What about sports?

[Andean Pat]

For those sports fan living in the US and those moving in the next months, how do you manage watching American sports or watching sports back home?

 

My country is well known for its football (soccer) league but I do not follow it. However, the forthcoming World Cup got me thinking that I will need some access to qualifying matches, right? I also like watching tennis and rugby but I don't know if ESPN may show these. Maybe the tennis US Open.

 

Are you fans of any American sport? Do you go to sports events? Do you watch any league back home? 

 

I think I may go to watch some baseball or basketball or even ice-hockey (I play field hockey).

 

What about you?

Edited June 12, 2013 by Andean Pat

[aberrant]

chances of ESPN playing rugby in the U.S. are slim. I would suggest you to stream sports events online. many websites are free -- you just need to have a flash player installed to watch it. However, if you are looking at major tennis tournament, then you can expect ESPN would play it. There are also other channels that play sports -- FOX Sports, FOX Soccer, Speed (Car racing), SPIKE (MMA), beIN Sport USA, etc.

 

currently in my 6th year since I moved to the U.S., i'm not a huge fan of "American sports" per se. I do occasionally watch NFL, NCAAF, and a few NHL / MLB games on TV. I am, however, a basketball fan (both NBA and NCAAB), soccer (La Liga, Premiership, many others), MMA (Pride/Dream, UFC, etc.), car racing (F1, Nascar, Le Man, WRC), and many other sports.

 

One good thing about staying in the U.S. is its time zone. Last year NBA season was shortened. I can wake up on Saturday and Sunday morning catch the first game of Premiership at 7:45 am EST, then the next couple games until 12-1 pm EST, when I switch to La Liga (or Serie A if there's a good match up) and watch all the games until 5:30-6:30 pm EST. THEN, I switch to watch NBA until  10:30 - 11:30 pm (sometimes 12:30 pm EST if there's a game starts at 10:30 pm EST).

 

With the occasional featuring NASCAR, MLB, NFL, NCAAF, and NHL on TV.

 

Since I'm here for grad school I attended all the home basketball game for the season -- but I'll stop attending given that the team is terrible. Also went to a football game (NCAAF) and tailgate with friends once.

Edited June 12, 2013 by aberrant

[St Andrews Lynx]

The only reason I'd end up watching/following American sports is for socialisation purposes: ie, if everybody at school is talking about the baseball league I would want to be able to make knowledge contributions to try and fit in better. I'll see about going to at least 1 baseball and American football game or tailgating party, just to say that I did.

[Andean Pat]

The only reason I'd end up watching/following American sports is for socialisation purposes: ie, if everybody at school is talking about the baseball league I would want to be able to make knowledge contributions to try and fit in better. I'll see about going to at least 1 baseball and American football game or tailgating party, just to say that I did.

 

Absolutely!

 

I wouldn't watch American football, I'd watch rugby, and baseball does not appeal to me, but my city's team is apparently good. So I supposed I'll watch something for the sake of conversation. 

 

However, it seems there is an English guy in my program to whom I can lure into going to an Irish pub to watch Premier League or  Rugby. 

 

yeah!!!

[msi6403]

I am a huge soccer fan, so I download Match of the Day (BBC) every week during  EPL season and watch them at home through my TV. I also find American football quite attractive. Touchdown gives me a very similar feeling as a goal in soccer. It's good thing that the number of Americans playing soccer or watching soccer are growing every year. 

[Arcanen]

I am a huge soccer fan, so I download Match of the Day (BBC) every week during  EPL season and watch them at home through my TV. 

 

Consider going to your university's "International House" (or similar) during the world cup next year. I was at the International House at UC Berkeley during the world cup in 2010 at the atmosphere was pretty great. Had hundreds of people in the auditorium each match (including many people from countries that were playing in said matches), got very loud.

[AdilB990]

Absolutely!

 

I wouldn't watch American football, I'd watch rugby, and baseball does not appeal to me, but my city's team is apparently good. So I supposed I'll watch something for the sake of conversation. 

 

However, it seems there is an English guy in my program to whom I can lure into going to an Irish pub to watch Premier League or  Rugby. 

 

yeah!!!

 

 

For those sports fan living in the US and those moving in the next months, how do you manage watching American sports or watching sports back home?

 

My country is well known for its football (soccer) league but I do not follow it. However, the forthcoming World Cup got me thinking that I will need some access to qualifying matches, right? I also like watching tennis and rugby but I don't know if ESPN may show these. Maybe the tennis US Open.

 

Are you fans of any American sport? Do you go to sports events? Do you watch any league back home? 

 

I think I may go to watch some baseball or basketball or even ice-hockey (I play field hockey).

 

What about you?

 

Would I be correct in assuming that the 'well-known' league you're referring to is actually the English Premier League? Big fan of football (soccer) and tennis. Follow the EPL quite religiously, not to mention the Champions League, the Euro's and the World Cup. Occasionally watch F1 as well.

