Minor things that annoy you-sports edition

[CNGL-Leudimin]

An upwards section near the end of a race. And more so if I'm tired and wanting to reach the finish.

[tmoore952]

Living in the Washington Capitals normal broadcast area and not being able to watch (at least) the last two Capitals-Penguins game because of ESPN+ exclusive broadcast rights for some games.

It's at the point where I was not surprised when I was looking for that particular game last night on my cable system (my local station, ESPN, and TBS) and I couldn't find it.

[SP Cook]

ESPN+ exclusive broadcast rights

Welcome to the new world of streaming.  Streaming is rat poison.  Big Media is realizing that it made a huge mistake, and that all these streamers lose money, and are trying to fix their mistake with sports.  Which results in one sport getting split up among maybe a half-dozen outlets, most of which do not carry anything else you want.  To follow your local NHL team, just to watch every game like a true fan wants, you need ESPN+, real ESPN (not sold as streaming only, must have cable, etc.), your local RSN (Monumental Sports in your case), TNT (or the pay extra TNT add on to Max), NHL Network, and ABC.  Baseball requires ESPN, ESPN+, FS1, Fox, Peacock, Apple, your local RSN, MLB Network, and if your team is the Yankees, also Prime. 

All of which, when not showing sports, show things most people in the sports demographic don't want.  But you have to pay for the whole outlet.

Rat poison.

[tmoore952]

ESPN+ exclusive broadcast rights

Welcome to the new world of streaming.  Streaming is rat poison.  Big Media is realizing that it made a huge mistake, and that all these streamers lose money, and are trying to fix their mistake with sports.  Which results in one sport getting split up among maybe a half-dozen outlets, most of which do not carry anything else you want.  To follow your local NHL team, just to watch every game like a true fan wants, you need ESPN+, real ESPN (not sold as streaming only, must have cable, etc.), your local RSN (Monumental Sports in your case), TNT (or the pay extra TNT add on to Max), NHL Network, and ABC.  Baseball requires ESPN, ESPN+, FS1, Fox, Peacock, Apple, your local RSN, MLB Network, and if your team is the Yankees, also Prime. 

All of which, when not showing sports, show things most people in the sports demographic don't want.  But you have to pay for the whole outlet.

Rat poison.

They can have it. I'll go back to listening on the radio, like I did 50 years ago.

[Bruce]

Just become a fan of an MLS team. There's one streaming service (Apple's) and that's it. You can also watch the occasional game on Fox but the same game is still on Apple's platform.

[kphoger]

If you can't get what you want, then just want something else instead.

Edited for clarity.

[ran4sh]

For similar reasons, one of the things that annoys me is the part of the Atlanta United FC fanbase that isn't fans of other Atlanta sports teams. Sure, the foreign population that comes from countries where football (soccer) is popular and American sports are not, that makes sense. But the Americans that like football (soccer) and dislike traditional American sports, are annoying.

[GaryV]

For similar reasons, one of the things that annoys me is the part of the Atlanta United FC fanbase that isn't fans of other Atlanta sports teams. Sure, the foreign population that comes from countries where football (soccer) is popular and American sports are not, that makes sense. But the Americans that like football (soccer) and dislike traditional American sports, are annoying.

This makes no sense. I like baseball and football somewhat. I don't like basketball at all, and never got into hockey.

Your reasoning says that I should follow the Red Wings and (heaven forbid) the Pistons, just because sometimes I pay attention to the Lions or Tigers?

[kphoger]

But the Americans that like football (soccer) and dislike traditional American sports, are annoying.

How are they annoying?  What does it matter to you if they don't watch a particular sport?

I personally think baseball and American football are two of the most boring sports out there, because of all the standing around doing nothing.  Well, honestly, though, soccer isn't that far down the list...

[thspfc]

I got over the feuding between different sports fandoms years ago. Who cares what sports someone likes?

The only exception to that is baseball fans who don't actually seem to like baseball, but rather the state of the world when baseball was at its peak. That's my only idea as to why they hate the pitch clock.

[tmoore952]

I got over the feuding between different sports fandoms years ago. Who cares what sports someone likes?

The only exception to that is baseball fans who don't actually seem to like baseball, but rather the state of the world when baseball was at its peak. That's my only idea as to why they hate the pitch clock.

I remember going to a 9-inning MLB baseball game in 1978 that took 3 hours. That was a LONG time for a baseball game back then.
As a Phillies fan, with Jim Kaat and Steve Carlton pitching in their rotation, there were many 9-inning games I remember from then that took under 2 hours.

