficit to win the superbowl, no he gained three yards in a game his team is losing 24-3. “Act like you’ve been the before!” doesn’t even apply any more because celebrations aren’t even reserved for TD’s anymore. What’s next a twenty minute team dance number to celebrate the winning of the coin toss?
4. Dot Racing (Cable Car racing, boat racing, bobble head guy racing) – Lets see you shell out a hundred bucks or so to go see a game, the time, the travel. The game has several exciting dramatic moments and the loudest cheer of the night: “OH BLUE, BLUE, BLUE, I picked BLUE!!!!Yippee I’m a winner.” Why do these people even go the game? Side note: At a NASCAR race do they run dot baseball on the scoreboard?
5. Music during the game – The NBA is the worse culprit here. The only sounds at all that should be heard during any game is the sounds of the game and the sounds of the crowd! If you can play loud music DURING the game, why even have a crowd!!! The crowds purpose is to root, cheer, intimidate and become part of the experience. But that is hard to do if they can’t be heard over the music.
6. Preseason Football – ever year people get all riled up about the most meaningless games ever played. 90% of the players in these games will be saying “do you want fries with that?” next week. 99% of the plays the teams run are base plays that they never run during the real season(NFL coaches don’t want to give anything away) Ever heard of Spencer Tillman? He is now a TV guy in Houston but in the early 90’s he was a third string running back and special team standout on some very good 49er teams. He was a great guy, great personality, busted his ass on special teams and so every preseason the 49ers would throw him a bone of sorts and make him a “feature” back. For four consecutive years he gained like 500 yards in the four preseason games and 49er fans would talk about him as an emerging star and then…he would play special teams all year and get 6 carries for 9 yards. The final problem with preseason is the supposed reason they are played. Because they bring in money. However every year several players are hurt, and the teams must pay these players to now be hurt so the money issue is usually a wash and the players can no longer play.
7. Sportscenter – This is going to be a tough one since I have watched sportscenter at least once a day in all but a dozen days in the last fifteen years. But sportscenter has ruined sports. For one thing the only thing you see is the home run in baseball, the dunk in basketball, the big TD or hit in football. Ever go to a great game which is decided say on Mike Mathey dramatic two out single in the top of the 11th to lead the team to victory and on sportscenter all you see is Barry Bonds three home runs, the first two which were important but the last one was simply icing on the cake and absolutely no mention of the Matheny hit that was the biggest hit of the game! They do this in every sport – Here watch Vince Carter dunk three times, oh by the way the nets lost by twenty.
8. The last two minutes of an NBA game. Here let me recap: 47 minutes, 6 timeouts, 12 missed free throws, 18 made free throws and one very, very boring way to end what is otherwise an exciting game. Heres how to fix it – final two minutes – each team gets one timeout period. If you haven’t bothered to coach your players on your time, why should I have to watch it. Fouls in the final two minutes equal two free throws AND the ball. You can no longer foul and shoot, foul and shoot. Game would be much more exciting.

[JS19]

I think football kickers are some of the smartest people alive. They get paid very well, get field level seats, and hardly put any work in. I also love celebrations, well Chad Johnson type, not TO on the Dallas star type. I agree with the final 2 minutes of basketball. I have lost most interest in the NBA so if I do happen to flip it on and its down to the wire and they start calling all the timeouts I usually just flip right off it, so annoying.

[sovereignstar]

I'll read your crappy list when you learn how to format.

[Draft Dodger]

I've got nothing against kickers, but I'm with you on just about everything else.

I would also like to respectively add...fucktards who spend the entire game acting like an imbecile get shown on the jumbotron for 4 seconds.

and jerks who sit in your seat, KNOW they are sitting in your seat, and then STILL make you take out your ticket to show them that they are sitting in your seat when you arrive at the game.

[TroyF]

Agree with you on many of the rants, but not the kicker or preseason football one.

If there were no preseason game, the players would be scrimmaging anyway. They'd still get hurt. People continue to use injuries as a reason preseason sucks, but I think they are missing the boat. For as many injuries as you have, you have guys who are making the team with them too.

There are hundreds of examples, but the best I can think of comes from my hometown Broncos. Denver is playing SF in Japan. A youngster on special teams sprints down the field and levels the kick returner. Shanahan's impressed by the hustle and the hit. Decides to give the kid a few more carries than originally planned.

Terrell Davis, the special teams ace, carves out a decent little career for himself.

The preseason is fine. Injuries happen. And kickers are OK.

