Is this the worst time of the year for (US) sports fans?

[Phoenix Dark]

football, return to me

Most of the spring and all of summer has been brutal for me as a sports fan. After the NBA Finals there was the draft...which isn't nearly as interesting as the NFL draft; it's like a small crap shoot, although this year the lottery was quite interesting (LOL Lakers). But after the draft there has been a huge drought in terms of interesting sports shit.

Football hasn't started yet, but is painfully close-yet-far-away. Basketball doesn't start up again for awhile (college and pros). I'm trying to get into baseball but my team is trash, making it hard as hell to get invested.

What's better than having big (or interesting) games on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday? The NFL is king in that regard. Plus in October and November you get divisional/rival NFL games, MLB playoffs and the return of basketball. It's one of the best sports periods of the year.

September is gonna be so great

August will give us camp battles, practice reports, etc which is cool...but I want to just skip to September

[Kara]

The Tour de France is going on atm so it's pretty much the best time of year for me.

[studyguy]

Nah I got boxing to hold me over year round.
PBC has pretty dope without hurting the wallet.

[Phoenix Dark]

The Tour de France is going on atm so it's pretty much the best time of year for me.

^
depressed 49ers fan

[benjipwns]

You even signed this saying you'd never forget:

[Kara]

The Tour de France is going on atm so it's pretty much the best time of year for me.

^
depressed 49ers fan

It's an interesting race this year.

The first African to lead the best climber category. And on a niche bike too, creating the perfect marriage of boutique goods and third worldism for me.

A factory team is leading the team category and it's not some Ameritrash manufacturer.

All the invited teams are riding bikes not used by the pro tour teams.

2 and 3 in the general classification ride for the same team.

The scrub Orbea has been shoving down my throat in their advertisements had to withdraw early.

The only bad thing is that a limey riding for a limey team is in the yellow jersey which makes coverage insufferable as the British sporting press are closet Freepers or w/e their equivalent is there but I have an unshakable belief in the British capacity for choking.

[Phoenix Dark]

why does baseball season have to be so fucking long

[team filler]

best time of year for raidahs and laker fans

[team filler]

as we anticipate the incoming depression of another soul crushing season!

[CajoleJuice]

the all-star break is definitely the most depressing time

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dreading the mets immediate post-all-star-break meltdown

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[TakingBackSunday]

While this is all true, yall just missed an awesome Home Run Derby

[pilonv1]

The Tour de France is going on atm so it's pretty much the best time of year for me.

Last week at once I had Rugby League State of Origin, The Ashes (cricket) and the Tour on at once. Was a wonderful time to be alive until New South Wales lost in Origin

[Freyj]

No hockey so sure, but I'm a Blues fan so the whole year is the worst. 

[CajoleJuice]

While this is all true, yall just missed an awesome Home Run Derby

new format was great

[pilonv1]

[Kara]

Yeah, after today I'm resigned to him winning without a miracle.

I guess I could stand to learn some bicycling Spanish to compliment my football Spanish.

Kenneth Vanbilsen is only a point off the polka dot jersey, you can take Euskadi-Euskaltel out of existence but you can't stop Orbea.

[Kara]

TBH, that's why I'm more of a stan for frames and groupsets than riders. (Though Degenkolb did win my heart with his win at Paris-Roubaix.)

It is refreshing to follow a sport where there's so little sanctimony about cheating though. Americans (especially baseball writers) could learn a lesson or two.

[pilonv1]

I'm hoping this doesn't end up like the 2013 Tour, was dismally boring for the last two weeks

[Kara]

This is the 2015 Tour thread now.

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/pro-bike-tejay-van-garderens-tour-de-france-bmc-teammachine-slr01-44785/

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I've never seen a civilian riding a BMC that didn't look like a complete jerkwad.

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[Kara]

Also NBCSN is putrid for coverage. I couldn't imagine watching this live. Why does Cycling Torrents not let me buy my way out of the leecher ghetto. :'(

[Tasty]

Bruins preseason doesn't start until September 20.

The Sox are sucking a fat chode right now.

Women's World Cup was a nice distraction but now it's over.

[sarslip]

US sports on the decline   

ESPN in panic mode   

[Kara]

fml Froome has 2 jerseys now and Team Sky is leading the team competition

UCI halp

[pilonv1]

p. sure I won't be paying much attention moving forward. Thanks Obama

[bluemax]

This is definitely the worst week. I love baseball but fuck the All Star Game.

[Kara]

Can't wait to watch today's stage.

First stage win by an African team.

AG2R won the team portion of the stage.

Thibaut Pinot made the podium.

[Huff]

you guys are forgetting about esports! its the best time of the year

The International for doto! That EVE fighting tournament of cawkward dudes! Living the dream right now

 

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[Samson Manhug]

U.S. women's national soccer team wins the World Cup, U.S. men's national team about to win the Gold Cup—I wish I had more time to watch sports. Seems like a pretty good time to me.

[bluemax]

you guys are forgetting about esports! its the best time of the year

The International for doto! That EVE fighting tournament of cawkward dudes! Living the dream right now

 

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Pft, the League of Legends Championship isnt until fall.

