American Sport on tv

[chrisd]

Having recently arrived back from tree hugging in New England I have just recovered from watching various American sports on the tv channels when in hotels.

So, I managed to watch their Rounders, Rugby whilst wearing crash helmets and, Mens Netball and I didn't initially understand their obsession with sports that have 30 seconds of action with 10 minute breaks until I watch what was laughingly described as their Ryder Cup coverage - 2 minutes of golf, 10 minutes of adverts, they miss any vital play in order to sell a box of incontinence pads! I finally realised that their own sports are designed to fit round their tv ads and not the other way round - just hope we don't end up the same!

 

[Slab]

We interrupt this thread to bring you these important messages.....

 

[Imurg]

they miss any vital play in order to sell a box of incontinence pads!

Epic...viewer-focussed adverts!!!
They're clever those Yanks...

 

[Bunkermagnet]

You have to realise they will starve if not fed within every 20 minutes, and not forgetting they have the attention span of 15 minutes max.
Bless em, poor little souls

 

[IanM]

It is awful.... always makes us laugh when we were there... mind you, the Ryder Cup coverage would edit out any good play by our lot!! Hence not much to show!

...although once in Cyprus, we were watching a film on TV and the ad break was so long, we thought we'd missed the end and a new programme was about to start...is was certainly over 10 minutes...

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Agree with much of the above but is it really much better over here?

Endless intrusions by online betting companies and price comparison websites.

Plus the Ryder Cup seems to mean far more to us Brits than to the Yanks.

I was in Chicago the week before and raised the subject with several American golfers and there seemed to be little or no interest in it.

 

[chrisd]

Agree with much of the above but is it really much better over here?

Endless intrusions by online betting companies and price comparison websites.

Plus the Ryder Cup seems to mean far more to us Brits than to the Yanks.

I was in Chicago the week before and raised the subject with several American golfers and there seemed to be little or no interest in it.

Whilst on the coach trip the guide often mentioned battles between the Americans and the British, starting with "they were the best equipped army in the world" and then went on to tell how we got beat - I mentioned the war that they lost only a few days ago and it was as if they had never heard of the Ryder Cup!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

It’s not much different here beyond golfers though - how many non golfers are bothered by the RC ? Not many. But speak to golfers over in the US and they were certainly take notice of it , even more so when they are winning which is typical of the US

Most of the time Americans blank out anything they lose

 

[GB72]

That is it, it is all about the winning when you look at how much attention the US pays to a sport. If they win a few Ryder Cups in a row then it will be the most important event of the year, lose a few and it is irrelevant. This being the same country that sends the elite from the NBA and NHL to the Olympics to beat near amateur sides etc.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

It’s not much different here beyond golfers though - how many non golfers are bothered by the RC ? Not many. But speak to golfers over in the US and they were certainly take notice of it , even more so when they are winning which is typical of the US

Most of the time Americans blank out anything they lose

Please read what I said.

These were golfers, single figure handicaps and a professional club fitter and this was before not after the event.

When pushed it was clear that to them it was far less important than the Majors or FedEx Cup.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Please read what I said.

These were golfers, single figure handicaps and a professional club fitter and this was before not after the event.

When pushed it was clear that to them it was far less important than the Majors or FedEx Cup.

I believe over 250,000 watched the recent RC in 2016 - the US most certainly embrace the RC but just as in this country doesn’t mean everyone does - there will always be golfers who just don’t like , the same with the Masters etc

 

[Deleted member 18588]

I believe over 250,000 watched the recent RC in 2016 - the US most certainly embrace the RC but just as in this country doesn’t mean everyone does - there will always be golfers who just don’t like , the same with the Masters etc

So all of those that I was speaking to were exceptions to the rule.

Fair enough as usual you know best.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

So all of those that I was speaking to were exceptions to the rule.

Fair enough as usual you know best.

How can you gauge what the rule is based on “several golfers in Chicago”

How can you suggest that Brits take it more seriously over the US based on “several golfers in Chicago”

There are “several” golfers in the UK who see majors are more important - not exactly a light bulb is it , but it’s not exactly definitive proof of the RC importance to both the UK or the US .

My opinion has just the same validation as yours but mine was done without the snide comments though

 

[Deleted member 18588]

How can you gauge what the rule is based on “several golfers in Chicago”

How can you suggest that Brits take it more seriously over the US based on “several golfers in Chicago”

There are “several” golfers in the UK who see majors are more important - not exactly a light bulb is it , but it’s not exactly definitive proof of the RC importance to both the UK or the US .

My opinion has just the same validation as yours but mine was done without the snide comments though

Experience is always trumped by Google!

 

[Deleted member 15344]

Experience is always trumped by Google!

Oh dear another google comment - quite embarrassing as well as pathetic and immature

I have been to two Ryder Cups - spoken to plenty Americans fans there , worked in the US for a few months when golf has been on and spoken to them , worked alongside the US abroad in the gulf when two Ryder Cups were going on and seen the US guys reacting to the golf.

But I guess “several Chicago” golfers is quite clearly definitive proof

 

[Beezerk]

Jesus Christ, another thread ruined.

 

[Deleted member 18588]

Oh dear another google comment - quite embarrassing as well as pathetic and immature

I have been to two Ryder Cups - spoken to plenty Americans fans there , worked in the US for a few months when golf has been on and spoken to them , worked alongside the US abroad in the gulf when two Ryder Cups were going on and seen the US guys reacting to the golf.

But I guess “several Chicago” golfers is quite clearly definitive proof

So you have attended a couple of RC's and you have actually been to the US.

What exactly is the relevance of that to my original comment?

I could cite many other visits to America including playing golf with locals.

All I am saying is that many of them do not take it as seriously as many do on here.

 

[HughJars]

I finally realised that their own sports are designed to fit round their tv ads and not the other way round - just hope we don't end up the same!

The hole in your theory is of course, their sports have always been played that way, and been around longer than TV

 

[Pathetic Shark]

Having recently arrived back from tree hugging in New England I have just recovered from watching various American sports on the tv channels when in hotels.

So, I managed to watch their Rounders, Rugby whilst wearing crash helmets and, Mens Netball and I didn't initially understand their obsession with sports that have 30 seconds of action with 10 minute breaks until I watch what was laughingly described as their Ryder Cup coverage - 2 minutes of golf, 10 minutes of adverts, they miss any vital play in order to sell a box of incontinence pads! I finally realised that their own sports are designed to fit round their tv ads and not the other way round - just hope we don't end up the same!

And how much of that first sentence was aimed in my direction? ;-) The inane breaks do frustrate many viewers but it did lead to me presenting the NFL coverage on Sky Sports for two years talking over all the breaks in action.

 

[Deleted member 15344]

So you have attended a couple of RC's and you have actually been to the US.

What exactly is the relevance of that to my original comment?

I could cite many other visits to America including playing golf with locals.

All I am saying is that many of them do not take it as seriously as many do on here.

And I have seen many of them take it as seriously as we do. Why is your “many” any definitive proof that the US don’t take it as seriously as we do ?

But you dismiss my opinion as just “googling”

My initial comment was on repsonse yon chris D about them not hearing about the Ryder Cup - it’s was only when you threw your toy out did I read what you posted

You have met people who don’t rate it - so have I both in the UK and the US but I have also met people who take it very seriously

What does it matter ? So what if you have met people who don’t take it seriously- whenever it’s on millions watch it around the world , the crowds are full on both sides of the Atlantic - it’s one of the biggest sporting events of the year