Off Topic 2017: December to Remember

[countryboy]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Was having this convo with some coworkers so I figured I’d ask ya’ll:

On a scale of 1-10(lowest to highest), where would you rank your interest in sports from 10 years ago to 5 years ago to where it currently stands right now?

And if it’s dropped during that time, what would be the reason(Family, Work, Life, etc)?


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My interest in sports has always been, and always will be, a 10.

[slickdtc]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

I was an 11 growing up and I’m a 10 now. Only reason it’s any lower is because of being a grown up now, having a family and child and a job.

But to offset those things, technology has allowed us to stay on top of the latest news and events. So any time I lost due to real life commitments have been covered up because of 24/7 access.

The rule changes, concussions, societal issues, etc have done nothing to dampen my love for sports. As much as people want to say these sports are going soft, I see players getting absolutely wrecked weekly. They’re cutting out the most vicious hits, but have you ever filled a gap as a LB and a RB has a running start towards you too? Don’t tell me about how the game is going soft. There’s a physical, gladiatorial element to football that is impossible to legislate out. It can be safer, but it can never be completely safe. Let’s not use that to stymie progress, but let’s be realistic too.

[TheShizNo1]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Was having this convo with some coworkers so I figured I’d ask ya’ll:

On a scale of 1-10(lowest to highest), where would you rank your interest in sports from 10 years ago to 5 years ago to where it currently stands right now?

And if it’s dropped during that time, what would be the reason(Family, Work, Life, etc)?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Idk if I can give a scale but my interest as a whole in sports has grown. I watch more of a variety of sports and watch some sports that I didn't watch at all ten years ago (baseball). No idea why my interests have grown.

That being said, the sport I used to watch the most (NFL) has declined from a 10 to about a 3-4. Most of the reasons this has declined were discussed in the NFL OT thread. I only keep up with it as much as I do for fantasy football reasons.

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[l3ulvl]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

So, I'm getting senile. Writing out the rent check and legitimately forgot if it was 2017 or 2016. Then wrote the wrong payment amount, with a 17 thrown in because the date was still on my mind. Then instead of November rent I wrote November rain.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Was having this convo with some coworkers so I figured I’d ask ya’ll:

On a scale of 1-10(lowest to highest), where would you rank your interest in sports from 10 years ago to 5 years ago to where it currently stands right now?

And if it’s dropped during that time, what would be the reason(Family, Work, Life, etc)?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I think my overall interest in sports is about the same now as it has been, maybe a 9 or 9.5 with some sports being higher and others lower.

Where the difference has come is in the individual sports. I used to be a pretty big fan of NFL and NBA, probably 8-10 at some point in both (even higher going back to childhood), but I find myself hardly paying attention to them now. I don't think there are structural reasons in my life as to why (except maybe quitting fantasy sports a number of years ago). I think it has more to do with how the product has changed.

With the NFL, a lot of this stuff is probably pretty obvious, but I have some pretty strong contempt for a league that gives brain damage to its members. Also, just the overall "circus" that the NFL has become with incompetent leadership, players being more famous for antics instead of their accomplishments on the field in some cases, how all the teams seem to copy each other (lack of different playing styles), how it's become so political with a lot of shouting and very little real activism, how by week 3 every year the Packers are missing a third of their team to IR/PUP. Also not a fan of non-guaranteed contracts--it's shameful that these guys put themselves on the line physically and most can be cut at any time at the team's discretion with little penalty for their decision-making. Throw in how annoying fantasy sports have become now that everyone is watching the games for that reason mostly (I know, I'm a fantasy sports hipster; oh well). Probably a 3 or 4 interest level who will watch some playoff games and little else.

As for the NBA, it was weird how the games were like 98-95 a few years ago and all of a sudden we're having 140-129 type of games on the regular. I like to see teams play defense and they don't really do that anymore. Toss in the chronic incompetence of the Bulls front office and the fact that you know exactly which 2 teams will be playing in the Finals as far ahead as September due to the advent of the "super team"...it's so anticlimactic. Another 3 or 4 interest level who will pay attention to what the Bulls do in the offseason and watch some playoff games. I've become very casual after being hyperfocused on the Thibs-era Bulls teams (and going back to the early MJ years).

My sports fandom is buoyed by MLB and NCAAF. My interest scores in those have probably gone up from about a 9 or 10 to off scale. Not sure exactly why I don't have the same problems with NCAAF that I do with the NFL as far as player safety, but I find college football infinitely more enjoyable than pro.

