What's the Most Exciting Mainstream Sport to Watch and Why?

[Muppet of a Man]

Not American mainstream, but as the national sport of Ireland, hurling is certainly mainstream there:

As far as American / ubiquitous sports are concerned, basketball would be my choice.

 

[Yung Coconut]

The obvious answer is college football and then the NBA. NFL comes in 3rd. Everything else is kind of whatever. Baseball is just too much work to keep up with outside of checking out scores each night and watching some of the bigger games at the end of the season/post season.

Edit: Soccer CAN be exciting. Keywords being "CAN be." But I've lived 30 years of my life not being exposed to it, so it's hard to care at this point.

 

[Dead Guy]

Well, we are going to have to agree dmto disagree. Football is all about how the plays build on the one hand, and the excitement of the massive change in the scoreboard that is a single goal.
That kind of tension doesn't exist in other sports because the points are so much more granular, it's like a drip feed of excitement versus the tension there can be in a football game, and in a football game anything can happen at any time, unlike in, say, basketball, where you can tell the trend of the match at any time.

There's a reason football is the most popular sport in the planet.

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You've obviously never seen sudden death OT in playoff hockey. Nothing else comes close in how much tension it brings knowing a single fuckup or bad puck bounce can cost your team the game and possibly the whole series. And its non stop 20 minute periods until someone scores. Games have gone 7 periods in the past and lasted until like 2 in the morning.

And I would argue that soccer's popularity is more to do with how easy it is to play. All you need is a ball so anyone no matter how poor can get a game going at any time.

I don't wanna wade into the bigger debate because all sports are exciting in different ways, but I just wanna point out that this is a misconception. Just because a goal hasn't been scored doesn't mean nothing is happening. Lots of amazing and exciting play can occur that doesn't end in a goal. Hell, some can occur without getting close. Football is a sport where there aren't many explicit trackers of progress, so I agree that for a new viewer it can seem like not much is going on, but for someone who knows the game and how to read it, that doesn't apply. Just as an example, I remember watching last years semi final between Liverpool and Barcelona, and there were countless plays in that match where the crowd went berserk over things like a tackle or pressure in a totally innocuous part of the pitch, because they understood its significance without anything changing pointswise.

That doesn't mean football is more exciting or anything, but I can watch basketball as someone who's never played before and have a decent idea of how each play has impacted the game because most plays are converted into some explicit marker of success (points or yards gained etc) even if I don't really get the rules or why they are doing it the way they are. Same for American football or Tennis or Baseball.

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Sure fair enough. I'm certain if you're a huge footy fan and know the game you're gonna get a lot more out of it. But like I said I'm looking at this from the point of someone brand new to sports to try and be as objective as possible and like you said, soccer is a game that looks like a whole lot of nothing if you've never seen it before.

 

[Eoin]

And I would argue that soccer's popularity is more to do with how easy it is to play. All you need is a ball so anyone no matter how poor can get a game going at any time.

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That's definitely a major factor. Many sports are complex enough to play that this can limit their popularity. Some are effectively impossible without a reasonably high level of wealth (like motor sports) or access to specialised environments or equipment (like ice hockey for anyone living in a temperate climate).

However, there's lots of sports that are as easy to play as football (or thereabouts). Some are relatively popular (like tennis or running). Others are kind of niche (not a whole lot of televised tug-of-war or walking championships despite both being super-easy sports to play). So although football's ease has most definitely helped, it's far from the only factor.

But like I said I'm looking at this from the point of someone brand new to sports to try and be as objective as possible and like you said, soccer is a game that looks like a whole lot of nothing if you've never seen it before.

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This is true, but I think it's true of most sports, and football's rules are relatively simple - they can be explained in minutes without any previous knowledge. There's obviously a whole lot more going on than just players following the rules, but once someone knows the rules they can at least understand what's happening on the pitch in terms of those rules, and begin to figure out the flow of the game and how it's played from there.

 

[Tabs2002]

Watching Messi >

 

[Deleted member 4247]

Hockey. It's so much more exciting than football (soccer) it's almost unbelievable. Also much less acting bullshit.

Hockey isn't as popular in most of the world for natural reasons, so I get why most people globally wouldn't answer that. They simply don't know what they're missing. Here in Sweden it's big, although not as big as football, which sucks.

 

[Gaf Zombie]

Yeah golf is pretty boring. I went back and forward between that and tennis but I know rich people seem to love their golf.

Boxing can be great. MMA....not so much imo.

