On which sports issues do you hold a minority view?

[Redbear]

I think I disagree with most people on these issues.

NFL - I think that once his sentence is over, Michael Vick should be forgiven and welcomed back into the league.

NBA - I think that Shaq is the most overrated pro player ever.

MLB- I think that the DH should be added to the National League.

NHL- I think that fighting should no longer be acceptable. Five for fighting should be games, not minutes.

Soccer- I like soccer.

Tennis -I think that Women's tennis has become much more fun to watch than Men's.

Golf - I'm not a fan of Tiger Woods. Or Phil Mickelson, but I may be in the majority on Phil.

College Football/Basketball - I think that any school that doesn't graduate at least 70% of their players should have their program suspended until they do.

[cboy4]

1. College football/basketball .. unless it involved the

University of Tennessee's football team.

[madinmaryland]

2. 4-7? That is one team definitely NOT worth watching. How about Vandy instead??

[EastTennesseeDem]

50. Meh. My school still whipped Vandy's ass

despite remaining out of the postseason. That was alright.

[LSdemocrat]

3. Here I go

NFL - I oppose all the personal conduct policies. Private entities should not be acting as quasi-courts. I want to see the best players on the field, period.

NBA - Perhaps since I was taught basketball in a YMCA league with a strict interpretation of what traveling is, I'd prefer traveling to be called much, much tighter.

MLB - I actually think, on balance, Bud Selig has been a good commissioner, mainly due to the introduction of the wild-card and since I generally care very little about the steroid/PED issue.

NHL - I would also ban fighting

College football - The biggest problem in crowning a national champion isn't the lack of a playoff system, but the lack of a well-designed regular season. There are way too many teams in the FBS/Division 1A, there are too few regular season games, and individual schools have way too much freedom in designing their own schedules.

College football/basketball/other rankings based sports - If you lose to a higher ranked team, you should not necessarily subsequently fall in the rankings.

Tennis - Best 3 sets out of 5 should be reserved only for the final round of an event, for men and women.

Sports in general - I disagree completely with the notion that referees should just "let them play" and therefore ignore penalties/fouls during important moments/games.

[Redbear]

5. Excellent.

I agree on the personal conduct policy things. I guess it has to do with the leagues being more concerned with their corporate image than with the games themselves.

[Dr. Strange]

8. Dumbest thing ever!

If you lose to a higher ranked team, you should not necessarily subsequently fall in the rankings.

Ugh, that irks me. There is no justification for a #8 team to go down in rankings after losing a close game to the #2 team! :grr:

[ProfessorGAC]

38. Last Year, Didn't One Team. . .

. . . drop from #2 to about #7 when they lost to the #1 team? How can a team drop 5 slots by losing to the team that was supposed to be better than them?
GAC

[PVnRT]

46. Exactly

I think the formulas used to determine rankings need to take that into account; also, if you are higher ranked, and lose to a good rival team on their turf, you should not be penalized quite as much.

[never cry wolf]

47. I agree, I felt the same until I realized how it worked

The rankings are done by either coaches or writers voting for their top 10, depending on what poll you are looking at. There are probably well over 100 voters for each. Teams are allotted points based on the votes they get and the points are weighted to where each voter has ranked them, I am not sure of the exact formula. So, lets say the #2 team loses to the #1 team. The poll the week before they played maybe 45% of the voters thought team #1 was best and 40% thought team #2 was best and 15% had others better. Well, team #2 loses so the next week their 40% who thought they were best drops to 15%, and they lose point all the way down the line with the individual voters, and those points then get cast for some other team that was below them...

[Captain Hilts]

29. Good call on tennis sets structure. I agree on 'travelling' also. The way it's called is a farce.

Or rather, the way it is NOT called.

Hockey fights are boring and slow down the game. Ban them.

[El Supremo]

4. Boxing should be banned.

And replaced with more WWE and Roller Derby.

[TZ]

6. I think players that act like crooks

should be treated like crooks no matter how talented they are! I'm tired of seeing these fat cat atheletes act like they are above the law..when you or I would be thrown in jail if we did the same thing..:grr:

[WilliamPitt]

7. I like the Patriots.

[Onceuponalife]

9. for what it's worth

NFL - Agreed.

NBA - Not sure. He may have been overrated a few years ago, not so much now.

MLB- Strongly disagree. The DH should be banned everywhere and astroturf burned and destroyed.

NHL- Strongly disagree. Fighting rules.

