Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts

Monday, August 2, 2010

Sports I Find Unwatchable

Sports are one of the greatest entertainment events in the world. They provide a lot of action, some built-in drama and conflict, as well as a feeling of gritty reality that so-called reality shows can only dream of. Plus, they make excellent analogues for a human past-time one can no longer indulge at will: war.

However, I find some of them a chore to watch, for several reasons. Sometimes it's the nature of the sport. Sometimes, its the participants. After all, not all sports are bone-crunchingly, high-flyingly equal.

(Note: These are just sports I've encountered personally, whether live or on TV, and are considered actual sports. Sorry, chess, poker, billiards and cheerleading.)

Men's Tennis

I used to love tennis, back before I discovered videogames and fun. I quickly realized that tennis, while fast-paced and occasionally frenetic, is essentially human Pong with a needlessly confusing scoring system. Of course, I should have said "Tennis" instead of "Men's Tennis", but I still find some juvenile delight in hearing girls in short skirts grunt loudly. That's the only reason I'd watch women's tennis. That and the prospect of seeing a future supermodel.

Oh, and to keep up with the latest in super soldier steroids....

Also applies to: Badminton, Table Tennis

Golf

I don't know why golf gets so much coverage. I can understand golf as a hobby for old men whose athleticism had deserted them around the same time their prostates did. But, as a spectator sport, I cannot imagine being excited by a bunch of middle-aged guys (or dykes) strolling around grassy knolls with their manservants carrying all the stuff. (This is, like, 85% of the sport.) Even when Tiger Woods, the most athletic, exciting golfer in the history of ever, played, I always believed that he should be playing basketball or football instead. It seemed like he got more of a workout with a stripper on his lap than with a club in his hands.

Pictured: Athlete?

Also applies to: Any sport where you spend more time cutting business deals than playing.

Women's Basketball

Basketball is a great game. People speak of soccer as "the beautiful game" when played a certain way (Brazil, Barcelona and 70's Holland), but basketball has its savage beauty already so inherent that it need not be described as "the beautiful game" simply because it already is. The muscling in the paint, bone-crunching picks, the rising form of the jumpshot, the elegant fastbreak and the swift, graceful savagery of the slam dunk all combine to make basketball one of the most amazing athletic endeavours to behold. But all that is in the men's game.

The women's game is slow, ponderous and played way, way below the rim. There is just a fraction of the athleticism and excitement. Slam dunks are so glaringly absent that the politically-correct media celebrates the prospect of a girl "dunking" like its the Second Coming of Christ, never mind the fact that the "girl dunk" is just a glorified lay up where your fingers graze the rim. Ostensibly, the excuse is that the women's game is about basketball "fundamentals", but the women's game even does "fundamentals" badly. Even Mr. Fundamentals (aka Tim Duncan) can make the game look coherent, intelligible and exciting. Sheryl Swoopes, the so-called "female Jordan" (if Jordan couldn't dunk, shoot the fade-away or play defense), looks that way because she's guarded by Susie, the "blonde who once took up Child Welfare studies in college before experimenting".

The only reason the WNBA exists is because the NBA needs a charitable cause to its politically-correct name. That, and the world needs a place to see lesbians making out in public. Unfortunately for the WNBA, most of its lesbians are the "grizzly bears with mullets" kind.

Girl-on-girl action...???

Also applies to: most women's versions of men's team sports, with notable exceptions being women's volleyball and women's soccer.

Equestrian Jumping

So your horse can jump. Yay. Sign my souvenir program, horse.

Now, if you give the rider a lance and some armor, then we're in business....

All sports should be like this....

Also applies to: All non-racing equestrian events...until they legitimize jousting.

Men's Figure Skating

Women's figure skating can be a joy to watch. A slender woman in some pretty tights twirls to classical Western music, and the world applauds this celebration of femininity. It's like the culmination of feminine grace on stage for everyone to admire.

Then some dude similarly dressed comes along and ruins it all.

Look, if I wanted to see some faggy drag queen gyrating to music, (and I never, ever want to see this) I'd be in a gay club, not watching TV.

Someone do the world a favor and kick all men's figure skaters in the nuts. Of course, that won't hurt much as they're probably already neutered.

Men, men, men, men, manly men....

Also applies to: the Gay Olympics

Women's Power-Lifting

Take everything that was sublime about women's figure skating and find the direct opposite. This is women's power-lifting.

The only time I'd be watching this sport is after I have pledged to never sleep with a woman, ever again.

Her milkshake caused the formation of a new fault line...

Also applies to: Women's body-building

Saturday, July 17, 2010

If I Were to Practice One Eccentric Sport...

...it would be jousting.

I mean, come on, look at these guys!

Not pictured: flopping for penalties and charging fouls

If this becomes a professional sport, I hope some sports channel carries it.

Look at it: all the violence of American football and some really sweet-looking armor. As a combat sport, it suffers from a system that pauses after spurts of action (like American football and boxing) in order to allow fallen competitors to regroup, and this opens it to exploitation by advertisers. However, there is no rolling around and writhing together for whole rounds like in MMA. Plus, you are assured of bone-crunching hits and flowing testosterone.

