*groan*
For weeks now, Robbie McEwan has been inviting us to "watch proper tough guys".
Last night (Aus time), the lads pulled on their religion-revealing Lycra, perched on their nut-crushing saddles and took to the tarmac of London in a road-ruleless demonstration of their toughness. Yep, the first day (or the 8km prologue day, I think it was just a teaser and the actual race starts tonight) of the Tour de France.
The spectators thronged the streets. The commentators wound their voices up to excited trebles with every dramatic moment. My husband was glued to the screen. I lasted maybe 5 minutes before I rediscovered a conclusion I reach at this time every year.
Whilst my husband will watch every bloody minute of live action (plus the recaps), as will may others, I will not. Because I know the truth.
Televised bike racing is as boring as.
IMHO, there are two types of sport. The first type is the watchable ones. Games where lots of stuff is happening all the time. Games like cricket, basketball, football (of all codes) and baseball qualify because there are lots of people doing lots of different things constantly. The sports like icedancing, gymnastics and tennis get a guernsey because we get to see individuals performing spectacular and amazing physical feats. These sports look as if they would be a fun pastime as well as good viewing.
Then there is the second type. The non-watchables. Probably great fun if you are a participant, boring as for spectating.
I include golf in here. And long distant running. Car racing definitely qualifies. And so does the Tour.
Absolute bat shit.
Paint drying.
Grass growing.
I am sure these blokes are mighty fine athletes. I know they show great skill and endurance. Their machines are state of the art.
It's not their fault that they're boring.
Oh god, there are three bloody weeks of this.
3 comments:
i agree with everything except golf. i never used to like golf, then, when i reached old man status, i discovered golf. its better than grass growing!!!
OTOH, it's great fun if you stride into a pub with a group of lycra-wearing folks and you are walking like crabs from being in the saddle all day and folks offer to buy you pints because it IS the Tour de France, and obviously, you're serious bikers yourselves. ;-)
Got to do that during the Tour in '87, when I was on a tour of my own through several countries with a biking group. It was fun. But even with the pints, I agree - paint drying after 5 mins.
Car racing isn't even a sport, IMHO. You're driving a car in a circle. How is that a sport? If your engine dies, you're outta luck, so you're at the mercy of technology.
But yeah... I agree with everything else you said. My husband would switch baseball out of the interesting category and stick it in with golf and bicycling, though. ;o)
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