Unpopular Opinions (sports edition)

[NWI_Irish96]

And, "poor" in the USA today is a relative term.  Everyone has enough to eat, good health care, etc.  People in past generations knew, and were stunted by, real want.

First of all, not everyone has enough to eat and good health care. Secondly, the lowest level of food security and health care in America, while far greater than that of the poorest countries in Africa, is shockingly low compared to the GDP of this country.

When you say "people in past generations knew, and were stunned by, real want" what is actually true is that in past generations, even people who weren't systematically discriminated against knew real want, and were stunned that their privilege didn't prevent it.

[SectorZ]

And, "poor" in the USA today is a relative term.  Everyone has enough to eat, good health care, etc.  People in past generations knew, and were stunted by, real want.

First of all, not everyone has enough to eat and good health care. Secondly, the lowest level of food security and health care in America, while far greater than that of the poorest countries in Africa, is shockingly low compared to the GDP of this country.

When you say "people in past generations knew, and were stunned by, real want" what is actually true is that in past generations, even people who weren't systematically discriminated against knew real want, and were stunned that their privilege didn't prevent it.

Are you saying that white people in the Great Depression sat around lamenting their poverty because they were white, expecting that they shouldn't be poor because of skin color?

[kphoger]

Schools of any type have no business sponsoring sports teams. (We had a good discussion about this in another thread somewhere on this forum.)

Yes.  I think I remember it being the first thing you agreed with me about.

And, "poor" in the USA today is a relative term.  Everyone has enough to eat, good health care, etc.

I have health insurance now?

[CtrlAltDel]

And, "poor" in the USA today is a relative term.  Everyone has enough to eat, good health care, etc.  People in past generations knew, and were stunted by, real want.

First of all, not everyone has enough to eat and good health care.

But if he doesn't say something like this first, he won't be able to follow up later with "Food deserts are a myth." You gotta let him complete the cycle of unnecessary disparagement.

[Alps]

Fact: There is enough food and health care for everyone.
Fact: It is distributed inequitably.
Fact: This is about sports. Please stick to sports.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

And, "poor" in the USA today is a relative term.  Everyone has enough to eat, good health care, etc.

* Laughs at this *

Fact: This is about sports. Please stick to sports.

This. So here is another: It should always be specified which kind of "Football" one is talking about. Most of the World understand "association" football by that term, not "American" football.

[thspfc]

Here's my unpopular opinion: Sports in general are constantly involving, and mostly get better with each generation. Fans, especially older ones, tend to romanticize the a certain era, usually coinciding with childhood or early adulthood, and rationalize very irrational reasons as to why things were better "back in the good old days"

500% true. All of the Murderer's Row Yankees and 90s Bulls truthers are so annoying. No player, team, or dynasty from outside of the last 20-30 years deserves to be talked about as one of the best all-time, because things are just different now. The old-timers don't like it, but that's how it is.

[thspfc]

I don't cheer for the Browns success.

Also agree. One wild card season and a victory over a slumping team in a game you almost legendarily choked away doesn't elevate them off the bottom of the league. Sure, they have reasons to be optimistic, but the level of disillusionment from their fanbase is off the charts.

[thspfc]

All of you are probably going to be annoyed by me because I'm a Cowboys fan living in Wisconsin. Well, I'm here to make my case: literally nobody cares. Get over it.

[kenarmy]

All of you are probably going to be annoyed by me because I'm a Cowboys fan living in Wisconsin. Well, I'm here to make my case: literally nobody cares. Get over it.

Honestly, I don't see a problem with that either. It's only annoying when people are just doing it to bandwagon or change teams often.

[NWI_Irish96]

All of you are probably going to be annoyed by me because I'm a Cowboys fan living in Wisconsin. Well, I'm here to make my case: literally nobody cares. Get over it.

Honestly, I don't see a problem with that either. It's only annoying when people are just doing it to bandwagon or change teams often.

It's only annoying if you're a Cowboys fan, a Yankees fan and a Lakers fan (and yes, I know one such person).

[Flint1979]

All of you are probably going to be annoyed by me because I'm a Cowboys fan living in Wisconsin. Well, I'm here to make my case: literally nobody cares. Get over it.

Better than being a Packers fan. I'm a Chicago sports fan living in Michigan and nobody really cares. The Detroit sports fans around here don't bother me at all.

[texaskdog]

And, "poor" in the USA today is a relative term.  Everyone has enough to eat, good health care, etc.  People in past generations knew, and were stunted by, real want.

First of all, not everyone has enough to eat and good health care. Secondly, the lowest level of food security and health care in America, while far greater than that of the poorest countries in Africa, is shockingly low compared to the GDP of this country.

When you say "people in past generations knew, and were stunned by, real want" what is actually true is that in past generations, even people who weren't systematically discriminated against knew real want, and were stunned that their privilege didn't prevent it.

Well, back when I was a kid poor people didn't have cable TV and went without things.  Nowadays a lot of poor people have cable, smart phones, their kids get everything, it is very different.