By 40 years later, a 9-inning game UNDER three hours was rare.

So I don't quite get the people who don't like the pitch clock if they are nostalgic for the past. Here's some nostalgia for them --  when baseball was at its peak (arguably 1950s-1970s), most games only took about 2 hours.

[ran4sh]

For similar reasons, one of the things that annoys me is the part of the Atlanta United FC fanbase that isn't fans of other Atlanta sports teams. Sure, the foreign population that comes from countries where football (soccer) is popular and American sports are not, that makes sense. But the Americans that like football (soccer) and dislike traditional American sports, are annoying.

This makes no sense. I like baseball and football somewhat. I don't like basketball at all, and never got into hockey.

Your reasoning says that I should follow the Red Wings and (heaven forbid) the Pistons, just because sometimes I pay attention to the Lions or Tigers?

I don't mean individual fans. Obviously individuals have preferences. I'm referring to the fact that for a large part of the Atlanta United FC fanbase, they dislike or don't care about other sports, and they act like they're better than the fans that *are* fans of the Braves, Hawks, etc.

[kphoger]

I don't mean individual fans. Obviously individuals have preferences. I'm referring to the fact that for a large part of the Atlanta United FC fanbase, they dislike or don't care about other sports,

Those are individual fans—just, apparently, a lot of them.

and they act like they're better than the fans that *are* fans of the Braves, Hawks, etc.

Yes, that is annoying.  Then again, it does seem that a lot of soccer fans here in the USA have a superiority complex.

[formulanone]

I don't mean individual fans. Obviously individuals have preferences. I'm referring to the fact that for a large part of the Atlanta United FC fanbase, they dislike or don't care about other sports,

Those are individual fans—just, apparently, a lot of them.

and they act like they're better than the fans that *are* fans of the Braves, Hawks, etc.

Yes, that is annoying.  Then again, it does seem that a lot of soccer fans here in the USA have a superiority complex.

Meh, I meet people all over the place that always think their favorite team sport is objectively better than some other sport (barbaric / boring / weird / low-scoring / has ties / monotonous) and it's certainly not just limited to soccer fans.

[tmoore952]

With ESPN signing a deal Thursday to broadcast NCAA sports until sometime in the 2030s, I guess I will continue to have Around the Horn and Pardon the interruption evening (8-11 PM EST) broadcasts interrupted by the beginning of NCAA games for the remainder of my working career.

Ironically (see last paragraph), it happened again on Thursday, which is why it is on my mind.

[Bruce]

Yes, that is annoying.  Then again, it does seem that a lot of soccer fans here in the USA have a superiority complex.

It's a response to being antagonized by fans of other sports in America, fans of soccer outside America, and fans of soccer within America who refuse to watch the domestic leagues.

[ran4sh]

I knew someone would attempt to defend it.

(And why should an American soccer fan watch MLS, other than actually attending the game in person? Unlike the other American sports leagues, MLS doesn't have the world's best football/soccer players. So of course Americans who are used to watching the best basketball, best hockey, etc will watch foreign leagues to watch the best soccer.)

[Bruce]

I knew someone would attempt to defend it.

(And why should an American soccer fan watch MLS, other than actually attending the game in person? Unlike the other American sports leagues, MLS doesn't have the world's best football/soccer players. So of course Americans who are used to watching the best basketball, best hockey, etc will watch foreign leagues to watch the best soccer.)

Because I like watching things at normal times of the day and can feel a real connection to Seattle vs. Austin more than Bolton vs. Burnley. By your logic, we should stop watching anything in the minor leagues or in college sports because it's not "the best". Heck, just scrap everything and only watch the World Cup.

(By the way, the Sounders and another US team will be playing for the 2025 Club World Cup, against the other continental champions, which will be far more exciting than watching the same bloated Euro superteams play for the 111th time this year.)

Another big incentive: as MLS improves, so does the US national team. Without a strong domestic league and academies to raise talent, the team will not be able to make deep runs into the World Cup. Much of the 2022 roster originated from MLS academies and were allowed to incubate at home as young players before moving to Europe (or even returning).

[kphoger]

And why should an American soccer fan ...

Because I like ...

What you like doesn't set the bar.

By your logic, we should stop watching anything in the minor leagues or in college sports because it's not "the best".

