Second Sport

This is a hypothetical question. If you're on here I imagine that football is your favourite sport. But what's your second? And how close does it run to football -close to overtaking it or a long distance away.

I like horse racing to the extent of going to about half a dozen meetings a year- good day out with the missus - and I usually end up about £20 down.
So- what's yours?

NFL, Cricket and Rugby League.

If I had to pick one in a "Desert Island Discs" kind of choice, it'd be NFL.

I love it and have done for 30 years.

My first sport is Basketball then way way off in the distance football and NFL together.

Cricket. My Dad played in the Bolton League for many years - virtually all my childhood Summer weekends were taken up watching him play cricket and then get drunk afterwards. Great days.

For many years I went to watch Lancashire in the old 40 over league, I remember having a chat with Wasim Akram one day on the boundary.

I doubt it could ever take the place of football, but if Dougie is still in charge in 12 months who knows.

Used to be cricket 'til they started playing every half hour. Now there's just too many meaningless slogfests. Has to be Rugby league and NFL for me. Throw in some horse racing and I'm happy.

I quite like cycling.

It's hard describe why in a few words but it is kind of like an evolving theater over a course of time with so many plots and twists.

There is of course only one winner in a race but that 'individual' can only win because of the help of his fellow team mates - I guess its like saying a goal scorer could not have scored without the help of his team mates winning the ball, passing it forward, and crossing it to him.

Added to this you have the spectre of drugs hanging large over everything that happens - so people are always thinking, 'did he really ride 'that' well, without some sort of 'help'?

There's also a mixture of races. Some courses are flat and suit sprinters - big, powerful blokes, other courses are hilly and suit small. light, courageous riders, a third type of course is where you ride individually against the clock - time trials - and for this you need riders with strong minds and concentration, who can tap out a high tempo rhythm on the pedals - in a world of their own.

Wrap all these up and you get the making of the very big races such as the Tour de France, where strategy and tactics take a big part in how to win the race.

If all this isn't enough, you have to remember that all the teams are sponsored, and you have to keep them happy! So often you see riders take off miles before the finish with no chance of winning, simply so that TV audiences can see their shirt sponsors name - and every once in a while someone IS given too much of a start and isn't caught before the finnish.

And the last thing to chuck in I guess is that at the moment we (Britain), with the likes of Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish, Bradley Wiggins, etc - are very, very good at it!

If you can get into cycling you will find the Tour de France as the best annual sporting event in the world bar non (The World Cup, Olympics, Ryder Cup, etc are not held annually).

I'm amazed at how many people can't be arsed finding out about it.

Their loss - believe me!

Who did he play for, Nat?

Breadman wrote:Who did he play for, Nat?

Kearsley mainly.

Nice ground, Kearsley.

Played there a few times for Heaton as a kid.

Breadman wrote:Nice ground, Kearsley.

Played there a few times for Heaton as a kid.

It is a decent ground. I miss the days of long hot Summers, picnicking on the boundary rope, playing tennis with my brother, eating warm strawberries and watching my Dad fall down the steps at the end of the evening.

Golf until I came back to Blighty. Cold and rain just doesnt go well with a decent game.

I'm a sports junkie. Boxing, Cricket, Tennis, Rugby, UFC, Golf, Darts ( More of a skill than a sport ) and pretty much everything apart from Snooker which I find a bit boring.

Rammy, if you like a flutter you want to have a go on the Horse Racing betting thread. It's only a bit of fun and won't cost you a penny.

I like Boxing, F1 and horse and kart racing .

In terms of excitement, it's tennis. Not a fan of the sort of people associated with it though. I have three older cousins that were all child prodigies and could never stand going watching them at the tennis clubs where people are so up their own arses.

I try to keep up with cricket, even though I've not really got the attention spam for it. The fans generally have a bit more between the ears than in football. You can go on a cricket message board and have a reasonable debate without people being like big girls blouses. That's trickier in football.

doffcocker wrote:In terms of excitement, it's tennis. Not a fan of the sort of people associated with it though.

You mean people like me. Intelligent and posh.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:In terms of excitement, it's tennis. Not a fan of the sort of people associated with it though.

You mean people like me. Intelligent and posh.

You're about as posh as Jim Royle.

Oz Aerobics, Boxing & Golf, in that order.

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:In terms of excitement, it's tennis. Not a fan of the sort of people associated with it though.

You mean people like me. Intelligent and posh.

I may be wrong, but I'm guessing he meant more "stiff, nerdy, up their own arses, socially uncomfortable and generally boring as fuck."


Keen on tennis, are we, Nat......?

doffcocker wrote:

Natasha Whittam wrote:

doffcocker wrote:In terms of excitement, it's tennis. Not a fan of the sort of people associated with it though.

You mean people like me. Intelligent and posh.

You're about as posh as Jim Royle.

I won a Junior Tennis tournament once Doff, and i played for Warwickshire county in Badminton. 

you could say I was a pretty big deal.

Hipster_Nebula wrote:

I won a Junior Tennis tournament once Doff, and i played for Warwickshire county in Badminton. 

you could say I was a pretty big deal.

I'm impressed. Do you have a photo of you holding the trophy?