[jeffandnicole]

I don't cheer for the Browns success.

Also agree. One wild card season and a victory over a slumping team in a game you almost legendarily choked away doesn't elevate them off the bottom of the league. Sure, they have reasons to be optimistic, but the level of disillusionment from their fanbase is off the charts.

The fans got free beer because they won a game a few years ago.  They should've held a victory parade for winning a Wild Card game.

[wanderer2575]

I don't cheer for the Browns success.

Also agree. One wild card season and a victory over a slumping team in a game you almost legendarily choked away doesn't elevate them off the bottom of the league. Sure, they have reasons to be optimistic, but the level of disillusionment from their fanbase is off the charts.

Detroit says "Hello."  When the Lions won a whopping two games in a row in October last year, fans and especially local sportswriters heralded it as The Big Turnaround 60 years in the making, and got the playoff talk started.  (Lost 8 out of 10 after that, and finished 5-11.)

[kenarmy]

On that note.

- Franchises should always be named after a city, not a state.
- We don't need a Bears, Bengals, and Browns..
- Drew Brees> that brady guy.
- Duplicate colors should be gotten rid of. There's too many damn colors for them to choose navy blue  .
- We should normalize watching tennis. I know a ton of people that only watch when Serena plays.
- Carmelo Anthony deserves more praise.
- MMA is boring.
- Major League players going down to the minors is funny.
- We should normalize playing sports after college unprofessionally!
- International games should happen more often in any league.
- TEAMS SHOULD PAY FOR THEIR OWN STADIUM
- NBA has too many games.
- The NFL draft needs to be eliminated.
- There should be "4-pointers" in NBA
- Bowling> Golf.
- Washington Football Team isn't that bad of a name. Better than the "Bengals"
- Calling the "Cowboys" the "cowgirls" is unnecessarily disrespectful.

[webny99]

I don't cheer for the Browns success.

Also agree. One wild card season and a victory over a slumping team in a game you almost legendarily choked away doesn't elevate them off the bottom of the league. Sure, they have reasons to be optimistic, but the level of disillusionment from their fanbase is off the charts.

They're certainly elevated from the very bottom of the league. This the best season/offseason they've had in several decades. I'd say let the fans enjoy it.

- Washington Football Team isn't the bad of a name.

That's not an unpopular take. If it was, they would have found a new name by now.

[kenarmy]

^ Really? I still see a ton of people complaining about it.

[Big John]

^^they had a recent call for ideas from fans to rename the team

[kphoger]

It should always be specified which kind of "Football" one is talking about. Most of the World understand "association" football by that term, not "American" football.

Rugby.

I'm a Cowboys fan living in Wisconsin. Well, I'm here to make my case: literally nobody cares.

They do care, but they don't bring it up for fear of what you might do to them.  Being a Cowboys fan outside of Texas is a lifestyle choice, and who knows what that sort of person might do if they insult them?  It isn't worth the risk.

[SP Cook]

- Franchises should always be named after a city, not a state.

With the exception of Minnesota, absolutely.  State names are for colleges, city names are for pro teams.

- We don't need a Bears, Bengals, and Browns..

I'm 95% sure that when the Bengals' lease is up, they will decamp.  Cincinnati is not that big a market, the Bengals never developed the deep regional fan base the Reds have, and the Brown family just doesn't care about winning. 

- Duplicate colors should be gotten rid of. There's too many damn colors for them to choose navy blue

True.

- International games should happen more often in any league.

Why?  People in different parts of the world like different things.  Be happy with your own continent(s).

- Calling the "Cowboys" the "cowgirls" is unnecessarily disrespectful.

Agree 100%.  More broadly, the whole internet "you are a girl" theme is sad.  I cannot win an argument, so I called you a girl.  Works in 2nd grade in 1960, maybe.  Yes, slightly more than half the people on earth are female.  Their opinions, actions, ideas, wants, desires, etc, are no less valid.  The middle ages have been over for some time. 

[jmacswimmer]

- Franchises should always be named after a city, not a state.

How do you feel about teams named after multiple states or a region?  (Looking at you, Panthers & Patriots)

[thspfc]

- Drew Brees> that brady guy.

You're hilarious.

[thspfc]

It should always be specified which kind of "Football" one is talking about. Most of the World understand "association" football by that term, not "American" football.

Rugby.

I'm a Cowboys fan living in Wisconsin. Well, I'm here to make my case: literally nobody cares.

They do care, but they don't bring it up for fear of what you might do to them.  Being a Cowboys fan outside of Texas is a lifestyle choice, and who knows what that sort of person might do if they insult them?  It isn't worth the risk.

Thanks for enlightening me

[thspfc]

- Calling the "Cowboys" the "cowgirls" is unnecessarily disrespectful.

Yeah, that one is going to fall on deaf ears. The fact that it's disrespectful is only half of it - the term has really just been watered down to the point of being used exclusively by people who really don't follow the NFL and think they're making a funny, original joke. A lot of people will continue to make that joke until the end of time.