Auto Racing Leads List of Sports That Are Far More Exciting Live Than On Television
Auto racing, particularly on street courses like the Long Grand Prix, are much better in person than as seen on TV.. Photo: Jack Fleming Photography.
When you turn on the TV and see certain sports, the casual fan may wonder who could possibly watch this game. It’s slow, or boring, and uninteresting. Better served as background during that Saturday afternoon nap after mowing the lawn.
Some sports just don’t translate well on TV. They are xciting only for die-hards.
But actually go to the event and it’s a completely different ballgame. These are the Top 5 sports that are better viewed in person than on television.
1.) Auto Racing. Round and round they go, often for 500 miles. And several hours. Where’s the thrill? And that’s NASCAR, which at least has 43 brightly colored cars on the track; what about IndyCar and some of these other racing series that have a couple of dozen cars that all look the same, drivers faces hidden in cockpits and behind helmets? They run on courses that have turns right and left and it often looks as if they are going no faster than the viewer does while looking for a parking spot at the grocery store. The problem with auto racing on TV is that it cannot capture the speed of the sport. Watch an IndyCar live, and you can barely see the car they are going so fast. Often, your seat shakes when they roar past at 200 mph and the noise, well, there’s a reason they hand out earplugs at auto races.
If you’ve never been to a race and have only seen it on TV, go to one before you truly judge the sport.
2.) Soccer. Back and forth, backward passing, few shots on goal. And fewer goals. Plus, if it’s a big match – say the World Cup – there are no breaks and you’re afraid to go to the bathroom for fear of missing one of the few goals of the game! Other than that, it’s a snoozefest on TV. But in a soccer stadium, you’ll experience the passion of the fans, who stand the entire time, they cheer and act as if they are at a music festival or some other big party. It’s totally different and go to a few games and you might actually – gasp – become a soccer fan.
3.) Horse Racing. It’s an hour or two of buildup for two minutes of excitement. And not ever that looks good on TV because NBC does such a poor job of televising the Triple Crown you don’t know which horse is which, so it’s impossible to follow. If you’re at the track, you’re closer to the action and get to intermingle with other fans and are soaking up the atmosphere the entire day. Plus, you’re likely betting on the horses so you have a personal rooting interest. Of course, if you’re in the infield of the Kentucky Derby, well, that’s a different experience altogether that the people watching on TV can’t even comprehend.
4.) Baseball. This is the ultimate lay-on-the-couch sport. Dozing off during innings is not the American pastime, it’s the American pass-out time. You simply can’t watch nine innings of regular season baseball, even if you’re a die-hard fan. But going to the ‘ol ballpark, with peanuts and popcorn cracker jacks – and beer – is refreshing, not tiring. The pace of the game is slow, so there’s plenty of time to chat with your seatmates and even neighbors. There’s no rush – just ask Dodger fans who arrive in the third inning and leave after the seventh –and few actual tense moment so you’re not biting your nails or sitting on the edge of your seat like at, say, a football or the last moments of a basketball game. And even if it’s not win, win for the home team no matter. There’s 162 game in the season.
5.) Hockey. On TV, it suffers the same issues as both soccer and auto racing. Like soccer, there’s not enough offensive action. Like auto racing, television can’t capture the speed of the sport. At the arena, you can pretty much forgive the lack of goals because the players don’t so much as skate across the ice, but glide. Few people can skate, or a lot fewer who can run, drive cars or shoot a basketball like in other sports, so it’s interesting to see the guys do this skill so effortlessly. What’s odd about hockey in person is that unlike other sports – and the complete opposite of the soccer experience – is that it’s quiet. Instead of cheers and yelling fans, you can actually hear the sound of the players going across the ice. Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh. Then when the home team scores, the area comes alive. When this happens, ou can’t help but get a chill.
5 Sports That Are Better To Watch In Person Than On TV
Auto Racing Leads List of Sports That Are Far More Exciting Live Than On Television
Auto racing, particularly on street courses like the Long Grand Prix, are much better in person than as seen on TV.. Photo: Jack Fleming Photography.
When you turn on the TV and see certain sports, the casual fan may wonder who could possibly watch this game. It’s slow, or boring, and uninteresting. Better served as background during that Saturday afternoon nap after mowing the lawn.
Some sports just don’t translate well on TV. They are xciting only for die-hards.
But actually go to the event and it’s a completely different ballgame. These are the Top 5 sports that are better viewed in person than on television.
1.) Auto Racing. Round and round they go, often for 500 miles. And several hours. Where’s the thrill? And that’s NASCAR, which at least has 43 brightly colored cars on the track; what about IndyCar and some of these other racing series that have a couple of dozen cars that all look the same, drivers faces hidden in cockpits and behind helmets? They run on courses that have turns right and left and it often looks as if they are going no faster than the viewer does while looking for a parking spot at the grocery store. The problem with auto racing on TV is that it cannot capture the speed of the sport. Watch an IndyCar live, and you can barely see the car they are going so fast. Often, your seat shakes when they roar past at 200 mph and the noise, well, there’s a reason they hand out earplugs at auto races.
If you’ve never been to a race and have only seen it on TV, go to one before you truly judge the sport.
2.) Soccer. Back and forth, backward passing, few shots on goal. And fewer goals. Plus, if it’s a big match – say the World Cup – there are no breaks and you’re afraid to go to the bathroom for fear of missing one of the few goals of the game! Other than that, it’s a snoozefest on TV. But in a soccer stadium, you’ll experience the passion of the fans, who stand the entire time, they cheer and act as if they are at a music festival or some other big party. It’s totally different and go to a few games and you might actually – gasp – become a soccer fan.
3.) Horse Racing. It’s an hour or two of buildup for two minutes of excitement. And not ever that looks good on TV because NBC does such a poor job of televising the Triple Crown you don’t know which horse is which, so it’s impossible to follow. If you’re at the track, you’re closer to the action and get to intermingle with other fans and are soaking up the atmosphere the entire day. Plus, you’re likely betting on the horses so you have a personal rooting interest. Of course, if you’re in the infield of the Kentucky Derby, well, that’s a different experience altogether that the people watching on TV can’t even comprehend.
4.) Baseball. This is the ultimate lay-on-the-couch sport. Dozing off during innings is not the American pastime, it’s the American pass-out time. You simply can’t watch nine innings of regular season baseball, even if you’re a die-hard fan. But going to the ‘ol ballpark, with peanuts and popcorn cracker jacks – and beer – is refreshing, not tiring. The pace of the game is slow, so there’s plenty of time to chat with your seatmates and even neighbors. There’s no rush – just ask Dodger fans who arrive in the third inning and leave after the seventh –and few actual tense moment so you’re not biting your nails or sitting on the edge of your seat like at, say, a football or the last moments of a basketball game. And even if it’s not win, win for the home team no matter. There’s 162 game in the season.
5.) Hockey. On TV, it suffers the same issues as both soccer and auto racing. Like soccer, there’s not enough offensive action. Like auto racing, television can’t capture the speed of the sport. At the arena, you can pretty much forgive the lack of goals because the players don’t so much as skate across the ice, but glide. Few people can skate, or a lot fewer who can run, drive cars or shoot a basketball like in other sports, so it’s interesting to see the guys do this skill so effortlessly. What’s odd about hockey in person is that unlike other sports – and the complete opposite of the soccer experience – is that it’s quiet. Instead of cheers and yelling fans, you can actually hear the sound of the players going across the ice. Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh. Then when the home team scores, the area comes alive. When this happens, ou can’t help but get a chill.