Overrated sports icons?
in Other Sports ·
dustyridge3 said:Exactly. You look at the numbers and it’s right there. Cricket, baseball, rugby, and American football... they all consistently land in the top ten most popular sports on the planet. It's just how it is. ☕
Cricket, baseball, rugby... sure, I can get behind those. But American football? No thanks. Not for me.
Football is king here in the States, obviously, but outside our borders? Not exactly a global phenomenon.
You only have to look back at that disastrous attempt with NFL Europe to see how it all went south around 2007. It just wasn't catching on overseas, and honestly, the overhead costs for running a league like that were astronomical. They poured an absolute fortune into the whole project, but they basically only managed to hook the German fans—and even then, they're still stuck with a version of American football that barely makes a dent in the mainstream.
dustyridge3 said:Man, honestly... if you look at the US, it’s pretty much always the same three things dominating the conversation: football, baseball, and then that whole massive college football scene. That's basically the holy trinity right there.🙏
Not really...
So, ESPN's latest general survey just dropped. They had people rank their favorite sports, and here’s how the results shook out:
NFL football. Just... yeah. It’s a lot. Sometimes I sit there watching the games and I wonder how we all collectively decided this was the pinnacle of entertainment. A bunch of massive guys running into each other in the dirt while we all pretend to understand complex playbooks that probably change every single week anyway. It's exhausting, honestly. Not that I'm complaining—I've spent way too many Sundays staring at the screen, nursing a lukewarm coffee, wondering why my team can't just execute a simple slant route without tripping over their own feet. It's a cycle. We suffer, we complain, we tune in next week. Rinse and repeat.
MLB baseball. Just... baseball. It’s a long season, isn't it? Sometimes I sit there watching the games and I can't help but wonder why we put ourselves through this. The endless innings, the constant movement, the feeling that nothing ever actually changes despite all the stats and the hype. It’s a grind. A slow, rhythmic, slightly exhausting grind. Not that I'm complaining. I just think about how much time passes between one pitch and the next. It's a lot of time to spend thinking about things you probably shouldn't be thinking about. Anyway. Baseball.
NBA basketball... just thinking about it. It’s a lot. Sometimes you sit there watching the games and you wonder if anyone actually knows what they're doing, or if it's all just choreographed chaos designed to sell more sneakers. I don't know. Hard to say. Just one of those things that occupies too much space in my head sometimes. Anyway, back to whatever I was actually supposed to be doing.
College football. Honestly, I don't know why we still do this to ourselves. It’s just chaos wrapped in school colors. All that hype, all those screaming fans, and for what? A trophy that sits in a glass case in some dusty campus building while everyone forgets about it by next season. It feels like a cycle that never ends, just a constant loop of manufactured excitement and heartbreak. Makes you wonder if anyone actually enjoys the stress of it, or if we're all just conditioned to live for the Saturdays. Just another way to pass the time, I guess. Not that I'm complaining, really. Just observing.
College basketball. Just... college hoops.
NASCAR... just thinking about it. It’s one of those things that feels like it should be simpler than it actually is, but then you get into the weeds of the logistics and the sheer noise of it all. It’s exhausting, honestly. Just watching these drivers go in circles for hours on end—sometimes you wonder if there's a point to the repetition, or if we're all just collectively agreeing to watch people drive fast in a loop because it beats staring at a wall. Not that I'm judging. I've spent plenty of afternoons doing much less productive things. It’s just a strange kind of spectacle. A lot of heavy machinery, a lot of screaming engines, and a whole lot of waiting for something to actually happen. Makes you feel a bit old just contemplating the stamina required.
NHL hockey. Just thinking about it. It’s a different kind of grind, isn't it? Not like the flashy stuff you see on ESPN all the time. Just a lot of heavy hitting and cold rinks. Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually watches the full sixty minutes anymore, or if we're all just scrolling through highlights while pretending to care. Probably both. Honestly, probably mostly the second one.
MLS soccer... honestly, I don't know. It’s hard to wrap my head around it sometimes. One minute you think you're watching high-level tactical stuff, and the next, it feels like a bunch of guys just running around aimlessly under the hot sun. Not that I'm complaining—I've seen worse. Just one of those things where you sit there, nursing a lukewarm beer, wondering if anyone actually knows what the game plan is. It's fine, though. It's whatever. Just another thing to watch when nothing else is on.
WWE wrestlers... just calling them "wrestlers" feels like an overstatement sometimes. It’s more like professional stuntmen with better hair and much worse dental insurance. You watch these guys go out there, all muscle and ego, playing these exaggerated characters that feel about as real as a Hollywood blockbuster. Honestly, most of them are just glorified actors in trunks, leaning heavily on scripted drama to make up for the fact that half the moves look like they were choreographed by someone who’s never actually been hit in the face. It’s a weird, loud, exhausting spectacle, but I guess that's the point. Just another part of the circus.
AFL arena football... honestly, I don't know. It’s one of those things that just feels like it's trying too hard to be something else. You look at the setup and it’s all fast-paced and cramped, which I guess is the point, but sometimes it just feels frantic without much substance. It lacks that heavy, methodical weight you get from a standard game. Just my two cents, anyway. Probably just me being cynical.
WNBA women's basketball.
12th actual "Indy" race.
