your 2nd favorite sport?

[athleticshushmail]

For me its baduk/go/weiqi. A board game with black and white stones very popular in Asia. The pro matches are on sat. morning TV in asia. Lived in Korea 2 years and got addicted. What's your 2nd favorite sport?

[Marlow]

Hmmm, that's actually a tough question. I love to play volleyball, but I don't follow it. I played and coached soccer and still follow it. During the Olympics I'm fascinated by alpine skiiing and speed-skating, and swimming and gymnastics. I used to follow pro football closely, but now only college. I gave up on baseball at age 12, right around the time T&F came into focus for me. Big tennis and golf championship (Wimbledon and the Masters) captivate me. Triple Crown horses - yeah. Hockey and basketball - blah. NASCAR - ugh! So I'll guess I'll go

#2 - college football
#3 - soccer

[Master Po]

yes, difficult and interesting question.

In terms of participation, definitely swimming. As a spectator, I enjoy lots, including several that are analogous (for me) to parts of T&F/athletics: swimming, cycling, rowing, nordic skiing. Also enjoy baseball at most levels (e.g., pro majors & minors, collegiate); some martial arts (Asian martial arts & fencing -- not boxing, wrestling, or MMA); lacrosse (enjoy the women's game much more than the men's); soccer/football; American NFL football (but for some reason not collegiate football); some equestrian sports (but get really nervous in the events that seem to really put the horse at risk); my interests in basketball are entirely restricted to Indiana University bb.

By the way athleticshushmail, I also really enjoy weiqi -- got hooked the same way you did (in Taiwan & China, not Korea) -- but no real access to it now -- no one to play and no one to tutor me (wasn't exactly a weiqi master!)

[26mi235]

Cycling (Road); I suspect that Jazz is similar but has a penchant for the track that I have lost over the years.

[lonewolf]

After profound introspection, I have decided I do not have a favorite sport. I guess I am a fan of the moment.. whatever sport I, my offspring, personal acquaintance, club, school or country happen to be engaged in. If I don't have some emotional involvement, I don't much care.

I get up for the BIG events, (some) Bowl games, Final Four, World Series, Kentucky Derby, etc., but do not watch (to me) meaningless mid-season games just to observe a sport being played. My favorite sport to play was basketball, followed by baseball, at neither of which I excelled.

I ran track because that was what I was best at. I love watching Olympic T&F but, even though I competed in dozens of meets and have officiated hundreds, I have not sat and watched very many complete track and field meets, except those in which my son was competing. I just like to be down on the field where the sweating and grunting is going on.

[DrJay]

College hoops. Growing up in Louisville, KY and attending UNC-Chapel Hill, how could it be anything else? (Not so sure it will be my 2nd favorite three hours from now when Dook puts it to the Tar Heels....it ain't our year.)

[bambam]

Cycling, especially track cycling, although I rarely get to see it

Tennis to watch on television - love watching hi-level tennis

College basketball - especially tonite when Duke crushes the TarHeels

[Pego]

After profound introspection, I have decided I do not have a favorite sport. I guess I am a fan of the moment.. whatever sport I, my offspring, personal acquaintance, club, school or country happen to be engaged in. If I don't have some emotional involvement, I don't much care.

I get up for the BIG events, (some) Bowl games, Final Four, World Series, Kentucky Derby, etc., but do not watch (to me) meaningless mid-season games just to observe a sport being played.

This pretty much reflects my attitude.

[DrJay]

College basketball - especially tonite when Duke crushes the TarHeels

Not much crushing so far (28-20 UNC), but a lot of time left.

[gm]

EPL soccer

[jazzcyclist]

For me it's a tie between college football and cycling, in particular track cycling and grand tours. In 2007, the final weekend of the IAAF Outdoor Championships coincided with the opening weekend of college football season and the opening weekend of the Vuelta A Espana. For me, it doesn't get any better than that. The only thing that comes close is the first weekend of July 2010 - opening weekend of the Tour de France, Prefontaince Classic, World Cup semifinals and Wimbledon finals.

[dj]

Cycling, especially track cycling, although I rarely get to see it

Tennis to watch on television - love watching hi-level tennis

College basketball - especially tonite when Duke crushes the TarHeels

Not golf? Why?

Or should I be asking, not track?

[bambam]

Cycling, especially track cycling, although I rarely get to see it

Tennis to watch on television - love watching hi-level tennis

College basketball - especially tonite when Duke crushes the TarHeels

Not golf? Why?

Or should I be asking, not track?

It said 2nd favorite sport - track & field and golf would be tied for 1st

[bambam]

Jazzy said track cycling also. For those who have not seen it much, track cycling is one of the world's great "unknown" sports. Watch it if you get a chance. Its amazing theatre, and tremendous athletes.