Soccer- Disagree. Soccer is boring and the players are babies who flop onto the field every time someone lightly brushes them.

Tennis -Agreed. I've always liked women's tennis better.

Golf - Agreed. Golf is elitist, racist, sexist and exclusionary, and Tiger Woods is a sellout. Yeah, I said it.

College Football/Basketball - Disagree.

[LisaM]

41. I agree with you on Tiger Woods.

He should refuse to play the Masters. I don't watch it now.

[jakefrep]

10. My list

In general - Each sport ought to be able to make up its own mind about how to deal with steroids/"performance-enhancing" drugs, with the barest minimum of input/interference from the government or nanny-state bureaucracies like WADA.

MLB - I'd keep the DH. The tied All-Star game was not a disaster. Bud Selig is a competent, if unpopular commissioner.

I think the NFL in general is grossly overrated.

I think the professionalized Olympics have been a good thing. I want to see the best practitioners of a particular sport competing, especially when I only see some of these sports once every four years.

I like the NBA.

[NoGOPZone]

11. I don't think professional athletes are overpaid

and I find hockey fights to be comical, as it's generally two men grabbing each other with one hand and swinging with the other while trying to stand on skates.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Agree on all of the above. I think NFL players are grossly underpaid. nt

[H2O Man]

12. Boxing:

Here's an example .... when Iron Mike Tyson fought James Buster Douglas, I bet on Douglas. I considered Tyson to be one of the top champions in the era, but there were things that distracted him. After Cus D'Amato died, Tyson lost focus. Tyson's wife, mother-in-law, and Don King were parasites, sucking the life out of Tyson's career. They had separated Mike from the decent people around him with ties to Cus. He was fighting in Japan, and did not get there in time to adjust. Nor was he training hard. The clowns that were supposed to be training him, and who worked his corner, were not adequate to train amateur fighters.

Buster had lost a few fights that he should have won, because he lacked self-confidence. He did not know how to relax during a fight, and if you don't relax, you get tired. When he would get tired, he paniced, and couldn't produce.

But Douglas was an intelligent fighter, and he had studied a few of Mike's fights against bigger guys, including Bonecrusher Smith and Mitch "Blood" Green. He saw a couple weaknesses that he could exploit. He trained hard. Then his mother died, and the guy was motivated. It was like he was possessed. He believed there was no way that he would lose the fight.

A lot of my friends and associates assumed that I was joking in the week before the fight. Some of you may recall the "odds" on the fight were way, way in favor of Tyson winning. But I knew that he was going to lose his title that night.

[joeybee12]

13. I agree with most of this except Vick, kind of like Rose...show remorse, really

apologize, instead of continuing to be the thug you were, and then we'll talk about letting you play.

[Redbear]

19. That's probably what will happen.

He will have to make a huge public apology and agree to donate a portion of his contract to the SPCA or something like that.

[Captain Hilts]

14. I like the DH!

[El Supremo]

20. You can come out of ze cooler now, Hilts!

Now why doesn't the NL get smart and use it? Having to watch our pitchers hit damn near ruins my Rockies games.

[Captain Hilts]

21. My Metropolitans have been lucky with hitting pitchers over the years, but Pedro...

swung the bat like a four year old.

But so many Met pitchers - like Braves pitchers actually, hit pretty well.

[AndrewP]

16. Okay...I'll take a shot. :)

I couldn't care less about Michael Phelps swimming medals. Swimming is floating well.

College sports bore me to tears.

I can't stand baseball without the DH. It's my favorite sport with the DH.

NFL....meh

NBA players are too friendly now. It's like it doesn't matter when the Lakers play the Celtics in June. Even as late as the 1980's it felt like there was going to be a brawl at a moments notice.

Boxing is underrated. I miss the old days when it was a major sport.

I love soccer during the World Cup more than just about anything other than American League baseball.

I think the NHL should not regulate fighting. It's part of the culture of the sport to regulate itself.

Tiger Woods winning a golf tournament with a bad knee isn't that big of a deal.

[Captain Hilts]

28. I like Champions League soccer. Teams, rather than all-star compilations playing each other. nt

[flvegan]

17. Mine, not going to be popular, but will be brief.

All pro sports: just can't give a shit about steroids. I think that it's hypocritical to wage a war on "performance enhancement" when that war only includes one set of substances. It's illogical, irresponsible and only done because of public pressure.

MLB: Pitchers shouldn't bat. I like the DH.