I know plenty of football fans who only watch the NFL, not college.  And plenty of baseball fans who only watch the majors, not the minors.  There's nothing wrong with that, as far as I'm concerned.  And I know basketball fans who only watch college, not NBA, which is also perfectly fine.  People can be fans of whatever they're interested in.

Personally, I've only ever watched part of one Army–Navy football game, and that's only because another customer at Sport Clips requested it while I was waiting for my sons to get their hair cut;  frankly, it was bad football, with terrible mistakes, not fun to watch.  Everyone else in that Sport Clips—staff and customers alike—was glad when he left, so they could put on a game they actually wanted to watch.  That didn't make them inferior football fans.

Another big incentive: as MLS improves, so does the US national team. Without a strong domestic league and academies to raise talent, the team will not be able to make deep runs into the World Cup. Much of the 2022 roster originated from MLS academies and were allowed to incubate at home as young players before moving to Europe (or even returning).

So, when it comes to that, what does it matter if I flip the channel to watch an MLS game or not?  Do the domestic league and academies become stronger when I tune into that channel?

[JayhawkCO]

I knew someone would attempt to defend it.

(And why should an American soccer fan watch MLS, other than actually attending the game in person? Unlike the other American sports leagues, MLS doesn't have the world's best football/soccer players. So of course Americans who are used to watching the best basketball, best hockey, etc will watch foreign leagues to watch the best soccer.)

Because I like watching things at normal times of the day and can feel a real connection to Seattle vs. Austin more than Bolton vs. Burnley. By your logic, we should stop watching anything in the minor leagues or in college sports because it's not "the best". Heck, just scrap everything and only watch the World Cup.

(By the way, the Sounders and another US team will be playing for the 2025 Club World Cup, against the other continental champions, which will be far more exciting than watching the same bloated Euro superteams play for the 111th time this year.)

Another big incentive: as MLS improves, so does the US national team. Without a strong domestic league and academies to raise talent, the team will not be able to make deep runs into the World Cup. Much of the 2022 roster originated from MLS academies and were allowed to incubate at home as young players before moving to Europe (or even returning).

I'm a big proponent of the MLS as well, really enjoying my time following Sporting KC when I lived there. But, I must admit, that I followed it for the "locality" more than for the soccer. Case in point, I live in Colorado now and the Rapids are not a big deal here at all, the team isn't very good, and when I've gone to games, the game day feel was 10% of what an SKC game is/was like. So, since it's not all that attractive of a product without the atmosphere and conviviality, I don't really follow it much anymore. Whereas, I follow the EPL intently and have a passing interest in the Bundesliga, La Liga, etc.

Also, for the record, World Cup football is much worse than club football. The product overall isn't, since everyone pulls for different countries, but the actual product on the field isn't nearly as good since these guys don't play together all the time.

[hotdogPi]

I'm finding myself fascinated with the PWHL for some reason. I think part of it is because it's even closer to me than Boston; their stadium is in Lowell.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The thing with MLS is it's never been able to be driven by homegrown stars into casual public consciousness. I admit I don't follow MLS but just from osmosis I learn things about NASCAR, golf, and other sports I don't watch. I know most of the teams but beyond that I know little about MLS and couldn't tell you who the best players in that league's history are. It only gets national attention when an established foreign superstar like David Beckham or Messi crosses over to the league, and that's only because they're no longer good enough to play full-time in Europe. I'm not sure even a regular SportsCenter viewer would learn any of MLS's top players just from watching that show alone.

[Scott5114]

Honestly, I don't really get why people would rather watch European soccer than American, simply because my first thought is if Kirkenes beats Chernihiv or whatever, what's that got to do with me? I've never even been there, or known anyone from there, or know the language that's spoken there.

But then there's lots of things about sports I don't get.

[hotdogPi]

Since you're mentioning that part of the world, soccer games have a lot fewer fatalities (and destroyed buildings/infrastructure/etc.) than warfare and can be used as a proxy.

[tmoore952]

I tend to watch Mexican soccer if the mood strikes me.

I have been in the UK when soccer (football) season is going on, and they really get into it. Watching UK soccer (and European soccer in general) when I am in the US makes me wish I was there, reminds me I'm not on vacation (I don't follow those leagues or look at the standings). For what it's worth, I've never been to Mexico save a border walk into Tijuana. I don't follow the Mexican leagues either.

Personally, I like not having any emotional connection to the teams. In that way, it's a lot different than watching the main US sports.