You-Gov Poll - The most boring sport to watch

Considering Athletics consists of many genres, as a stand-alone sport, Tennis is the most exciting sport to watch.
 
Sports are such personal thing, I don't think you can make complaints like why certain sports are boring or why do people player certain sports, etc. I just don't bother watching sports I don't like, that's all I need to do. :)
 
My daughter's a Junior Rower and people really have no idea about boredom until they've done this. You only see a fraction of the race anyway unless you're a super fit runner prepared to barge people out of your way., They usually race in two divisions with those being hours apart so you're hanging around in between. Plus the vast majority of spectators are posh people with annoying dogs. Add on the possibility that it may be freezing cold, raining or in the worst cases both.
She loves it, by the way!
 
As a Brit i consider this a highly dubious poll. Darts is popular in Britain, it's more popular than Formula one these days which is one of the most predictable sports. And almost no one in Britain cares about basketball it gets next to zero coverage.

Rugby league is also widely considered a boring sport (apart from a minority in the north of England who are fanatical about it) everyone else will watch rugby union instead. Rugby league should be ranked among the most boring sports.

At least tennis does well :cool:

_90313063_murray_pa2.jpg
 
George Turner said:
As a Brit i consider this a highly dubious poll. Darts is popular in Britain, it's more popular than Formula one these days which is one of the most predictable sports. And almost no one in Britain cares about basketball it gets next to zero coverage.

Rugby league is also widely considered a boring sport (apart from a minority in the north of England who are fanatical about it) everyone else will watch rugby union instead. Rugby league should be ranked among the most boring sports.

At least tennis does well :cool:

_90313063_murray_pa2.jpg
Click to expand...
I loved living in UK with so many tennis interested people :)
 
Golf, cricket and snooker are amazing technical sports that requires a lot of focus and patience. You can see the poll result, all quick action sports are in the bottom, the long ones at the top are most boring. Except for the obvious reason that it's conducted in GB which makes the American sports boring, the poll otherwise clearly shows that people don't want to wait for a sport, no patience to see virtues of persistence, doggedness, perseverance, concentration etc in sports. That's a shame because sports develops those qualities in kids which percolates onto other walks of life. They want quick results, 30 mins of action, get an orgasm and go to sleep.
 
I for one actually don't mind watching golf. I play golf myself so I'm well aware of how difficult it is to drive 300 yards and be accurate with it too. And being able to do that consistently for four rounds (72 holes) is no joke. Of course, I also understand that it's difficult to appreciate or find golf exciting if you don't play it yourself, similar to a lot of other sports.
 
Other sports like darts and pool (snooker), I really only enjoy it when I play it for fun. Watching it is not nearly as exciting.
 
I can see why golf is the most boring. I never watch it apart from the back 9 on Masters Sunday and other majors only sporadically. But then like many people have said, it's such a country/region specific thing. Personally, I have never and will never understand the love for European football or soccer as it's called over here. Many people here already know that about me. I tried to watch the TFC-Seattle game for the MLS Cup, but I just couldn't tbh. I clicked it on when the first half was almost over and it was still 0-0. It ended 2-0 TFC with the final goal coming in stoppage time, but I saw neither goal since I promptly switched it off after checking the score and seeing 0-0.

On the other hand, ice hockey and American football are my favourite sports to watch, so that should tell you somewhat how region specific a sports poll can be.
 
SinjinCooper said:
Yeah, I can't remember how many times I've been down at the pub and heard, "You know what's a real gas? The triple jump."
Click to expand...

The greatest triple jumper of all time, Jonathan Edwards, is a Brit. I can imagine his having at least a few pub fans. :)
 
Steve0904 said:
I can see why golf is the most boring. I never watch it apart from the back 9 on Masters Sunday and other majors only sporadically. But then like many people have said, it's such a country/region specific thing. Personally, I have never and will never understand the love for European football or soccer as it's called over here. Many people here already know that about me. I tried to watch the TFC-Seattle game for the MLS Cup, but I just couldn't tbh. I clicked it on when the first half was almost over and it was still 0-0. It ended 2-0 TFC with the final goal coming in stoppage time, but I saw neither goal since I promptly switched it off after checking the score and seeing 0-0.

On the other hand, ice hockey and American football are my favourite sports to watch, so that should tell you somewhat how region specific a sports poll can be.
Click to expand...
Tbh I agree with basically everything you said. Although I love to golf in real life, unless Tiger Woods is out there in contention, watching golf isn't the most mouth-watering thing to witness IMO. As for soccer, same with you, I'll never be the sport's biggest fan since besides the World Cup I simply don't have the patience to sit there and watch the whole match. Overall, my favs are basketball, tennis and ice hockey. I also enjoy watching baseball and football, but they simply don't intrigue me as much as the other three sports I mentioned earlier.
 
