Separating from Spectator Sports . . . Has the Time Finally Come?


prisonchaplain
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Guest MormonGator
11 minutes ago, Just_A_Guy said:

I used to sort of like sports, but the baseball strike of the early 90s killed the magic of baseball for me; and the 49ers’ collapse and BYU’s emotionally abusive football team of the early 2000s (juuuust enough good games early on to make everyone think this might be Our Year, and then the roof fell in every. single. time) killed that sport too.  

(Growing up in northern California we never really had a basketball team worth rooting for in the first place.)

Nowadays, in court I spend a good deal of time stressing out about what might happen if The Wrong Guys Win; and I just can’t see myself doing even more of that on a recreational basis.  Same reason I rarely watch movies or TV (except for light comedies)—I get all the drama I can handle in the workplace.  

(And, @MormonGator, that even includes Disney movies—I was actually in a theater watching a stage play of “The Little Mermaid” last week, and found the plot so insufferable I nearly walked out (my five-year-old daughter’s excited giggling and clapping and jumping up and down was the only redeeming feature).

Don't worry @Just_A_Guy. One day when I'm a cranky old person I'll probably find reasons to complain about everything too. Good thing I'm not your age yet. 

Oh. Wait. 

(yeah, seriously I am not over the fact that we are the same age. Been depressed for weeks about this.) 

Edited by MormonGator
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7 hours ago, anatess2 said:

They are... in sports where they look like women.  E.g. - Figure Skating, Gymnastics, etc.  But in sports where they look like men - Basketball, Soccer... they don't look as good.  ;)

 

I actually love to watch women's soccer. It's one of my favorite sports to watch. And I think the women look amazing!! Really fit and pretty after they've showered. I wouldn't expect them to be trying to chase balls in stilletos and ball gowns. I don't think there is much difference in how they look when they are playing than gymnasts look when they are gymnasting- except one is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and the other a leotard. Figure skating usually involves a little skirt and makeup so maybe more feminine. But honestly, some women barrel racers look very feminine in jeans and plaid flannel shirts when they are riding in the rodeos.

I think the difference in popularity is that there is higher  intensity and extravagant display of bravado that attracts more fans in mens', than womens'.

Edited by carlimac
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12 hours ago, carlimac said:

I actually love to watch women's soccer. It's one of my favorite sports to watch. And I think the women look amazing!! Really fit and pretty after they've showered. I wouldn't expect them to be trying to chase balls in stilletos and ball gowns. I don't think there is much difference in how they look when they are playing than gymnasts look when they are gymnasting- except one is wearing shorts and a t-shirt and the other a leotard. Figure skating usually involves a little skirt and makeup so maybe more feminine. But honestly, some women barrel racers look very feminine in jeans and plaid flannel shirts when they are riding in the rodeos.

I think the difference in popularity is that there is higher  intensity and extravagant display of bravado that attracts more fans in mens', than womens'.

The comment was tongue-in-cheek.

But, kidding aside... women's sports like soccer and basketball have a hard time competing against the men's side because there's no difference between the men's side and the women's side from the spectator's point of view and the men's side is much faster, stronger, harder, better at the same game.  It's like amateur leagues are not as popular as the professional leagues.  It's the same difference as College Football and NFL but College Football is a whole lot more popular than other amateur leagues because of the student/alumni rivalry which gives College Football a unique experience.  Sports such as Figure Skating, Gymnastics, and even MMA have a drastic technical and artistic difference between the men's side and the women's side that gives each side their own unique, non-comparable experience.   

Therefore, if women's soccer wants to get a much bigger viewership, they have to market the sport in a way that makes it unique from the men's side - this is how women's tennis increased their viewership (although it still can't compete with the men's viewership) - they marketed the top seeds like superheroes with all the backstory and drama.  Chris Evert was a household name back in the 70's due to her (marketing positioned) drama-filled rivalry with Martina Navratilova.  And so she and Navratilova garnered tons of fans that followed how the drama unfolded all throughout their careers.  Her romance with Connors was icing on that cake.  Right now, the US Women's National Soccer Team is doing the exact opposite - turning off the fans by their unprofessional behavior and making the sport a joke making it harder for women's soccer in other countries who are trying to get viewership by riding the Nationalist soccer culture.

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Guest MormonGator
23 hours ago, mirkwood said:

On day zero, God made soccer.  Shortly after days 1-6 created an earth to play it on, along with various and sundry other sporting activities.

God created the world so we could sit here and find fault with everything in it.

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