Everyone loves sitting down and watching a great sporting event - and sometimes, that experience is even better than actually being there live.
A lot of major sports make for wonderful spectacle, and make you feel genuinely proud that you’re able to sit there and watch it live. Others can be recorded and watched back later on the TV, or with a group of friends to make it all the more entertaining.
If your favorite sport features on this list, then you should be celebrating the fact that you don’t have to go out and buy those nosebleed tickets that are just a little bit too expensive.
Badminton
If you’ve ever played badminton then you’ll be well aware of the physical toll that it can take on somebody’s body as they throw themselves around the court point after point after point.
However, there isn’t really any sort of atmosphere that gets generated live at an event, and if you’re quite high up it can be really difficult to see what’s happening or where the shuttlecock actually is. In certain tournaments, you’ve also got multiple games going on at once, which actually makes it even worse to try and follow.
Snooker
There’s a tactical element behind snooker (or pool) that deserves to be respected and appreciated. The players perform in a precise way, taking the sport from the bars and the pubs all the way into the mainstream.
But there’s no point in hiding away from just how dull it can be to watch in person. From the shots being blocked by the bodies of the players themselves to the silence in the room, it just doesn’t do much for the casual fan, and we’d argue it does even less for experienced connoisseurs of the sport.
Motor Racing
This one can kind of apply to all different forms of motor racing, but in particular, Formula One.
The whole build-up to the day is great if you’ve got some exclusive backstage passes that entitle you to all sorts of cool stuff, but aside from that, it’s all just a bit dull. The cars go past far too fast, and it’s not like you’ve got a view of the entire racetrack. You are situated at one specific point, spending the remainder of the time watching it on the TV just like everybody else.
Golf
Imagine walking from hole to hole in order to see one or two shots worth of action, as opposed to sitting back in your armchair and seeing everything unfold before your very eyes.
That description makes it sound particularly lazy, but such is the nature of golf. When you actually play it can be a whole lot more entertaining, but the idea that the delays and the stagnant nature of it can be entertaining is just lost on us a little bit.
The final holes are great, but it takes a while to get to that point.
Curling
The TV cameras always know how to build up the drama of a curling match. From the intense look in the eyes of the players to watching the various shots unfold alongside the tense commentary, it’s really fun to watch.
In person there’s no real ‘room’ for any sort of input from the crowd, and it also takes a while to really get going. If curling was a sport that was broadcast to the world on a more regular basis then it might not be as bad, but right now, the intrigue just isn’t there.
Baseball
Loyal fans of baseball who have grown up with it for years and understand the game will obviously never agree with this thought process, and that’s completely understandable. However, from the perspective of people who have desperately tried to give it a go, it just doesn’t translate beyond the standard North American crowd.
At the very least, when you’re watching on TV, there are plenty of interesting stats and little nuggets of information from commentary to keep you going. When you’re live in person, the only thing that will help pass the time across the three or four hour ‘spectacular’ is hotdogs.
Cycling
In the same way that Formula One is a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ sort of sport, the same can be said for cycling. If you’re stood towards the finish line for an important race then that’s a little bit different, but if it’s just a random point in the countryside, you’ll get a few seconds of glory and that’s about it.
The TV cameras quite literally follow these cyclists every single step of the way and they do so with flawless precision. Plus, they manage to get in some great shots of the views.
Rowing
Probably the worst part about the rowing is that you always need to stand outside, come hell or high water, in order to give it a watch.
Then, when things get underway, the rowers have moved so quickly that they’re soon nothing more than a spec of dust in the water.
The atmosphere can be fun but due to the angle that most fans watch it from when live in person, it’s just easier to watch on the television so that you can get a first-hand impression of what has actually gone down.
Diving
The gaps between divers and the even bigger gaps between rounds may not bother most people, but diving isn’t exactly the sort of death-defying sport that keeps you hooked for hours on end.
The tension of the jumps as the competition goes on can be great fun, but the build-up to that can often be fairly tedious as the various contenders whittle away.
Outside of the Olympics, though, it must be said that diving hasn’t really received any significant backing on the world stage compared to some other sports.
Athletics
In one corner of the stadium, we see the pole vaulters attempting to qualify for the next round. In another corner the high jumpers are battling through the final, the shot putters are warming up and the 800m heats are about to start.
Athletics events are family-friendly but unless you’re watching the television and you’re being taken through the events one by one, it can be really easy to miss something – or a whole lot of things.
The production is great but things are far too hectic as if you’re watching a pantomime.