Steve0904 said:
I can see why golf is the most boring. I never watch it apart from the back 9 on Masters Sunday and other majors only sporadically. But then like many people have said, it's such a country/region specific thing. Personally, I have never and will never understand the love for European football or soccer as it's called over here. Many people here already know that about me. I tried to watch the TFC-Seattle game for the MLS Cup, but I just couldn't tbh. I clicked it on when the first half was almost over and it was still 0-0. It ended 2-0 TFC with the final goal coming in stoppage time, but I saw neither goal since I promptly switched it off after checking the score and seeing 0-0.

On the other hand, ice hockey and American football are my favourite sports to watch, so that should tell you somewhat how region specific a sports poll can be.
Click to expand...
Ever had a chance to watch some top European teams play? North America and the rest of the world are waaaay behind Europe today in terms of football quality.
 
Red Rick said:
Pro tip. Avoid the Dutch competition at all cost, unless you're into a weird mixture of catastrophe and comedy
Click to expand...
I enjoyed the highlight reels of Eredivisie matches most of the time when I caught them. It's a shame they usually get rekt by the big boys in the Champions League.

Your national team recently though... Yikes. :oops:
 
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil said:
Ever had a chance to watch some top European teams play? North America and the rest of the world are waaaay behind Europe today in terms of football quality.
Click to expand...

I could watch some if I wanted to. The EPL is broadcast here every Saturday morning, but I really have no interest. I like a few things like watching highlights or a big match at the WC or Olympics, but actually sitting through a random game of soccer is not for me.
 
Doctor/Lawyer Red Devil said:
Ever had a chance to watch some top European teams play? North America and the rest of the world are waaaay behind Europe today in terms of football quality.
Click to expand...
If you find the sport boring, it's boring. Quality isn't going to change that.

The NFL is the highest level of American football in the world, but I doubt you'd find the playoff games this weekend any more entertaining than one of our local high school games if you don't think the sport is interesting.
 
Jackuar said:
Golf, cricket and snooker are amazing technical sports that requires a lot of focus and patience. You can see the poll result, all quick action sports are in the bottom, the long ones at the top are most boring. Except for the obvious reason that it's conducted in GB which makes the American sports boring, the poll otherwise clearly shows that people don't want to wait for a sport, no patience to see virtues of persistence, doggedness, perseverance, concentration etc in sports. That's a shame because sports develops those qualities in kids which percolates onto other walks of life. They want quick results, 30 mins of action, get an orgasm and go to sleep.
Click to expand...

I think it just shows what Brits find interesting primarily due to cultural sports history. Almost surely all polls would show bias to whatever sports have been historically popular in whichever country the poll was taken.
 
ghostofMecir said:
I think it just shows what Brits find interesting primarily due to cultural sports history. Almost surely all polls would show bias to whatever sports have been historically popular in whichever country the poll was taken.
Click to expand...
I acknowledged that. But Cricket - the most boring sport in its birthplace? How about Darts and Snooker - they've got the legend of the game in their country, GB is where these sports are most popular and still scoring as boring? That doesn't sound like the cultural tie being the reason.
 
American football is definitely growing in popularity in the UK. I know quite a lot of people who follow the NFL, and lot of people in my office book the Monday off after the Superbowl as a holiday every year.

Regarding athletics, Michael Johnson is studio analyst over here instead of in the US. He comments on the fact that hardly anyone cares about the sport in the US while it is a big deal over here (there is quite a lot of TV coverage of it), while he is basically anonymous in the US but very well known in the UK.
 
Fedforever said:
My daughter's a Junior Rower and people really have no idea about boredom until they've done this. You only see a fraction of the race anyway unless you're a super fit runner prepared to barge people out of your way., They usually race in two divisions with those being hours apart so you're hanging around in between. Plus the vast majority of spectators are posh people with annoying dogs. Add on the possibility that it may be freezing cold, raining or in the worst cases both.
She loves it, by the way!
Click to expand...
Totally. They have a huge rowing event in Boston every year and the whole city goes to watch and I’m like why? You see a boat off in the distance. It gets bigger and goes by you and then it’s gone. How is that entertainment?
 
George Turner said:
As a Brit i consider this a highly dubious poll. Darts is popular in Britain, it's more popular than Formula one these days which is one of the most predictable sports. And almost no one in Britain cares about basketball it gets next to zero coverage.

Rugby league is also widely considered a boring sport (apart from a minority in the north of England who are fanatical about it) everyone else will watch rugby union instead. Rugby league should be ranked among the most boring sports.

At least tennis does well :cool:

_90313063_murray_pa2.jpg
Click to expand...
Ha. Funny you say Rugby Union is better. I’ve watched both and I have to say I prefer league bc I can at least see what’s going on.