[Toddzilla]

I'll read your crappy list when you learn how to format.Bravo, sir.

[Eaglesfan27]

I'll read your crappy list when you learn how to format.

I'm wondering if/where the list was copied and pasted from.

[JS19]

Something I thought of, not sure if it really applies here or not. When a professional athlete says "it's just a game". To the rest of us, yes it's just a game, but to them it's their job. It seems like an easy way out when they fail at something to say "its just a game".

[LloydLungs]

The save rule in baseball. If I see one more game where some moron inherits a three-run lead, then gets the crap kicked out of him, giving up two runs and then baserunners on top of that.... ultimately barely weaseling out of it... and GETS A SAVE... grrrrrr. That's the first thing I'm doing when I take over the world. Ending hunger, war, etc. All good, but I'm tackling the save rule first -- it's getting a major facelift.

[Toddzilla]

The save rule in baseball. If I see one more game where some moron inherits a three-run lead, then gets the crap kicked out of him, giving up two runs and then baserunners on top of that.... ultimately barely weaseling out of it... and GETS A SAVE... grrrrrr. That's the first thing I'm doing when I take over the world. Ending hunger, war, etc. All good, but I'm tackling the save rule first -- it's getting a major facelift.Just get rid of the statistic altogether - it serves little or no purpose.

[stevew]

8. The last two minutes of an NBA game. Here let me recap: 47 minutes, 6 timeouts, 12 missed free throws, 18 made free throws and one very, very boring way to end what is otherwise an exciting game. Heres how to fix it – final two minutes – each team gets one timeout period. If you haven’t bothered to coach your players on your time, why should I have to watch it. Fouls in the final two minutes equal two free throws AND the ball. You can no longer foul and shoot, foul and shoot. Game would be much more exciting.

In the last 2 minutes of an NBA game, all timeouts should be 20 second timeouts. And the 3rd foul in the last 2 minutes should be 2 shots and the ball.

[ISiddiqui]

I disapprove of the original posts lack of kicker love! Shame on you, AgustusM! SHAME, I say!

[sterlingice]

2. The Wave – Its not so much the wave as it is the TIME people choose to do it. Let see middle of the third inning, pitchers warming up, great time for a wave. Late in the game two on and two out – not quite the time – but for some odd reason the time they choose to do it.

Since no one has mentioned this one and it's one of mine, I'll speak to the wave.

The wave IS NOT A BASEBALL CHEER. It is for football- a sport with a round (well, oval) stadium that is connected all the way around. When you have to fake it because there's a scoreboard or whatnot in center field with no seats, then it just doesn't work so stop already.

Never mind that it's mainly a proprietary cheer- there are two types of people who do waves: the asshats who pat themselves on the back because they think they started the wave in the stadium/their section/their family/etc and stupid people who humor them by continuing a wave. You did not start the wave- it's been around for years. You didn't start the one today, either- no one did. Just stop already.

SI

[IwasHere]

5. Music during the game – The NBA is the worse culprit here. The only sounds at all that should be heard during any game is the sounds of the game and the sounds of the crowd! If you can play loud music DURING the game, why even have a crowd!!! The crowds purpose is to root, cheer, intimidate and become part of the experience. But that is hard to do if they can’t be heard over the music.

Even as a player I loved listening to the band.

And, I can't imagine going to a baseball game and not hearing John Fogerty's Centerfield between innings.

[AgustusM]

Even as a player I loved listening to the band.

And, I can't imagine going to a baseball game and not hearing John Fogerty's Centerfield between innings.

BETWEEN innings absolutley - during play is the problem I have.

[Godzilla Blitz]

Pro football's tailoring their game around the commercials, rather than vice versa.

The part of this I hate the most is when a team scores a TD less than a minute before the end of a quarter: commercial break after the extra point, commercial break after the ensuing kick off, commercial break after the one play that runs off the last few seconds of the quarter.

[ice4277]

Pro football's tailoring their game around the commercials, rather than vice versa.

The part of this I hate the most is when a team scores a TD less than a minute before the end of a quarter: commercial break after the extra point, commercial break after the ensuing kick off, commercial break after the one play that runs off the last few seconds of the quarter.

I actually don't mind it much when I am watching on TV, but when you are at the game and this happens, it is brutal.