All this while wearing some of the most beautiful armor ever made.

Sign me up.

PS

On the downside, its really expensive.

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Viva EspaƱa!

What a great way for all of it to end. A victory for Spanish / FC Barcelona football, and for football in general!

While I feel for the Orange, I find it a good thing that dirty, thuggish football lost today.

And yes, a team I like finally didn't suck!

Oh, and Nike refused to leave well enough alone, cursing one of the few nice Dutch players with this just before the final:



Sneijder should have known better....


Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Soccer's Madden Curse

I'm sure the sports and videogame geeks out there are familiar with the Madden curse. Whenever an NFL player appears on the cover of a Madden football videogame, he is bound to encounter catastrophe the next season.

Now, soccer has its own version, thanks to Nike.

Watch this:



Look at the superstars who participated in that commercial (which came out in May) and their World Cup performances afterward.

Didier Drogba: Broke his arm in a friendly against Japan. One meaningless goal as his team gets knocked out in the group stages.

Fabio Cannavaro: Limps through three games as Italy is knocked out by Slovakia (and that really awesome mohawk) in the group stages.

Wayne Rooney: Goes scoreless as England gets murdered by eternal rival Germany in the first knockout stage.

Franck Ribery: Had the shittiest World Cup of those participants who did make it. Participated in the great French team blow-up that has made them the embarrassment of the tournament. Also the ugliest soccer player to be named a star. (Looks like a child molester, and I'd include the soliciting underage prostitutes charges against him if they had occured after the commercial was released.)

Ronaldinho: Didn't even make it to the World Cup. Snubbed by Dunga.

Cristiano Ronaldo: This king of the World Cup douchebags (the commercial portrays him as such) managed one goal in four games and gets shut down by Spain as Portugal gets knocked out at the first knockout stage. I liked Portugal, but Ronaldo was an ass with an atittude problem.

Cameos:

Landon Donovan and Tim Howard: Team USA crashes out ignominously against Ghana in the first knockout stage. Howard concedes two goals and Donovan gasses out in extra time.

Theo Walcott: Didn't even get called up.

Cesc Fabregas: Cesc who? Though to be fair, Spain's still in it at this point, but unless your name is David Villa or Andres Iniesta, you don't get to take credit. Plus, Fabregas has taken the field for all of...what...15 minutes? I get the feeling Spanish manager del Bosque has been briefed about the curse, likely from watching the next guy...

Update: His premature run gets a potential game-winning goal disallowed and his attempt to rebound a shot results in an injured shoulder.

Gerard Pique: Spain's still in the hunt, but still... hehehehe.... poor bastard. Not only was he the reason Spain lost to Switzerland, giving ominous signs for Spain's historic choking, he ends up with two boots to the face and a swift shot to the crotch. Having fun yet, Pique?

Update: While Spain is doing well, his individual performance continues to suffer as he almost gives the game away to Paraguay via a stupid penalty box foul.

I wonder what this curse will be called? The Nike curse? The "Write the Future" curse?

Hehe, "write the future"...


Saturday, June 26, 2010

Kim Jong Il Sucks at Football

Apparently, he's behind the atrocious tactics North Korea displayed in that squash match with Portugal. So much for a propaganda victory.

Hehe, cellphones not visble to the naked eye. I wonder what the little guy will think of next.

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Escaping an Upset is Not a "Miracle"

It's funny how the American media is celebrating ther soccer team's 1-0 victory over Algeria.

They escaped being upset by the second-lowest ranked team in their group, and they all think it was USA vs. USSR in hockey all over gain.

Managing to avoid an early exit like Italy is not a "miracle". These idiots should get over themselves. If Donovan was any sort of superstar, this should have been a squash match like Portugal vs. North Korea. The fact that they needed 91 minutes to get it done speaks more "incompetent" than "world beater".

A little perspective goes a long way.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

All The Teams I Like Suck

I was going to root for Spain in the World Cup this year. (A change from always rooting for Brazil.) Looks like the greatest chokers in World Cup history decide get an early start on sucking and choking. Losing to Switzerland? For fuck's sake...

I guess it is some sort of portent for when Spain's creditors start shutting down the Spanish economy in a year or two.

Once more, the wisdom of never betting on matches is illuminated to me.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Stop the Noise! Ahhhh!!!

Watching the World Cup on TV is more difficult than it should be. Its because of that incessant wasp drone of those fucking vuvuzela trumpets. If those South Africans had any sense of hospitality or sensitivity for the welfare of the great number of peoples who have come to their doorstep or are watching on TV, they'd ban those tuneless, noisy trumpets.

When I watch soccer, I want to hear the crowd. I want cheers, groans and offensive chants. But with those damn noise-makers, I can barely hear the color guy calling the match.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Kobe Loses!! Break Out the Champagne!!

Oh, and congratulations to the Celtics, too. Great series. Heh, Kobe didn't even seem to put up much of a fight after the first quarter of game 6.

Oh, and to PRS103 section 1A: Booyah!!


Friday, June 6, 2008

NBA Finals

Who do I hate more? Annoying Boston fans (Thank you, NY Giants!), or Kobe Bryant?

Oh, well...

Go, Celtics!