NHL: Fighting. I don't care for it, but with that UFC bullshit having such a strong following, it sends a message that brawling is dearly loved. It's prominent in lacrosse as well, so...

NFL: I got nothing.

Golf: Don't care.

NBA: Care less than golf.

Football (most folks call this "soccer"): Much better than American football.

[Gemini Cat]

18. okay.

MLB: I like the DH.
College Football: Go Buckeyes.
NBA: I will never bet on that again.
Soccer: Over rated.
GOLF: Huh?
Money: I don't think sports figures are over paid.

[hughee99]

22. For a "minority opinion", the DH seems pretty popular.

I'm a fan of the DH myself. Yes, I like to watch pitchers who can hit at the plate, but this is not the case for most pitchers. On Sunday afternoons during slow sport times, they have all of those junk sports on TV where pro athletes play sports other than their own and (some) look really bad at it (Charles Barkley golfing, for example). Randy Johnson at the plate looks as clueless as Mike Tyson trying to teach advanced Physics. I don't need to see that.

[PRETZEL]

23. FWIW,

NFL - Michael Vick serves his sentence then he should have the right to make a living on whatever skills he has. If the owners don't want to hire him, then that's ok too.

NBA - Shaq is now way over rated. But the Shaq of 5-6 years ago. Different story.

MLB - Ban the DH all together. If you want an extra hitter, make it like softball and bat 10.

NHL - Fighting is part of the game. Leave it alone.

Soccer- I like it when I can't sleep.

Tennis - Mens tennis. Nothing against the women, they're just as skillful, I just prefer watching the mens more.

Golf - Tiger worked his butt off to get where he is. He deserves it.

Colleges - Graduation should be the #1 priority, not just another minor league for the pros.

[Captain Hilts]

30. The DH, it's not about adding a hitter, it's about removing players that swing lke 4 year olds. nt

[PRETZEL]

36. That shouldn't be the case,

most of these pitchers generally played other positions during the times before they make it to professional ball. Once they get there and the DH is in effect in the minors, they're basically told to put the bat away. It's general laziness to practice their bunting skills and being able to put the bat on the ball.

[BOSSHOG]

24. Ban the DH

- Only natural turf for baseball games
- No domed stadiums
- More day games (they used to call them businessmen's specials)
- More doubleheaders

[KamaAina]

25. You do mean no domed stadiums for *baseball*, right?

Right?!

[BOSSHOG]

26. Roger that My Friend

Baseball is my number one concern and due to the time of year football is played some domes are justified.

But I would not recommend building a dome on a voodoo graveyard.

[nickgutierrez]

27. NFL: get rid of the stupid salary cap...

...or get guaranteed contracts. The revenue sharing thing that they do is a good idea, but the rest of the system is absurd. Also, let DBs play defense.

Soccer: Tweak the offside rule: as it stands, it's offside when the striker is behind the defender, even if it's just by a head. Some replay shots look like a photo finish in a horse race more than they do an actual infraction. Change the rule so that the entire striker has to be behind the entire defender - just like the determination of when the ball goes over the line - before an offside can be called. This should allow for more chances to score. And while they're at it, maybe they should clarify when a player is and isn't "involved" in the play, because nobody really seems to get that.

MLB: I'd like to see the pitchers hit in the American League, and for the DH to be kept in all All-Star Games, as a nod to what would then be the "history" of the game. The league should do a better job of splitting gate revenues, maybe 60% to home teams and 40% to the away teams, or at least 70-30. This would allow for small market teams to get a cut of the big market team's success, while still providing an incentive for the small-market teams to build their fanbase. Now for a truly minority opinion: the Yankees are good for baseball.

[Broken_Hero]

31. hmm,

NFL - Don't really care about NFL anymore, espn is killing NFL for me...but my main gripe is fumbles...I don't give a damn, if the turf caused the fumble, or his knee hit the ground first...keep control of the rock. Also, let DB/Safety's play defense, I hate the fact that a little bumping or little tug here is an immediate flag, let them play...I'd hate to be a DB in the NFL.

NBA - I think that Lebron James is an utter joke, and I don't see what all the whoop is.

MLB- I think that the DH should be added to the National League...I think its akin to making your QB play middle lineback as well...The pitcher is the most important part of your team, and he works the hardest, and yet...he has to go to the plate and bat like a 4yr old child? I know there are studs out there(Zambrano) but damn...in the NL the pitchers spot is called AO aka Automatic Out.