Of course I’m an American and can’t stand American football so what do I know?
 
Krish872007 said:
25-30% of the population is useless. They'd rather be down at the pub with their mates in the evening and watch soaps the rest of the day.
Click to expand...
It's way more than that, believe me. The grey matter of society, effing hate those people and how meaningless their lives are. Get up, go to work, get back from work, watch TV, go to sleep. Same thing on the weekends minus the work.
 
Gizo said:
American football is definitely growing in popularity in the UK. I know quite a lot of people who follow the NFL, and lot of people in my office book the Monday off after the Superbowl as a holiday every year.
.
Click to expand...

The problem with American Football is that just the act of playing it causes brain damage. Plus there soooo many commercials and plays reviewed. Even as an American I don’t understand the appeal. It’s ironic that brits would watch the NFL when the EPL is growing in popularity here. It is easily more popular than our domestic league here.
 
WestboroChe said:
The problem with American Football is that just the act of playing it causes brain damage. Plus there soooo many commercials and plays reviewed. Even as an American I don’t understand the appeal. It’s ironic that brits would watch the NFL when the EPL is growing in popularity here. It is easily more popular than our domestic league here.
Click to expand...

The fact that there have been regular season games in London since 2007, with a 90,000 seater stadium selling out incredibly quickly often in under an hour, has definitely helped the sport popularity. Another important factor has been that the TV coverage has increased with numerous matches on free to air TV channels as well as subscription ones. And the sport has been increasingly popularity for UK gamblers to place bets on. Plus away from the glitz and glamour of the NFL, there have been a rising number of amateur american football teams in the UK as well.

In the US, does the fact that the season is so short (just 5 months) compared to the MLB, NBA and NHL ones help it's popularity? Often less is more, and there is a much longer period to miss the sport and crave it's return during the off-season.

In the NFL every match matters, with teams playing a 16 game regular season and a maximum of 19 to win the Superbowl. And there is a healthy amount of parity and teams that can compete for the superbowl.

But in the MLB, NBA and NHL the seasons can drag on and on with so many useless regular season games when the players are going through the motions and trying to save energy for the playoffs. The NBA is incredibly predictable with a terrible lack of parity, and for many younger people I guess that baseball games are too long, slow and low-octane.
 
Speaking of rugby league vs. rugby union, I personally find rugby league more fluid and entertaining to watch, as do many other people in the north of England.

However the British Super League (which also has 1 French team) is far too predictable, with only 4 different teams winning it in it's 22 year history, and only 3 different teams winning it in the last 12 years (7 for Leeds Rhinos). So despite having play-offs to determine the champion, the Super League has actually been more predictable than the Premier League in football which of course has a simple league structure and no play-offs. Crazy.

And of course internationally Australia are streets ahead of anyone else. However the rise of Tonga at the last World Cup where they beat New Zealand and should have beaten England in the semis, was great for the sport.
 
WestboroChe said:
Totally. They have a huge rowing event in Boston every year and the whole city goes to watch and I’m like why? You see a boat off in the distance. It gets bigger and goes by you and then it’s gone. How is that entertainment?
Click to expand...
It isn't. It's fantastic for the participants as being a whole body sport you develop superb all round fitness.But for spectators it has nothing to recommend it at all.
 
F1- man I can't imagine how fun that would be to actually take part in, but watching it puts me to sleep in a heart beat. Always makes me chuckle at how desperate the commentators sound when they try and make it all sound so exciting, especially at the start.
 
Gizo said:
In the US, does the fact that the season is so short (just 5 months) compared to the MLB, NBA and NHL ones help it's popularity? Often less is more, and there is a much longer period to miss the sport and crave it's return during the off-season.

In the NFL every match matters, with teams playing a 16 game regular season and a maximum of 19 to win the Superbowl. And there is a healthy amount of parity and teams that can compete for the superbowl.
Click to expand...
Exactly why I have a huge problem with Thursday Night Football. Football is no longer an event that you had to wait all week for, and it's a big part of why the Thursday ratings have been declining. The players don't like it, the fans don't like it, but the league loves it. It's become oversaturated and they're paying for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

marc45
UK Poll on Exciting/Boring Sports
Replies
5
Views
593
r2473
r2473
Otacon
Tennis is Americans' 7th Favorite Sport to Watch
2 3 4
Replies
192
Views
14K
robyrolfo
robyrolfo
jarrett
  • Poll Poll
who is the most boring player to watch???
Replies
25
Views
4K
ucd_ace
U
M
Most boring-to-watch player (Top 10s only)
2
Replies
67
Views
10K
kope
K
FromThailand
  • Poll Poll
Who is/was the most exciting to watch?
Replies
29
Views
2K
tennisadict
tennisadict
Back
Top