So, I'm getting senile. Writing out the rent check and legitimately forgot if it was 2017 or 2016. Then wrote the wrong payment amount, with a 17 thrown in because the date was still on my mind. Then instead of November rent I wrote November rain.

Did you at least get a guitar solo from Slash?

[l3ulvl]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Did you at least get a guitar solo from Slash?

I actually hate that song lol

[dickey1331]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

My interest in sports has gone down for me. I pretty much only watch if my teams are playing. I used to love the NFL and now it’s just meh. It’s been a slow decline and I’m not sure why. I think moving away from my family and being underway off and on for 3 years probably didn’t help either.


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[z Revis]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Not sure exactly why I don't have the same problems with NCAAF that I do with the NFL as far as player safety, but I find college football infinitely more enjoyable than pro.

I have similar thoughts here. I'm thinking it's because playing only 3-4 years in college, you're much less likely to develop CTE or have any serious long term consequences as opposed to guys in the NFL taking hits into their mid-late 30's. I can watch college football and not think about that stuff, but when I watch an NFL game and see a player get concussed or take a huge hit it makes me think about their long term health. It kind of does put a damper on things for me with the NFL, but overall not too much because these guys know the risks and choose to play anyway.

Anyway my interests in sports are still relatively the same. Overall I'd say a 9. Really the only sport I've lost some interest in is the NFL, used to be a diehard and now I'm at about a 7 or so. I still watch each Sunday, but I find myself tuning out more often. It's just been a very mediocre season IMO plus the Colts are dreadful. However my interest in the NBA and NCAAF so far has gone up so it's evened out. Still have the same interest in NCAAB which is anywhere from a 5 to 10 depending on if IU or ND is good. And the MLB I have yet to get into really, but I have watched more of this post season than I normally do. If I could attach to a team I could probably at least become a casual MLB fan.

[TripleCrown9]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

I've started losing interest in the NFL because it's so bland and boring. Every team plays the same, a small handful of guys look like they're having fun.

There's hardly any atmosphere.

[WaitTilNextYear]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

I have similar thoughts here. I'm thinking it's because playing only 3-4 years in college, you're much less likely to develop CTE or have any serious long term consequences as opposed to guys in the NFL taking hits into their mid-late 30's. I can watch college football and not think about that stuff, but when I watch an NFL game and see a player get concussed or take a huge hit it makes me think about their long term health. It kind of does put a damper on things for me with the NFL, but overall not too much because these guys know the risks and choose to play anyway.

I think there are some arguments that you can make and some that might make sense--I used to try to justify why I felt ok in liking NCAAF and not NFL football despite serious concerns about player safety present in both areas. The average NFL career is not much longer than the average college career and it keeps getting shorter (2-3 years now?). At both levels, these guys are gladiators playing Russian Roulette with their brains to some extent. There are some differences in the violence, speed, and number of games at the different levels, but players still get crushed pretty hard in college also.

I'm open to accepting pro-college/anti-NFL player safety distinctions, but for me personally--I think I'm through grappling with the need to find some justification. In other words, I've just resigned myself to the fact that I am a bit of a hypocrite for liking NCAAF in spite of some of the same reasons that cause me to dislike the NFL version.

[BurghFan]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

I don't get as much enjoyment in following sports online anymore because of ESPN.com's changes to their scoreboard layout and elimination of the pop-out GameCast windows.

[Fresh Tendrils]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Q: Are Copy & Paste Facebook posts worse than chain e-mails?

[Blzer]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

Q: Are Copy & Paste Facebook posts worse than chain e-mails?

No, chain e-mails come with the threat that if you don't send it, a demonic girl with red glowing eyes will be hovering over your bed at 3:33 AM and brutally murder you.

As for the FB ones, while I don't ever do them, I'd love to be the original someday just to say: "Yeah, I made that."

[l3ulvl]

Re: Off Topic 2017: Sports & Halloween

No, chain e-mails come with the threat that if you don't send it, a demonic girl with red glowing eyes will be hovering over your bed at 3:33 AM and brutally murder you.

As for the FB ones, while I don't ever do them, I'd love to be the original someday just to say: "Yeah, I made that."

sounded kinda kinky til the murder part

[Caulfield]

Re: Off Topic 2017: It's Almost That Time of the Year

It's Almost That Time of the Year

yep, less than four short months till pitchers and catchers report for spring training.