 

As u may know already, EPL has a massive Asian following. My guess is there will be plenty of people interested in watching the games together, whichever university it may be. Albeit, I'm not talking from personal experience here, as I'm an international MS applicant hoping to get in for the Spring 2014 session.

 

As for American sports, not a fan as such. But I feel I might develop a liking for NFL and NBA.

[jeffster]

I think any major city will have sports bars that specialize in foreign sports.  I lived in Prague for a few years and had no problem finding several bars that show all the American sports on satellite TV.  Likewise, in the US find a good Mexican bar and it will certainly have international soccer/football on.  Just do some hunting around, and I bet you can find almost anything you want.

 

If you're in a big enough town, that is!

[Andean Pat]

Would I be correct in assuming that the 'well-known' league you're referring to is actually the English Premier League? Big fan of football (soccer) and tennis. Follow the EPL quite religiously, not to mention the Champions League, the Euro's and the World Cup. Occasionally watch F1 as well.

Errr... no but the League here has strong English influence. Yes, I like more British-like sports rather than American. I used to watch lots of football (soccer) here until one day I got fed of violence among hooligans. 

 

 

I think any major city will have sports bars that specialize in foreign sports.  I lived in Prague for a few years and had no problem finding several bars that show all the American sports on satellite TV.  Likewise, in the US find a good Mexican bar and it will certainly have international soccer/football on.  Just do some hunting around, and I bet you can find almost anything you want.

 

If you're in a big enough town, that is!

 

Absolutely! 

 

I think, however, that as an international student I should make an attempt to mingle in the American culture. After all, I am going there. 

 

I suppose I would enjoy ice hockey But as both of you imply, there is no way I can't continue watching sports up there! Are there sports that are more "typical" of some states? Besides ice hockey, clearly....

[child of 2]

hey we have the MLS, is that so bad?

 

It's got Thierry Henry! He played for Barcelona, for like 2 seconds.

[comp12]

Basically, the team sports that Americans follow fall into what is called the "Big Four" - they are baseball (MLB), football (NFL), basketball (NBA), and a very distant hockey (NHL).

 

Of course, America is huge, and the culture in what sport is THE sport changes dramatically depending on the region and the city you are. For example, New York, Boston, and San Francisco are huge baseball cities. Los Angeles is probably the big basketball down. Much of Ohio, Philadelphia, and the cold Northern states love their football. Detroit is a notorious hockey town.

 

But one particularly thing, that often foreigners are unaware of and surprised to find, is something distinctively American: the NCAA! Every country/continent has their professional sport-following passions, but only America has such a high profile college sport world too. The top college divisions get pretty much equally high amounts of media coverage and public profile as professional teams. It's enormous business (even though players don't get paid anything more than scholarship money). The most-followed college sports are definitely football and basketball. The weight of which will depend ENORMOUSLY on what region you are in. The southeastern states enjoy NCAA basketball. The Midwestern states are big on NCAA football. The Northeast, on the other hand, do not have lots of big, public flagship types of universities (they have more private, Ivy, and liberal arts colleges), and as a result do not have as big a passion on college teams, instead choosing to focus on the pro leagues instead.

[AdilB990]

hey we have the MLS, is that so bad?

 

It's got Thierry Henry! He played for Barcelona, for like 2 seconds.

 

LOL... That is a very good reason to watch MLS. What a player!

 

However you seem to be overlooking his outstanding achievements at Arsenal. He's a legend for all Gunners fans (including me  )!

[AdilB990]

Errr... no but the League here has strong English influence. Yes, I like more British-like sports rather than American. I used to watch lots of football (soccer) here until one day I got fed of violence among hooligans. 

 

 

Oooh so the suspense continues. Hmmm, let me take another shot at it.... Well i'm not British, so from my limited knowledge of British leagues, is it the Scottish League?

[jeffster]

Okay, so the closer you are the Canada the more hockey will be popular, as a rule of thumb.  A lot of the original teams (Boston, Detroit, Chicago, etc) are huge draws in their area.  Note however that Americans pay exactly zero attention to the Hockey Worlds that most of Europe loves.  I doubt most Americans even know it goes on, especially since it (for some stupid reason) over laps with the Stanley Cup playoffs.

 

After that it's NFL, MLB and NBA.  Those are pretty much going to be popular everywhere.

 

And lastely, don't underestimate college sports.  For some reason we love that stuff here.  Baseball and hockey not so much, but college football and basketball are huge.  Probably bigger than their pro counterparts.  Come March Madness all you will hear about is college basketball, and everyone you know will be filling out brackets and joining betting pools.

 

You didn't mention what town you were going to be in, but as someone else pointed out, the sport(s) that dominate vary by region too.  Hope you find something domestic you enjoy!

[CommPhD20]

MLB, NHL, and NBA can be purchased online for streaming through their leagues.  NFL is not so simple as far as I know.  I'm not sure if the same applies for European soccer, etc. I know that NBC Sports is carrying all Barclays League games this year, but coverage of soccer, tennis, rugby is very hit and miss in the USA.

