Here’s the third installment of a new column called ‘Top 10 Things In Sports’, a new weekly thing I’ll be doing. Here is his list of the top 10 things in sports that we think are underrated and want more people to pay attention to.
#10 arena soccer
I’m definitely not arguing that Arena Football should become as popular as the No Fun League and college football, but it’s still a good substitute in the spring and a fun sport to watch. There’s tons of scoring and it’s very easy to understand apart from some weird rules.
#9 Minor League Baseball
If you’re a fan of the Red Sox or the Yankees, you’re allowed to skip this one, but not all fans of the twenty MLB teams that always suck. Sometimes it’s nice to get away from the lousy Kansas City Royals and go see some good baseball. Little league baseball games are cheap and usually quite entertaining; maybe you’ll even see a future MLB superstar, or you know, Roger Clemens.
#8 The Winter Olympics
From what I’ve seen, the difference in TV ratings between the Winter and Summer Olympics is staggering. The 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece reached over 3.9 billion people, while the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy reached a paltry 200,000. Even if that first number is a little high and the second a little low, there’s still a big gap between them. During the 2010 Winter Games, at least check out curling in the middle of the day; it’s kind of icy yew without the old smell.
#7 ESPN Feel-Good Stories
I know it may sound corny, but sometimes it’s nice to read something outside of the world of competitive sports. E-Ticket, a weekly feature on ESPN, features stories about different people in the world of sports and most of the stories are very creative and fresh. One of my favorite features is the journey of a North Alaska high school football team.
#6 Outside America: All Sports Other Than Soccer
I only know a few people outside of the United States, but from what I’ve told them about soccer, it really is the phenomenon that everyone thinks it is. If you’re a huge sports fan in the US, take a second to think about how much time you spend playing or watching sports in a week; time will most likely be split between more than one sport. The rest of the world loves sports too, but the difference is that they spend all that time in one sport, soccer. It’s encouraging to see the NFL, MLB and NBA go international and hopefully that will continue.
#5 Fall asleep playing golf
Don’t get me wrong, golf is a great game, but if you’re ever looking for a Sunday nap, just watch some golf on TV. Golf is a great father-son bond, but you also have to admit, it’s also not the most exciting thing to watch. If you’re feeling a little pekid next Sunday take a nap with a bit of golf. It will do the body good.
#4 Fantasy Sports
To outsiders, fantasy sports seems nerdy and pointless, but I truly believe that case can be made for just about anything in life. If you are a huge sports fan and have never been to a fantasy sports league, the least you can do is give it a try. Pick your favorite sport and if you really put some work into your gear, a whole different side of sports will open up for you.
#3 crowd fights
When I think of mob fights, the first thing that comes to mind is the infamous ‘Malice in the Palace’ involving Ron Artest, the Indiana Pacers, and the Detroit Pistons. Personally, I think as long as no one gets killed or seriously hurt, they’re pretty fun. The fact that athletes like Artest, who are paid millions of dollars, can’t keep their cool when fans talk shit about his mom is pretty funny. And the face of the amateur who is about to get pummeled by a fully built athlete, that’s pretty funny too.
#2 X Games
I would hardly consider myself a skater or a punk, but a lot of people associate the X Games with those two terms. Let me tell you, if you fall into that category, you are definitely missing out. Some of the stuff that those guys like Shaun White throw out is just amazing and seems to defy gravity. When I go through my mid-life crisis, I’ll be sure to try out for X Games; or at least ride a dirt bike or something.
#1 Running the court/field
People don’t realize it, but when they’re watching a college basketball game like Kansas State versus #1 Kansas at Kansas State, they just want to see the crowd running down the court at the end of the game. A college team can totally suck, but if they pull off an amazing upset at home and the crowds rush to the basketball court or soccer field, then the season is suddenly a hit. Or at least it should be because of how great it is. That’s why I think court running and field running should be introduced into professional sports. How awesome would that be? I’ll tell you, it would be like being in college for life.