What sport can't you cop?

[AndrewP6]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

Drama, variation, ball skills, interest, a point to it?

Drama - Scores tied, seconds on the clock, the ball in the defensive half and you need a score to win. Or, you're on the free throw line, down by a point and you have two shots.

variation - you get blokes who are 7 feet tall playing with blokes who are barely 6 feet, everyone has a different role to play.

ball skills - have you actually watched any top-level game?

interest - in the U.S they get more people to some college games than we get to some AFL games.

a point to it - um, not sure of your point here - but I'll humour you: the point is to score more points than the other team by full time (or overtime). Isn't that the point in all ball sports? I'd ask what's the point of playing for 90 minutes only to draw, and therefore have no result? No winner - And no point.

[mighty_west]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

All the more reason why i can't cop Thugby, the State Of Origin the other night, players going toe to toe [which is the most interesting part of the game btw], but to punch in the head and knock a player out cold, and cop ZERO WEEKS, plus a player kicking another player whilst onthe ground in the face, and cop ONE WEEK...laughable.

[LostDoggy]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

Drama - Scores tied, seconds on the clock, the ball in the defensive half and you need a score to win. Or, you're on the free throw line, down by a point and you have two shots.

variation - you get blokes who are 7 feet tall playing with blokes who are barely 6 feet, everyone has a different role to play.

ball skills - have you actually watched any top-level game?

interest - in the U.S they get more people to some college games than we get to some AFL games.

a point to it - um, not sure of your point here - but I'll humour you: the point is to score more points than the other team by full time (or overtime). Isn't that the point in all ball sports? I'd ask what's the point of playing for 90 minutes only to draw, and therefore have no result? No winner - And no point.

Let me play devils advocate. (I actually like basketball -- but this is fun..)

Drama - all the drama in basketball happens in the last 2 minutes. Why not just have 2 minute games?

Variation - look, variation in the NBA is like five white guys, one eight-foot chinese guy, twenty europeans, and four thousand and sixty three 6' 7" black guys.

Interest - sure they do, but there are 250 million people there, and only 20 million of us here. They get more people to a clambake than some AFL games (especially ones featuring Freo). Anyway, if attendance is the yardstick, then WWF Wrestling is one of the greatest sports in the world.

A point to it - winning isn't everything; in life, often stalemates or compromises are more compelling than a win-lose paradigm, and provides more colour and context to a situation than simple binary/black-and-white scenarios, and this also can be the case in sport. For example, some of the greatest games in sporting history have been draws in cricket. What could be more reflective of real life than toiling for 5 days like a madman and feeling strangely empty/flat at the end of it?

--

Look, while I thoroughly enjoy it, I do think that the NBA is quite monotonous in tone, which is why it is built on the back of a sprinkling of individual superstars -- you cannot have an NBA conversation for more than 5 minutes without the names Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic, Kareem, MJ etc. coming up, and I believe that this is because the overall sameness of everything (the other 20,000 players to have played in the NBA) provide the ideal backdrop to highlight that one crazy, standout talent, the artist amongst artisans, the genius amongst professionals. That's why the NBA's popularity rises and falls with the emergence of these hyper-stars, regardless of the overall quality of the rest of the league.

[Sockeye Salmon]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

--

Look, while I thoroughly enjoy it, I do think that the NBA is quite monotonous in tone, which is why it is built on the back of a sprinkling of individual superstars -- you cannot have an NBA conversation for more than 5 minutes without the names Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic, Kareem, MJ etc. coming up, and I believe that this is because the overall sameness of everything (the other 20,000 players to have played in the NBA) provide the ideal backdrop to highlight that one crazy, standout talent, the artist amongst artisans, the genius amongst professionals. That's why the NBA's popularity rises and falls with the emergence of these hyper-stars, regardless of the overall quality of the rest of the league.

That sums it up for me - monotonous.

I don't spend enough time watching it to know who this weeks superstar is, so I even miss that part of it.

To me it's just a bunch of big, black guys all doing the same thing over and over again.

[LostDoggy]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

It would be a much better game if they allowd the shirt-front especially when the guy is shooting.

Up he jumps and BANG!

[Happy Days]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

It would be a much better game if they allowd the shirt-front especially when the guy is shooting.

Up he jumps and BANG!