[child of 2]

I was a soft Arsenal fan... Until EVERYONE FUCKING LEFT, EVEN RVP. FUUUUCCCKK

[Andean Pat]

Ohhhhh you guys thnx!!!!

 

That's the most basic reason why I have several male friends. I've been looking into it and it seems my city has some good teams, will see! However, I tend to ask a lot of questions so sometimes they just avoid watching games with me 

 

Oooh so the suspense continues. Hmmm, let me take another shot at it.... Well i'm not British, so from my limited knowledge of British leagues, is it the Scottish League?

 

hahahahah Not in Europe!

 

I will be practising field hockey, thus sports + team spirit are things I want in my life in the US. Especially with the upcoming World Cup.  

[aberrant]

hey we have the MLS, is that so bad?

 

It's got Thierry Henry! He played for Barcelona, for like 2 seconds.

 

No offense but MLS isn't that good. I gave them many chances to prove me wrong but the game is simply not intense and unimpressive. I remember when I first watch a MLS game on TV back in 2007, I fall asleep half way though the first half. Went to only 1 MLS game that was LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire, with both Beckham, Donovan, Abel Xaiver, Brian McBride and Cuauhtémoc Blanco. That wasn't even a great game neither because Beckham wasn't playing, Xaiver was out of shape, and Blanco didn't attempt to hop the ball in that 90 minutes of the game (Cuauhtemiña). A better game was LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid, but again, those hardcore Galaxy fans killed the game.

 

Henry was legendary, whether when he was playing for the Gunners or Barca. And that so-called "2 seconds" was really 2, 3 years that included the UEFA Champions League champion.

 

 

Okay, so the closer you are the Canada the more hockey will be popular...

 

After that it's NFL, MLB and NBA.  Those are pretty much going to be popular everywhere.

 

And lastely... college sports...  Baseball and hockey not so much, but college football and basketball are huge.  Probably bigger than their pro counterparts.  Come March Madness all you will hear about is college basketball, and everyone you know will be filling out brackets and joining betting pools.

 

You didn't mention what town you were going to be in, but as someone else pointed out, the sport(s) that dominate vary by region too.  Hope you find something domestic you enjoy!

That is definitely region-dependent. College baseball is generally bigger in the south because of the weather. And college football is simply the most popular of all college sports imho, based on the fact that I saw tons of people tailgate for college football game but not college basketball game here.

 

MLB, NHL, and NBA can be purchased online for streaming through their leagues.  NFL is not so simple as far as I know.  I'm not sure if the same applies for European soccer, etc. I know that NBC Sports is carrying all Barclays League games this year, but coverage of soccer, tennis, rugby is very hit and miss in the USA.

All these competitions can be stream online and pay no dimes. I don't think there is a legitimate reason to get a year-pass / subscription other than one can only enjoy watching games in HD.

[PoliSwede]

I've tried to get into both baseball and American Football. But dear lord, it's just so incredibly boring. I'm glad the NHL exists or I'd be stuck only watching football/hockey from Europe on awkward times in the middle of the day.

[AdilB990]

Ohhhhh you guys thnx!!!!

 

That's the most basic reason why I have several male friends. I've been looking into it and it seems my city has some good teams, will see! However, I tend to ask a lot of questions so sometimes they just avoid watching games with me 

 

 

hahahahah Not in Europe!

 

 

  Not even in Europe?? Strong English influences and yet the league isn't in Europe! Well I'm stumped! Altho I won't give up that easily. Let me get into detective mode and use the powers of deduction (a la Sherlock Holmes ).

 

Going by your profile name, 'Andean' Pat: that seems to point to the Andes region. One of the South American leagues then? 

[CommPhD20]

 

All these competitions can be stream online and pay no dimes. I don't think there is a legitimate reason to get a year-pass / subscription other than one can only enjoy watching games in HD.

 

Yes, I pay to watch in HD and to be able to use my streaming devices to watch on my TV and/or tablet instead of my computer. 

[zs3889]

Yes, I pay to watch in HD and to be able to use my streaming devices to watch on my TV and/or tablet instead of my computer. 

 

Which channel do you subscribe to?

 

I used to live in the northeast and get up early as 8 or 9 in weekend morning to watch EPL games (huge fan of EPL, been following for 10 years +). Now I am moving to the mountain west region and because of the time zone difference, I am gonna have to wake up 2 hours earlier than I used to, which would be 6 or 7 in weekend morning to watch EPL games.....

Edited August 4, 2013 by zs3889

[Andean Pat]

For the time being managed to watch some rugby games online. 

[Andean Pat]

Well--- I thought this thread needed some update. 

 

For the football fans out there (real football, the one you play with your feet) Who has watched the draw yesterday? (it was my "break" from work...). Wanna make some predictions?  

[aberrant]

Did not watch the draw, but know the results (no time for watching the draw).

 

Brazil, Mexico; Spain, Netherlands; Colombia, Japan; Italy, England; France, Switzerland; Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Germany, Portugal; Belgium, Russia