NHL- I think the Dallas Stars franchise should fall apart....:evilgrin:

Soccer- No interest whatsoever in this sport

Tennis -I think that Women's tennis has become much more fun to watch than Men's...I totally agree.

Golf - I hate golf, can't stand it...never watch it.

College Football/Basketball - for College Football, a play off system...for College Basketball I have no gripes actually! :D

[Redbear]

34. Whoa, why the Stars?

a. because they were stolen from Minnesota?
b. because Hull's skate was definitely in the crease?
c. because the words Texas and hockey should never be used in the same sentence?

[Iggo]

32. You're right about tennis.

Women's tennis has more actual tennis. I don't give a fuck how many aces some dude has racked up in a given match. I want to see some goddam tennis. Back to the wood rackets I say.

(EDIT: fixed a verb for clarity.)

[Captain Hilts]

33. The uber-power rackets have destroyed the game, particularly the men's game.

The idea of five sets only for finals is an interesting one. The women's matches are too short and the men's too long, generally speaking.

And, I don't want to spend 5 hours watching two guys try and ace each other. Like boxing with punches thrown once every 90 seconds. Ugh!

[ProfessorGAC]

35. Ya Know, The PBA Has A Good Idea

The PBA has specific tournaments where the older equipment is used. There is a urethane tournament, and plastic ball tournament.

Maybe tennis could at least have a couple of tourneys where older equipment is used. Wooden rackets in one, aluminum, but with a given max head size, for another.

That might be interesting.
GAC

[ProfessorGAC]

37. I'm With You On Hockey, For Sure

I don't think your opinion on tennis is the minority though. Women's tennis has, many times in the past, gotten better ratings than men's tennis.
GAC

[LisaM]

39. Good topic!

MLB - get rid of the DH.

NBA - 1) call travelling; 2) don't call the game differently for the superstars. Rules are rules. Also, do what the NHL does and call flopping. Give 'em a T, give 'em a personal, I don't care, but I'm really tired of players (yes, Genobile, I mean you) throwing themselves on the ground and the other guy getting a foul. Man up. If a stray elbow comes your way, deal with it.

NHL - call the trap. I have no problem with fighting. They were talking about this on ESPN recently. Fighting has gone down! It's generally a psychological thing anyway, and most NHL injuries are less career-threatening than in the NFL.

Tennis - five sets for everyone (all rounds). It would get them into better shape and weed out people that just live and die by their serve or the slam (yes, Williams sisters, I'm talking about you).

NFL - kick players out of the next game for helmet to helmet (QB or not), same with chop blocks.

NCAA football - NO PLAYOFFS.

Frozen Four - put it on prime time.

[LisaM]

40. What about people with academic scholarships who drop out?

Should the school lose those scholarships, too? I don't know if Bill Gates was on scholarship, but he dropped out of Harvard.

[LisaM]

42. I thought of another one.

Michael Jordan is an asshole.

[Awsi Dooger]

43. College basketball is a waste

One time phenomenal sport that succumbed to the 3 point shot more than 20 years ago and now is a farce, with a minimum of three players at all times making sure their toes are behind an arbitrary line.

I have tapes pre-'86-'87 and literally watched friends with mouth ajar after comparing the old game to the current mush. It's incredible to watch 5 players run the court and attack the basket, so much more variety and schemes.

Yet the public has been brainwashed to believe the increased permutations at the end of the game equates to a superior sport.

[KamaAina]

44. College hoops: The possession arrow blows.

Just this weekend I saw a tournament berth possibly decided by the stupid arrow, when Illinois State was driving for the win with the last shot at the end of regulation, and ended up with a held ball.

The #%$$%#!! arrow pointed to Northern Iowa. On to OT we go. Northern Iowa wins.

The purpose of it is supposed to be so that Pitt or UConn doesn't get every single jump ball against Duquesne or Fairfield. It serves no purpose between two evenly matched teams (all three meetings this year went to OT).

[Captain Hilts]

48. Oh man oh man. I HATE the posesseion arrow. And starting the 2nd half without a jump. nt

[Redbear]

49. I thought alternate possession was created to eliminate the absurd situation

caused when a 5'9" guard ties up a 6'10" center.

[PVnRT]

45. I think salary caps are a joke

Parity is a myth in the NFL; fans may not like it, but players being able to move more freely, like they do in hockey and baseball, creates a much more level playing field, so long as you have owners willing to compete for them (i.e., not Kansas City or Pittsburgh).

[BlooInBloo]

51. Baseball: Not a sport.