I got tech fouled for that once...

[AndrewP6]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

I got tech fouled for that once...

On Tuesday night in a game, I whacked a bloke in the face (was going for his arm, but I'm a little bloke, and missed! He then threw the ball at the wall in anger, and HE got the tech!!!

[AndrewP6]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

That sums it up for me - monotonous.

I don't spend enough time watching it to know who this weeks superstar is, so I even miss that part of it.

To me it's just a bunch of big, black guys all doing the same thing over and over again.

We could make that argument for any sport... soccer is hours and hours of nobody scoring.. tennis is hours and hours of "who can serve the most aces"... what on earth is golf all about?

[AndrewP6]

Re: What sport can't you cop?

Let me play devils advocate. (I actually like basketball -- but this is fun..)

Drama - all the drama in basketball happens in the last 2 minutes. Why not just have 2 minute games?

Variation - look, variation in the NBA is like five white guys, one eight-foot chinese guy, twenty europeans, and four thousand and sixty three 6' 7" black guys.

Interest - sure they do, but there are 250 million people there, and only 20 million of us here. They get more people to a clambake than some AFL games (especially ones featuring Freo). Anyway, if attendance is the yardstick, then WWF Wrestling is one of the greatest sports in the world.

A point to it - winning isn't everything; in life, often stalemates or compromises are more compelling than a win-lose paradigm, and provides more colour and context to a situation than simple binary/black-and-white scenarios, and this also can be the case in sport. For example, some of the greatest games in sporting history have been draws in cricket. What could be more reflective of real life than toiling for 5 days like a madman and feeling strangely empty/flat at the end of it?

--

Look, while I thoroughly enjoy it, I do think that the NBA is quite monotonous in tone, which is why it is built on the back of a sprinkling of individual superstars -- you cannot have an NBA conversation for more than 5 minutes without the names Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain, Magic, Kareem, MJ etc. coming up, and I believe that this is because the overall sameness of everything (the other 20,000 players to have played in the NBA) provide the ideal backdrop to highlight that one crazy, standout talent, the artist amongst artisans, the genius amongst professionals. That's why the NBA's popularity rises and falls with the emergence of these hyper-stars, regardless of the overall quality of the rest of the league.

Here I was thinking this thread was dead! It was just hibernating... OK here goes...(nothing like a good sporting debate!

Any sport with a time clock could be said to contain all the drama in the last two minutes. A sport like soccer has 79 minutes of blokes kicking a ball everywhere except into the goals... and in a good game, someone might chance one.

Sure the NBA may feature a lot of players who are similar in physical appearance, but there are definite differences/variances... Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James are both black, but VASTLY different players. Larry Bird and John Stockton are both white, but no way were they the same... and b'ball isn't just about the NBA, anyway (although here in Oz, the sport at the elite level is in a dodgy state!)

Attendance and participation rates surely are a good indicator of people's interest in the sport...in Australia, at the 'grass roots' level, b'ball is extremely popular...oh, and WWE is "sports-entertainment" (their own term!) and yes, very popular the world over...

Winning isn't everything?...No, it's the only thing. This one I just don't get. Having been involved in competitive sports since the age of 11, I really don't get the appeal of throwing oneself into a competition, only for the buzzer/siren/whistle to go, and there's no result. Has always left me flat, and wishing for extra time. In higher level competitions, this is what happens - you play overtime, and a winner is determined. And the thrill of actually having to earn a win in overtime makes the whole effort worthwhile. I just don't find a draw "compelling"- just disappointing. I want to see the better team on the day. The game starts with the scores tied, it should finish with one team the victor, and one the loser. I would hate to take part in any sport for 5 days, and have no result at the end. Would seem a waste of time, to me. Similarly, in life, when I work on a task (paid or otherwise), if at the "conclusion" of the task, there is no result, I'm disappointed. The result doesn't always go my way (as in sport) but there should at least be some result.

Not sure the NBA's popularity has fallen that much... sure, with the latest superstars, it goes through the roof... as it does in any sport. And of course there are a select few who become the fan favourites, and merchandise-movers... as in any sport. Kids go around wearing Adam Cooney's and Ryan Griffen's numbers on their back - I've not yet seen Wayde Skipper's guernsey worn by the masses (The poor bloke doesn't even get to wear it himself!)