 

[Loan Wolf]

Used to be American football for me but the CTE scandal, nationalistic tendencies, excessive commercialization of the NFL soured the sport for me. Association football has their fair share of issues (i.e. FIFA corruption, disparity between big and small markets, diving) but the flow of the game is smoother with the commercials going in at halftime.

 

[Spinluck]

It's basketball.

 

[I Wanna Be The Guy]

The one where Liverpool keep giving me heart attacks.

 

[Einchy]

Basketball is the only good sport.

 

[Indelible]

Definitely Soccer, especially if it is two evenly matched teams.

 

[nullref]

What will actually be most exciting to each individual will be whichever sport they're most emotionally invested in, and/or have the most knowledge of—knowledge of the rules of the game, its history, strategy, the narratives at play involving the players, teams, league, statistics, etc. I think that is more important than whichever sport is most action-packed or fast-paced or accessible, as that mostly just determines how exiting a sport is to newcomers with limited knowledge, rather than fans.

So I don't think there's a meaningful consensus to be reached.

 

[Jroc]

Basketball can be *FOUL* alright to watch *FOUL* sometimes if the *FOUL* teams are *FOUL* of *FOUL* a similar *FOUL* skill level *FOUL*.

Seriously though, as a relative outsider it seems like the NBA needs an XFL style rules revamp. How are there so many fouls? Also the refs never seem to call blatent traveling.

My vote is Hockey. You get the symmetrical gameplay of soccer, but with the contact of football and 10x the speed.

 

[Elfotografoalocado]

You've obviously never seen sudden death OT in playoff hockey. Nothing else comes close in how much tension it brings knowing a single fuckup or bad puck bounce can cost your team the game and possibly the whole series. And its non stop 20 minute periods until someone scores. Games have gone 7 periods in the past and lasted until like 2 in the morning.

And I would argue that soccer's popularity is more to do with how easy it is to play. All you need is a ball so anyone no matter how poor can get a game going at any time.



Sure fair enough. I'm certain if you're a huge footy fan and know the game you're gonna get a lot more out of it. But like I said I'm looking at this from the point of someone brand new to sports to try and be as objective as possible and like you said, soccer is a game that looks like a whole lot of nothing if you've never seen it before.

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Well, I'd say penalties in kickoff stages of World Cup/Euro/Champions League after a grueling overtime are pretty intense.

But hey, that's just me...

 

[nachum00]

Street Fighter 2, 3, and 4.

 

[Deleted member 10551]

I don't disagree on timing but I think pass interference rules encourage way more long balls, especially late in the game when a single call can swing the game

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I tend to find running plays more interesting, especially the tricky ones like reverses. Pass interference often turns into receivers trying to get the flag as much as the ball.

 

[electricblue]

Pass interference often turns into receivers trying to get the flag as much as the ball.

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Agreed, that and 'what is a catch' make it hard for me to recommend to others

 

[ChrisBliss117]

I was at the Warriors game where they broke the season win record and it was nuts. Plus March Madness almost always delivers in fuckball so it's fun to watch.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Football (soccer), it's by far the most talked about thing that happens in the City (Liverpool) I grew up in, like you get a name and then you're either a bluenose or a Red (redshite as the bluenoses would say), not always in that order either.
Have no interested in any American sports or motorsports, will occasionally watch some MMA though.

 

[Tapiozona]

Basketball. Though I imagine hockey would be a blast to watch if it if I had any attachment to it and it wasn't so expensive to pick up as a kid.

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Football players are far more athletic than basketball players particularly the skill positions. Faster, stronger, often more agile, and of course tougher. Basketball definitely has their freak athletes like Bron. Problem is their height. 6'9, 6'10 people just aren't that agile, fast, or nimble on their feet relative to the freaks in the NFL.

 

[Deleted member 17388]

Personally I do not enjoy it, but soccer, mostly because many people like it so it's easy to share a moment.

The same reason is easy to talk about the Olympics and all.

 

[Servbot24]

Kinda shocked soccer is winning. I know it's the most popular, but it's just so incredibly dull to me.

 

[Sephzilla]

It really depends on what level of the sport you're watching.

The NBA is boring until the playoffs and even then it doesn't get really exciting until after the first round. Hockey kind of has the same problem. NFL is pretty exciting but it has a lot of pauses. Same with baseball. College level sports in general feel like they're less exciting, except of the NCAA basketball tournament.

Shocked that soccer is leading the poll though. That's like watching paint dry to me.

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

You've obviously never seen sudden death OT in playoff hockey. Nothing else comes close in how much tension it brings knowing a single fuckup or bad puck bounce can cost your team the game and possibly the whole series. And its non stop 20 minute periods until someone scores. Games have gone 7 periods in the past and lasted until like 2 in the morning.