[dukehjsteve]

College Basketball

[jazzcyclist]

Jazzy said track cycling also. For those who have not seen it much, track cycling is one of the world's great "unknown" sports. Watch it if you get a chance. Its amazing theatre, and tremendous athletes.

About 20 years ago, I was in one of our local bike shops buying a few things for my road bike and chatting with the owner, when he recommended that I check out the district track cycling championships that was taking place that coming weekend. Though I knew Baton Rouge had a velodrome, I had never been to it, so out of curiousity, I decided to check it out, and the best way to describe my experinece is that it was like having an epiphany. A few days later I rode on a track bike at the velodrome for the first time and by the following year, I had my own track bike and was racing regularly.

[DrJay]

Hmmm....jazz, the 7-Eleven velodrome is less than 200m from where I park my truck at work. I saw some international-calber races there two summers ago but have never been on a bike on the track. They have something of an all-comers night for the public every Tuesday in the warmer months. Maybe I'll give it a go this summer. I could use an epiphany.

[aaronk]

ARE there other sports??
Just kidding!!
Okay, here's my list, with comment:

1 Track and Field (wins by a landslide!!)
2. Baseball (though mainly for the stats!)
3. NBA (again, mainly for the numbers!)
4. College football (mainly for the DUCKS!!!)
5. Swimming (mainly because the WR's are equivalent to some WR's in T&F--e.g. 50 free =200, 200 free=800, etc)

[kuha]

Oddly, perhaps, I've come to realize that I actually don't care for "sport" in general. I just don't pay any real attention to pro football, baseball, etc--which becomes embarassing in barber shops, the local pub, etc. I'll watch the Wimbledon final every now and then, but don't follow the individual athletes; ditto with some of the big golf matches. When we lived in England, I enjoyed the Henley regatta, but that was as much "event" as "sport" I guess. I do have a new interest in HS track & x-c--our local HS, that is. Other than that, the high-level sporting world could disappear entirely and my life would not be diminished at all. And, of course, I never believed any of the malarkey about top athletes being (or needing to be) "role models" etc. None of my greatest role models could dunk or (probably) break 6 minutes in the mile.

[Halfmiler2]

Baseball and Hockey. And NOT the NFL and NBA.

[Friar]

It's something that morphs. Start with a premise that nothing is as good (drugs, egos, labor/ money problems).
I've been put off at times but have returned to some sports. The NBA would be the exception. Don't deal with it.

I would probably have to answer MLB only because it's so pervasive (here). You can't ignore it even if you are disgusted by much of what goes on around it.

[Dutra5]

MLB and NFL.

[Vielleicht]

Participation: Table tennis (so much for being Chinese)
As a spectator: Boxing

[schigh]

This will probably get me booed, but I would probably say Soccer is my favorite sport with T&F and xcountry being a very close second. These 3 together will always be my favorites. I do like basically any competitive sport and I've developed quite an interest in the Tour de France even with all of the doping diversions. There's a lot going on and I really like all the competititions within the competition. Track has that appeal too.

[Cooter Brown]

1 T&F
2 College Football
3 Soccer

I've really gotten hooked on soccer (EPL & UEFA) since I get up early on the weekends and can watch games before anyone else wakes up. Unfortunately, the two teams I've chosen (Arsenal & Newcastle) are clusterfucks in two different frustrating ways.

NBC is taking over the EPL in the US next year so I'm sure the coverage will suffer compared to Fox Soccer Net.

[Conor Dary]

I've really gotten hooked on soccer (EPL & UEFA) since I get up early on the weekends and can watch games before anyone else wakes up. Unfortunately, the two teams I've chosen (Arsenal & Newcastle) are clusterfucks in two different frustrating ways.

NBC is taking over the EPL in the US next year so I'm sure the coverage will suffer compared to Fox Soccer Net.

Yea, the Gunners really are missing Van Persie, who is having a wonderful season at United. And Newcastle has been a middling club ever since Shearer left.

I think NBC will be fine. I suspect they will use the same announcers, and unless they have commercial breaks, horrors!, during the game there isn't much damage they can do. And at least the games will be in HD which isn't true now on Fox.

[donley2]

College Basketball. When the conference season hits around midway all the way through the end of March Madness (in April of course) I find it actually can distract me from my normal almost singular focus on track and field.

[bijanc]

To view in person, ice hockey and major league baseball, after T & F. To watch on the tube, speed skating, ice hockey and until I was about 30, boxing.
I also love attending rounds of the NCAA men's basketball tourney in different cities a couple buddies and I pick almost every year- because we meet fans from all over, and generally have no skin in the game.

[Per Andersen]

#2 Soccer
#3 Tennis

[TN1965]

As a distance runner, I can related to the solitude of a tennis player.

Unless playing doubles, they are all alone on the court without coaches or teammates. Even golfers can talk to their caddies. But tennis players have no one to rely on. And that's what I like about it.