[dawgfan]

I'm going to have to call bullshit on the SportsCenter rant. Sure, they show the spectacular dunks and the big home runs, but they also show the pretty dimes to a backdoor cutter, they show big steals leading to a 3 on 1 fast break, they show big-time shot blocks; they show a starter on his game whiffing a succession of batters, they show spectacular fielding plays ("Web Gems") and they show the single up the middle that scores the winning run and completes a come-from-behind victory. To say that they only show dunks and home runs is selective viewing and not true.

[sterlingice]

I'm going to have to call bullshit on the SportsCenter rant. Sure, they show the spectacular dunks and the big home runs, but they also show the pretty dimes to a backdoor cutter, they show big steals leading to a 3 on 1 fast break, they show big-time shot blocks; they show a starter on his game whiffing a succession of batters, they show spectacular fielding plays ("Web Gems") and they show the single up the middle that scores the winning run and completes a come-from-behind victory. To say that they only show dunks and home runs is selective viewing and not true.

I loved that the top Web Gem yesterday was Ichiro and Johjima's textbook catch and gun down of a runner on a sac fly. It was baseball fundamentals nirvana :D

That said, Sportscenter went from "must watch" to "maybe catch when flipping through stations" about 8 years ago once every anchor started mistaking the anchor desk for a microphone at an improv comedy club, a great testing ground for their crappy jokes and lame catch phrases.

SI

[dawgfan]

That said, Sportscenter went from "must watch" to "maybe catch when flipping through stations" about 8 years ago once every anchor started mistaking the anchor desk for a microphone at an improv comedy club, a great testing ground for their crappy jokes and lame catch phrases.

SI
This I have no disagreement with - Olberman and Patrick were funny and fairly original, and Mayne did a good job of putting his own stamp on things when he replaced Olberman, but since then there's too much focus from all the anchors to make a name for themselves by trying to be funny.

[AlexB]

The celebrations thing is nuts - the NFL bans a lot of celebrations in the endzone, but allows celebrations for a tackle, a first down, a sack...

A linebacker is paid to tackle, a DE is paid to sack the QB, an offense is designed to get 10 yards...

If this was to filter through, every completed pass in the EPL, every time a golfer hit the ball instead of making an air shot, every time a batsman hit the ball would result in choreographed dances...

MacDonald's workers would high 5 every time they flipped a burger, a bank teller would do some retro-breakdancing every time they cashed a cheque, a 7-11 clerk would slide through the aisles every time he counted out the correct change (OK so maybe this wouldn't happen too often ;) ),

Sacks (maybe), turnovers and scores are worthy of celebrations, lets just lose the routines for just doing your job.

[GrantDawg]

I love kickers. Game-winning kicks or game-losing misses are great memories. Kicking is an important part of the game, and coaches that ignore it pay the price.

[Marc Vaughan]

Largely soccer related (surprisingly enough):

* Diving and play-acting
* The fact that a defender holding off a striker without touching the ball is acceptable to referee's (no foul given) despite the fact its a blatant obstruction which is still a foul in the rules of the game.
* The fact that despite the fact that soccer is meant to be a physical game and shoulder tustles acceptable they're given as fouls 80% of the time today.

[miami_fan]

Largely soccer related (surprisingly enough):

* Diving and play-acting
* The fact that a defender holding off a striker without touching the ball is acceptable to referee's (no foul given) despite the fact its a blatant obstruction which is still a foul in the rules of the game.
* The fact that despite the fact that soccer is meant to be a physical game and shoulder tustles acceptable they're given as fouls 80% of the time today.

The play acting is also too prevalent in the NBA.

[AgustusM]

I love kickers. Game-winning kicks or game-losing misses are great memories. Kicking is an important part of the game, and coaches that ignore it pay the price.

no doubt it is a very important part of the game, but that is my point exactly. Football games should not be decided by non-football players and 95% of every player I have played with our coached feels pretty much the same way - kickers are viewed as a necessary evil on most teams.

[Suburban Rhythm]

Back to the SC rant...

I know it's sort of always been this way I guess, but now the anchors are all the funny-guy, look good in front of the camera types. Nobody there actually likes sports anymore!

As someone else mentioned earlier, Berman and Patrick, great. And Mayne was hysterical. But, now when you have Neil Everett and all the other idiots who have no idea what they are talking about half the time...unwatchable.

And that's not even bringing in ESPNews into the conversation. The 2 chicks reguarly on there...I have to mute when they are on, and just watch the bottom line. Although it is a good time watching them do Stanley Cup highlights and get a Russian or Swedish name and have them mangle it more than normal.

[jeff061]

People on their cell phones waving. I wish someone would just smack them upside their head.