Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Cleveland Sports

I'm waiting for Joe to post about the Browns game this past Sunday. We were blessed with free tickets from Pastor Joe, and it was Joe's first regular season game and my first game ever! Since I have now seen baseball, basketball, and football live, here's my votes for live/at-home (please note the strategic use of color):

Baseball: Always better live. A snooze on TV unless it's the playoffs/World Series, plus, most people can afford a $7 game so you can draw a big, fun crowd on a sunny day.

Basketball: A draw. Live is always fun and pretty simple to follow, but TV viewing is great because you can get a great crowd to enjoy it together that wouldn't all attend a game otherwise. Plus, the food at the games is way expensive. Not so at the average Cleveland restaurant/bar. :)

Football: Better on TV. The occasional live game is exciting, especially because football games draw such large crowds. It's nice to feel a part of something big. But as far as watching and understanding the game, from tiny scoreboards to incoherent refs to nonexistant replays to opposing fans cheering at the wrong moments, everything is unclear and confusing!


I think I'll ask Joe to vote on this as well. Your thoughts? While I'm at it, I have to repost this awesome link Joyce put on FB: Cleveland Clothing Co.! This guy at the Browns game was wearing a shirt with a picture of Ohio - inside the state, it said "Worst State Ever". Grrrrrrr! He was obviously a Packers fan. And Wisconsin is soooo much better than Ohio.

6 comments:

  1. LOL about the Wisconsin comment. People in glass houses....

    Here's how I'd rank my favorite live sports experiences:
    #1) Football games. There's something about the crowd going wild when that touchdown or defensive interception occurs that is exhilarating. I don't think you often get at other live sports games.

    #2) Baseball.Good food, good friends, relaxed. And I still secretly cherish that childhood desire to catch a home run ball.

    #3) Hockey. Nothing like watching people slam against the boards or get into fights hahaha. The only reason this isn't #2 is that I'm scared of getting hit w/ a hockey puck the whole game.

    #4) Basketball. I do enjoy it obviously. And the game is much more exciting live in my opinion. But I agree about the expensive food (at least, Cleveland). I guess I also am just not a huge basketball fan so that biases me.

    I hope it's OK that I gave a long and unsolicited comment hahah.

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  2. Oh it was solicited! I was hoping people would share their preferences. #1 makes me sad though - maybe the reason I'm not too keen on the live football was because there was no crowd going wild... no touchdowns.. no defensive interceptions (by the Browns, that is). Bummer.

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  3. i've never been to a live football experience except for high school games and our team always lost so you weren't really there to watch the game anyways :P

    1. figure skating! lol i had to do that. it's entertaining and the experience is even better when you see it live.
    2. hockey - i love watching hockey probably b/c i understand it the best and it's exciting! also b/c it's the most talked about sport at home lol.
    3. baseball - i agree with you sheila - a snooze on TV but exciting and fun when you're actually there especially with a big group of ppl!
    4. i think football would probalby be my #2 if i ever go to a game, but i'll put it as #3 since i've never been.
    5. basketball - it's probably the sport i'm least interested in and i'm not sure why - maybe going to a cavs game will boost my interest!!

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  4. oops i meant i'll put football as #4.

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  5. Apparently, I need to experience hockey.. I've never seen a game live OR on tv!

    Sheila

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  6. 1. Baseball: I actually don't mind watching it at home on TV, but it's great to watch in person because the action is constant since someone is always pitching. Sure, you can look away and not pay attention to the game, but there's always the possibility of getting hit with a batted ball! That's why I always pay attention, no matter how boring the game is (plus I like live baseball). I especially enjoyed going to PNC Park with the Greers because the view of the skyline from the seats is breathtaking.

    2. Basketball: Especially at the Q, with the great pregame intros! Been to many HS basketball games, a few college, and some pro...they're all great. Watching live basketball is the best way to learn how to improve your own basketball skills.

    3. Football: The problem with football live is that there are WAY too many breaks in the action in pro football that kill the crowd's excitement. High school football is great though--I had the privilege of going to some of the greatest high school football games ever played in Ohio during my 4 years at Ignatius, and they were great. The football viewing experience is better if you sit on the sideline, not at an angle. I even find it a bit hard to follow when I sit at an angle. Don't get me wrong, though--if you offer me Browns season tickets for a seat with an angle, I'll gladly take 'em!

    4. Never been to a pro hockey game, but I would like to go to one someday. I saw a few minor league games long ago and they were fun. I don't understand the strategy behind hockey very well unfortunately, having never played the sport in any organized fashion aside from intramurals.

    I would LOVE to go to a European soccer match someday. I dig it when I tune in and see the entire stadium chanting in unison...and the fans take it really seriously too, which is awesome.

    Don't know if this is a sport or not, but I'd also like to go to a NASCAR race just once to see what it's like. The fact that those guys drive at such high speeds for so long is amazing!

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