[Kara]

Just watched an interview with Oleg Tinkoff and he said the teams get no money from the television contracts. That's insane.

[Kara]

Real talk: is there a more amazing kit in the peloton than that of Lampre-Merida's? Shit is an e y e s o r e.

Shame that Merida is a scust manufacturer. This is exactly the kind of thing that's up my alley.

[Himu]

pro wresting is year round

[dkdk]

Steven Gerrard kicked ass for the Galaxy in his debut. Pretty cool to have him aboard.

I was thinking about adopting a Premier League team, and Gerrard joining us makes me think it'll be Liverpool.

save yourself the trouble and pick a team that aint 30 years past due.

[Courage]

Steven Gerrard kicked ass for the Galaxy in his debut. Pretty cool to have him aboard.

I was thinking about adopting a Premier League team, and Gerrard joining us makes me think it'll be Liverpool.

West Ham are on the come up, with a new stadium, promising new coach, players, etc. Probably more exciting to support than Liverpool.

[Sausage]

Huh, might reconsider then.

The only rule is that it can't be either Manchester team, Arsenal, or Chelsea.

Will look into West Ham. I remember a funny IT Squad joke involving them.

Liverpool won't be worse than West Ham. When Esch means very bad he means not favored to be in the top 4. Liverpool or Tottenham are probably the only teams that can challenge to 4 teams you don't like.

[Kara]

West Ham is for Eastenders and lads that fancy a punch up.

[bluemax]

pro wresting is year round

So are telenovelas but this is a sports thread.

 

Steven Gerrard kicked ass for the Galaxy in his debut. Pretty cool to have him aboard.

I was thinking about adopting a Premier League team, and Gerrard joining us makes me think it'll be Liverpool.

Real talk, I don't get the appeal of the Premier League. Only 4 teams ever win it, why bother watching any other team? Its worse than college football in terms of power disparity. At least in college football having a rich billionaire can sometimes buy your way to relevance (re: Oregon), albeit not always (re: Oklahoma State).

[Kara]

Fuck off, City had plenty of history before being bought. Nothing like Chelsea.

The quality of play is much more of a drag on watching the Prem than the wealth concentration. Shit kickers left and right because refs are allergic to straight reds and the dire state of British skills training means things like crossing the ball are Rex Grossman-esque.

[Kara]

If that's what you meant you should have said that instead of relevant, it's awfully convenient to fall back on lexical ambiguity when you get called out for talking out of your ass.

Your post policing is equally nonsensical.

E: And yeah I'm ruffled that some day late Gooner gloryhunter has the temerity to talk about clubs buying relevance when if the rapid capital concentration of the 90s had occurred in the 80s instead or David Dein hadn't bought Le Professeur a squad Arsenal would be Spurs, a London club living off its real estate.

[Sausage]

What's the best league to watch?

Probably still the prem in terms of competitiveness. La Liga probably is the most exciting. Ligue 1 had the best title race but PSG are still pretty much a juggernaut there.

[Himu]

La Liga is the most overrated soccer league. Facts only. You mad only 4-5 clubs win? Better not watch La Liga then.

[headwalk]

la liga is a bunch of ponces mincing about talking rubbish. bundesliga is for hipsters. ligue un is a prem feeder league. serie a is a junkie staggering around looking for the next hit.

watch the prem mate, it's got west 'aaam.

[Himu]

That's not an issue with mls

[headwalk]

That's not an issue with mls

MLS is a completely insane set up that you have to be a true blooded american to have anything more than a passing interest in. two seperate leagues, no promotion/relegation pyramid, "franchises" that pop up out of no-where and get added to the top flight, play offs to decide the league champion.

even if you can get past the quality of the football, the league's infrastructure is fucked and i don't know how you'd fix it.

[bluemax]

Meh, MLS is average too. The whole 4-5 club thing takes out every top tier league. So might as well not watch soccer then.

Works for me!

That's not an issue with mls

MLS is a completely insane set up that you have to be a true blooded american to have anything more than a passing interest in. two seperate leagues, no promotion/relegation pyramid, "franchises" that pop up out of no-where and get added to the top flight, play offs to decide the league champion.

even if you can get past the quality of the football, the league's infrastructure is fucked and i don't know how you'd fix it.

Its set up like every other American league. Relegation is a dumb concept these days anyhow.

Real talk, I don't get the appeal of the Premier League. Only 4 teams ever win it, why bother watching any other team? Its worse than college football in terms of power disparity. At least in college football having a rich billionaire can sometimes buy your way to relevance (re: Oregon), albeit not always (re: Oklahoma State).

It's def overrated play wise and the parity is shit (this is true for all the big european leagues honestly) , but there's more to a soccer season than just the title run really. There's the relegation battles, transfer fuckery, rivalries, the FA cup and Carling cup, the fight for champions league/europa spots.

if you're talking about rich billionaires buying to relevance, that's pretty much what City and Chelsea are

But I get literally all of that from American College Football and the best games are on at a reasonable time of day instead of the ass crack of dawn. And the games are on channels that I don't have to ask for with coded language, and I can actually physically attend games without sacrificing my first born.

[seagrams hotsauce]

being an nba fan when the offseason is occasionally more exciting than the season for certain teams
marc cuban tears