And I would argue that soccer's popularity is more to do with how easy it is to play. All you need is a ball so anyone no matter how poor can get a game going at any time.



Sure fair enough. I'm certain if you're a huge footy fan and know the game you're gonna get a lot more out of it. But like I said I'm looking at this from the point of someone brand new to sports to try and be as objective as possible and like you said, soccer is a game that looks like a whole lot of nothing if you've never seen it before.

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Pens Oilers ot from this weekend was an escalating feeling of OH SHIT

 

[TarpitCarnivore]

Well, we are going to have to agree dmto disagree. Football is all about how the plays build on the one hand, and the excitement of the massive change in the scoreboard that is a single goal.
That kind of tension doesn't exist in other sports because the points are so much more granular, it's like a drip feed of excitement versus the tension there can be in a football game, and in a football game anything can happen at any time, unlike in, say, basketball, where you can tell the trend of the match at any time.

There's a reason football is the most popular sport in the planet.

So?

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Watch this OT and how much happens inside of a few minutes https://v.redd.it/9nctgp39ubw31

edit: sorry my reply quote got messed up and this went to the wrong person

 

[jett]

Tennis.

Physically and mentally draining, grueling one on one matches that can go up to five (or more) hours in length. When top tiers match against each other, athletes are pushed to their peak limits.

The best.

 

[Gaf Zombie]

Tennis.

Physically and mentally draining, grueling one on one matches that can go up to five (or more) hours in length. When top tiers match against each other, athletes are pushed to their peak limits.

The best.

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It's probably because of Serena but Tennis is the one sport where I prefer watching the women play more than the men. Tennis is a joy to watch in general though.

 

[SuperHans]

Not American mainstream, but as the national sport of Ireland, hurling is certainly mainstream there:

As far as American / ubiquitous sports are concerned, basketball would be my choice.

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Hurling makes other games seem so slow and boring in comparison.

 

[amanset]

Whatever you say. A sport where making contact with another player is against the rules and is punished, where people literally fake being hurt in order to draw a penalty...is a contact sport.

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Clearly you know nothing about the game. There are plenty of occasions where the laws allow contact with other players. It is just that the line is drawn in a different place to other sports. Take rugby union, for example. You'd argue that that is a contact sport, right? But you aren't allowed to tackle around the neck, you aren't allowed to tackle unless you make an effort to grab the player with your arms. These are all limits on the contact that can result in a sending off. Football's limits are different, but they still allow contact. Take the concept of the fair should charge, as is discussed in this post:

http://www.asktheref.com/Soccer Rules/Question/33572/

 

[Lashes.541]

I would say mma or skateboarding, especially the big air contests. Good way to watch humans fall thirty feet lol.

 

[amanset]

So 75k fans at a Man U match is not exactly going to blow anybody's mind, its the size of a middling college football crowd

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Many Football/Soccer stadiums have the crowd a few metres from the touchline. Believe me, 20k fans can be intimidating as fuck when they are close enough. American Football stadiums are countryside meadows in comparison. Add to that the higher likelihood of a large number of away supporters.

 

[rAndom]

As long as the opposing teams or competitors are exciting to watch, any of the mainstream sports is exciting to watch. Tennis for example, bored me until the match is between high caliber talent like Djokovic vs Federer.

I am a little more impartial to basketball and football (the one where you use your feet for everything, not the American rugby) though. Understanding the game makes me appreciate even if the match is not high profile.

 

[amanset]

O fair enough haha I've actually never watched a full soccer game but I'm not really a sports guy. Really inky watch the occasional basketball game so I chose that, but the last 2 minutes can be annoying as fuck in basketball I'll admit that.

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So you are threadshitting then. Thanks.

 

[amanset]

Shocked that soccer is leading the poll though. That's like watching paint dry to me.

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Kinda shocked soccer is winning. I know it's the most popular, but it's just so incredibly dull to me.

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As I said a while back, this is a rebranded "what's your favourite sport?"

Loads of people in here are saying NBA. I've often said that I can watch most sports and get something out of it, but just not basketball. It bores the living shit out of me. Not a huge fan of hockey either (and I live in a hockey country). Both of those are for precisely the reason why so many people here seem to like it. The ability to instantly get the ball/puck from one end to the other removes all real requirement for a developing movement involving many players. Which, coincidentally, is what I tend to find exciting.

