Everyone knows how much I love sports, but, that doesn't mean I love all of them, and there are still a few that I really never felt a connection to. Whether it’s because of the structure, or the pacing, I’ve just had a bit of trouble getting into these sports as much as I’d like. In this article, I’ll break down three sports I wish I could get more into and what’s holding me back, along with why I think now might be the time to give them another shot.
College Football:
What's Holding Me Back: Everyone knows I’m a huge fan of pro football, so you may be surprised that I’ve had trouble getting into it at the college level. There are a number of reasons why it's been difficult for me, but I’ll name just a few. To start, is the overwhelming number of teams and conferences. Because of that, I’ve never fully understood the magnitude of a conference game versus a non-conference game, or the significance of winning or losing a conference game in the sport. On top of that, I’ve never loved the idea that voters get to decide who makes the playoffs and who doesn't. I feel like there’s a better way to determine this, perhaps through a straightforward points system? It’s always felt off to me that outsiders play such a big role in deciding which teams get a shot at the national title.
Why I Want to Get More Into It: I've always appreciated the history of college football and why people love it. You can’t help but smile when you’re casually watching a game and get a glimpse of the incredible atmosphere at these stadiums, as well as the culture some schools develop within their football programs. Not to mention, getting into the sport would be a great way for me to get to know the young players before they make their way to the NFL. Lastly, with the new conference realignments across the country, I’m especially excited about seeing iconic programs like Ohio State and Oregon face off or Georgia against Texas, just to name a couple examples that we will see this season.
UFC/MMA:
What's Holding Me Back: When it comes to MMA and the UFC, what’s held me back is a combination of things. Honestly, I’ve found some of the fighters annoying outside of the cage, with all the trash talk and drama that takes away from the sport itself. Then much like college football, there's so many divisions or in this case, many weight classes which is hard to keep track of. On top of that, I’ve always favored more toward team sports rather than individual ones, so it’s been a bit tougher for me to fully connect with MMA.
Why I Want To Get More Into It: Although I don't love it, a lot of my friends are huge fans of MMA, so it would be nice to join in on the fun. Plus, the sport only seems to be growing in popularity, and I don’t want to miss out on all the excitement surrounding the big fights and rising stars.
Baseball:
What's Holding Me Back: Baseball may be the most traditional sport on this list. I mean who doesn’t love just going out and throwing the ball? That being said, I’ve never been a true fan of it for multiple reasons, despite respecting it a lot. The long regular season can feel a bit overwhelming to keep up with, and aside from Toronto, there’s a real lack of teams in Canada (where I’m from), which makes it harder to feel a connection. Lastly, I don’t want to use the excuse that the sport is slow, because you could say the same about football, but unlike football, baseball has very little contact, which makes the game feel a bit slower to me, if that makes sense.
Why I Want To Get More Into It: There are people in my life who absolutely love baseball, and I can’t deny how exciting the playoffs are, and if I were able to get into baseball, I can't even imagine how more invested I would feel throughout the postseason. Also, with fewer sports to watch, cover, or bet on during the summer, getting into baseball would be a great way to stay engaged with sports during those months where I typically feel a bit bored with the lack of news.
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