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If I Give Up The NFL...

Started by BanzaiCat, January 26, 2015, 12:28:55 PM

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BanzaiCat

...what sport do you suggest?

Not that other leagues other than the NFL aren't rife with vice and graft and woman-beating, but for me, the NFL has less and less class acts like JJ Watt and more bottom-feeding criminal jackassery going for it. I've pretty much moved away from the NFL - six years ago I'd watch games religiously, now I don't even bother to turn it on. I'd prefer to hold on to my good memories of the sport from me growing up than continue to pay credence to something that's lost its way. At least, to me.

That crap all said, I'm getting more and more interested in the NHL and EPL. I will actually find myself sitting down to watch some hockey. Not EPL yet because there's about two thousand teams and I have no idea where to begin. I'm sure there's tons of books and Google resources I could check out...but what NHL / EPL teams do YOU guys like, and why? I'd like to use that for food for thought and just move from there. I just want to get started. 

Not looking for MLB here, either. Never have been a fan. A baseball game is about as exciting as a day at the beach. Pretty much relaxing, which there's nothing wrong with, but I want some action and excitement, not grown dudes adjusting their junk or spitting profusely and playing at the speed of grass growing. :)

Marty Ward

If you want action watch indoor soccer or arena football. They are human pinball games!
If it looks like chicken, tastes like chicken, and feels like chicken but Chuck Norris says its beef, then it's beef.

If women had apostrophes instead of periods they would be even more possessive!

bayonetbrant

There are fewer EPL teams than NHL teams.  There are only 20 EPL teams, but some of them will change from year-to-year.

If you want some EPL options, here are a few
--  Where are the Americans playing?
Tim Howard - Everton
Geoff Cameron - Stoke City
Brad Guzan - Aston Villa
DeAndre Yedlin - Tottenham Hotspur (in a few weeks, once the int'l friendlies are done)

-- Favorite colors and/or cool crests?
you have to look around a little bit to find them

Another option
http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/08/13/the-new-fans-201415-guide-to-picking-a-new-premier-league-club/
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

bayonetbrant

That said, there's plenty to like about the NHL, too.  Really, it comes down to "when are you most likely to have time during the day to watch the games?"

EPL games are on weekend mornings, and into early afternoon.  Most are on Saturday, some on Sunday, one on Monday.  Every once in a while, you'll get a couple of Wednesday games.

NHL games are on mostly at night, and occasional afternoons, all week long.

The one thing you need to distinguish with European soccer is that teams will sometimes be playing in several competitions simultaneously
--  EPL, the regular league - you play everyone home-and-home, and the guy at the top of the standings at the end of the season is the winner, no "playoffs"
-- FA Cup, a bigass tournament for pretty much everyone in England, where you see insane upsets like low-life teams (think A- and AA-baseball) knock off big premier league clubs.  Just this past weekend, the top 2 in the EPL standings both lost in the FA cup
-- League Cup, similar to the FA Cup, but a smaller pool of participants, not very prestigious
-- Champions League, a tournament for the top teams all over Europe, with 4-team groups that play in the fall, and the top 2 in each group advancing to a 16-team knockout round starting in a few weeks.  The final 16 are set, the knockout rounds are home-and-home until the final, which is a one-off in mid-May.  Matches teams from England, Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, etc.
-- Europa Cup, like the Champions League, but clubs that finished lower in the standings, so kind of a second tier.  Think of this as the NIT to the Champions League's NCAA tournament
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

mirth

I've increasingly become an NHL fan. NBA has been unwatchable to me for nearly a decade. NFL is becoming increasingly rules heavy with outcomes decided by the refs. MLB has always bored me to tears. I'm not a fan of college sports. So I am left with pro hockey.

And I'm a becoming a fan of women's curling:



"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

bayonetbrant

older article, but has some amusing comparisons.  Keep in mind not all these teams are still in the EPL
http://www.nbcsports.com/joe-posnanski/how-pick-premier-league-club
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

bayonetbrant

FWIW - I'm a Newcastle United fan, in large part b/c that's where my wife and I went on our honeymoon (we were 15 miles outside of town in Hexham).  Until then, I had no really connection to any of the teams over there, but for a while I'd also pull for Fulham b/c there were 4-5 Americans all playing there together (Keller, McBride, Bocanegra, Dempsey all on the roster at some point), but it was more "cheer for the Americans" than "cheer for Fulham".

Being a Newcastle United fan is a lot like being a Red Sox fan circa 1982.
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

mirth

Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 26, 2015, 12:52:38 PM
Being a Newcastle United fan is a lot like being a Red Sox fan circa 1982.

Ouch.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

BanzaiCat

Thanks for the resources; I'll check 'em out.

Women's curling? I'm almost afraid to Google it. Almost.  :D

endfire79

Check out the NHL.  I won't try to make team suggestions, I think you can watch a bit and see if you like it.  Maybe hang out with some hockey fans during some games and see what you think.  Maybe you're already in a league city or close by.

*cough cough*  go Habs :)

For English Premier League Football, I was raised an Arsenal FC fan and stuck with it.  However the teams in Premier League are a good bunch to watch, and I think you'll be entertained.  Obviously check out the Euro Cup & FIFA World Cup when that comes around.



"I will return before you can say 'antidisestablishmentarianism'."

"A man may fight for many things. His country, his principles, his friends. The glistening tear on the cheek of a golden child. But personally, I'd mud-wrestle my own mother for a ton of cash, an amusing clock and a sack of French porn."

Arctic Blast

Hockey is a lot of fun, but it's a totally different experience live. If you have a local team, go check out a game. It doesn't have to be NHL to be good...junior/minor league hockey can be an absolute blast, and it's a Hell of a lot cheaper.

mirth

Quote from: Arctic Blast on January 26, 2015, 02:53:33 PM
Hockey is a lot of fun, but it's a totally different experience live. If you have a local team, go check out a game. It doesn't have to be NHL to be good...junior/minor league hockey can be an absolute blast, and it's a Hell of a lot cheaper.

+1 we have a local AHL team. Going to the games is great fun.
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

bayonetbrant

Quote from: mirth on January 26, 2015, 03:15:25 PMwe have a local AHL team. Going to the games is great fun.

we do, too.  they just happen to play in the NHL
The key to surviving this site is to not say something which ends up as someone's tag line - Steelgrave

"their citizens (all of them counted as such) glorified their mythology of 'rights'...and lost track of their duties. No nation, so constituted, can endure." Robert Heinlein, Starship Troopers

mirth

Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 26, 2015, 04:19:58 PM
Quote from: mirth on January 26, 2015, 03:15:25 PMwe have a local AHL team. Going to the games is great fun.

we do, too.  they just happen to play in the NHL

<badum-tssh>
"45 minutes of pooping Tribbles being juggled by a drunken Horta would be better than Season 1 of TNG." - SirAndrewD

"you don't look at the mantelpiece when you're poking the fire" - Bawb

"Can't 'un' until you 'pre', son." - Gus

MetalDog

I took up for the Tampa Bay Lightning during their Stanley Cup run in the early 2000's.  And the Rangers when they won the Cup in '93 with Messier.  Hockey is a lot of fun to watch.  It would be good to have someone to answer your questions though.  It's not difficult to understand, but the terms and some of the rules are not always apparent.
And the One Song to Rule Them All is Gimme Shelter - Rolling Stones


"If its a Balrog, I don't think you get an option to not consent......." - bob