 

[345]

basketball is the most aesthetically pleasing sport to me and the one i watch the most, but i wouldn't call it the most exciting. it has probably the lowest instance of "holy shit" turnover moments of any sport, given that a large proportion of games consist of an ever-widening point gap and you only score three at once at most. it's a different kind of pressure release, and obviously stuff like kawhi's buzzer beater is hard to beat by any metric. but compare a random NBA game to a random premier league match? i don't think there's anything more exciting than two football teams going up against each other knowing the entire picture could change in a split-second.

the stakes are much higher in english football, too. american sports suffer from the lack of relegation, often incentivising teams to suck. you can't tell me any game involving the dolphins or the hornets has any potential for excitement this year, whereas for example southampton versus man city this weekend was a great watch from start to finish.

 

[Deleted member 2809]

Handball is nice.

 

[Keuja]

 

[16bits]

Tennis.

Physically and mentally draining, grueling one on one matches that can go up to five (or more) hours in length. When top tiers match against each other, athletes are pushed to their peak limits.

The best.

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play a point

reset the game

play a point

reset the game


I like tennis, but its somewhat repetitive, like darts.

 

[Mavis]

Rugby Union for me. To be honest it very much depends on the situation. Cricket is amazing when it's the last day of a test and it's going down to the last over, prior to that you can have 4 days of boredom. American Football takes the piss though, it's literally evolved into a 3 hour long advertisement, how anyone can watch that shit is beyond me.

 

[Deleted member 37151]

I think the problem with basketball (IMO) is that it's too end to end and too high scoring. There's not enough boring bits to really make it tense or exciting when something does happen.

 

[Feep]

Things I value in a spectator sport:

- Potential for last second, do-it-or-you-lose-outright moments (eliminates hockey, soccer, baseball)
- Complex team dynamics (eliminates tennis, golf, bowling, fencing, and baseball again, fuck baseball)
- Smoothly flowing action (eliminates American football)
- Regular season matters (eliminates basketball)

NBA playoffs, then, I guess.

 

[gir]

if americans got rid of timeouts and ad breaks, their sports watchability would increase tenfold. Until then, football then rugby

 

[Geoff]

Things I value in a spectator sport:

- Potential for last second, do-it-or-you-lose-outright moments (eliminates hockey, soccer, baseball)

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I am lost as to why that excludes those sports, particularly soccer.

 

[amanset]

- Potential for last second, do-it-or-you-lose-outright moments (eliminates hockey, soccer, baseball)

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There's not a single mainstream American sport that can have a Jimmy Glass moment. Not a single one.

 

[Martinski]

My main go to sport i really love to watch is american football and i say this as a Swede not growing up with it. I learned to love it in my early 20s when living in Texas for a year.

I also enjoy watching most other sports even stuff like Baseball.

 

[ty_hot]

If you just want to watch something 'safe' that will have some nice moments, probably Volleyball or Basketball. You will definitely have blocks/aces or nice dunks/3 point plays, no matter the game. It isn't common to know who is winning the game way before it is over, though.

But with football you will probably have less of these entertaining moments, but a goal is a rare thing (comparatively) so when it happens (and it usually do, at least once or twice), there is more emotion involved. If you are actual supporter of either team, then it is even better.

edit. and I am seeing a lot of people equating NBA to Basketball lol. That is the same as equating Football to the knockout stage of the World Cup, or just the Champions League. Ofc it is great to watch James playing against Harden, but would you watch a random basketball match or a random anything else match? Watching City playing against Barcelona is great, but football is a lot more Watford vs Rayo Vallecano than that.

 

[electricblue]

Things I value in a spectator sport:

- Potential for last second, do-it-or-you-lose-outright moments (eliminates hockey, soccer, baseball)
- Complex team dynamics (eliminates tennis, golf, bowling, fencing, and baseball again, fuck baseball)
- Smoothly flowing action (eliminates American football)
- Regular season matters (eliminates basketball)

NBA playoffs, then, I guess.

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Smoothly flowing action eliminates football but not basketball? huh?
Sounds like you don't know much about baseball either, as for your first point the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZVCrKcOl78

 

[Sphinx]

Everybody denies it but it's figure Ice skating

 

[Feep]

Smoothly flowing action eliminates football but not basketball? huh?
Sounds like you don't know much about baseball either, as for your first point the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZVCrKcOl78

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The percentage of "up time" in a basketball game is far, far above football or baseball. The last couple minutes of a close game can slog, but that's it.

Also, I know plenty about baseball, it sucks. Every pitch could be fouled, or be a single RBI, there is never a guaranteed "this is it" moment before the play starts.

There's not a single mainstream American sport that can have a Jimmy Glass moment. Not a single one.

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Soccer can have moments where the larger point structure of a league can force a "do or die" moment, that's true. But I find that inelegant and inconsistent. It should be built into the game rules, not the league rules.