Originally Posted by molson
I realized I haven't watched a full team sporting event since the Super Bowl. Syracuse sanctioned themselves out of the tournament before the stretch run, the Red Sox and Bruins weren't playing meaningful games, I would have liked to get into the Celtics late playoff run, but the way the NBA is setup, I'm not sure if it's better to win 40 games or 10, or which teams are even trying, so that kills it for me since the real competition plays out in the front offices, not on the court.
But, I watch most UFC events, and some Bellator stuff. UFC 189 was an extraordinary sporting event. When its just a single fighter instead of a team, its just so much more intense from a competition standpoint. It's not about trades and drafts and free agency - is about individual guys competing for their livelihood, or at the higher levels, for championships and fame and big money. An NBA player can talk trash, but whether he wins or loses depends on his teammates, his coaches, and most of all, the front office. When Conor McGregor talks trash, it's 100% on him to go in and back it up. And it was going to be hugely compelling whether he actually could do it, or if he failed miserably. In big-time American sports, the athletes join a team and wear a uniform, but there's no real connection between player and team except in rare instances, they're usually just there because it's where they were drafted or traded to or who offered the most money. We're supposed to pretend that pro athletes are really into their teams, dislike other teams, and care about team goals. With an individual UFC fighter, none of that arbitrariness or weird fiction of rivalries is there, everyone is fighting for themselves and their brand and their careers and their livelihood. With the Red Sox, I kind of just have to root for whatever rich athlete they sign, with the UFC, I can root for individuals - it's a much more intense watching experience. You never have to think about whether it's better to lose a fight and get a better draft pick, which also enhances the intensity of the competition.
I'll still always follow and root for my Boston and Syracuse teams, and watch some of the bigger games, but ultimately, the real competition in those sports occurs before the game is played. I find all the trade/free agent/recruiting stuff interesting, but you don't need to watch the actual games to keep up with that stuff, the stuff that is the REAL competition in team sports.
|