That I followed! That was fun and my first exposure to Drake and Lamar, coincidentally my best friend a week before that was begging me to finally listen to Lamar and assuring me I would like him. That worked out.
I just don’t follow American football. I was out doing errands today so I missed it on Hexbear too and found out when someone mentioned the Super Bowl to me like around 7PM and I was like ”Ohhh, today is the Super Bowl!” Explains why most spots I went to were dead. I’m such a nerd.
Oh yeah I also don’t follow American football. It’s like if someone designed a sport specifically with ad breaks in mind.
About a year ago there was a discussion here that started out with some guy disliking football (soccer) because there wasn’t any action. He argued that points scored = action and the low point scores of football was proof it was boring.
I’m not trying to disparage American football, I think I’m just too pessimistic and used to there being less ads, so I see all the stops not as part of the sport, but as some artificial thing installed by an outsider. But I haven’t been taught about the game and what goes on and so on, so that’s also a big part of it. I am of the opinion that any game can be made interesting, if you know what is going on. Heard a guy from Loading Ready Run say that years ago in relation to getting into curling, and it’s stuck with me since.
But I’m not gonna get into American football, there’s too many ads and militarism about it. Has a fascist vibe. Not that FIFA are saints.
Yeah, that’s fair. I will only watch World Cup every four years, even if I’m alone, and revel in the nationalism. Otherwise, I don’t really like any sports.
To your point, though, I can theoretically have a good time at a watch party or a bar with friends but not by myself or strangers watching the game. But I just annoy my friends because I don’t care about the game and just try to chat and always root for the team no one is rooting for, so I don’t get invited and no one texts me for these things. Everyone knows I don’t give a shit anyway so it works out. I did learn the mechanics of American football from Madden as a kid, but it doesn’t really do it for me.
You’re right about the ads too. So many fucking ads. The ads are horrific too. The entire country hyped to watch ads, peak USian brainworms. Not to mention the military worship. God, I hate American football.
I used to feel the same way about football - I’d just watch the world cup and that’s it. Then I got dragged to a local game and now I’m hooked. It’s a lower league, which means I can actually keep up with what’s going on. I can see when they’re making mistakes now. And I care! Oh how I care! They’re my boys out there on the field! Our tickets paid for their uniforms! We make songs for them, and they lose all the goddamn time! It’s brilliant. And there’s such a great sense of community.
Yeah I more or less know the rules to American football, but “knowing a game” goes deeper. Why do they do what they do? Strategies and so on. I tried to get into it, but the ads just took me out, everything is sponsored, everything is brought to you by some company and it’s commercialised to hell all the way through the leagues it seems.
Haha That’s fun! If I was outside the US I would probably end up going to local games too. Do you do hooligan shit?
Honestly, some people get really into it with fantasy football and other stuff. They know everyone’s stats. They know the strategies. It can get really intense. At the end of the day, it is a game so I understand. But I just ultimately get turned off by the culture around American football to the point that it’s virtually impossible for me to get into it.
Nah no hooligan stuff, though we do fire roman candles once in a while, but that’s just for the vibes. I know a few hooligans actually, but that’s more from my upbringing. It’s mainly the big leagues that have those, they’re surprisingly chill actually. Just dudes who found out they liked to fight and decided to meet up with like-minded individuals instead of assaulting random strangers in the street.
They agree beforehand on where to fight, with how many and with what allowed and when to stop. Really seems like there’s no (nonconsensual) harm in it.
Edit: related story. One time I was at a bar with some of them. A guy comes up to me, sizes me up, asks me if “I wanna go?”
I’ve been in fights before and I’m pretty good at talking myself out of them. Ridiculing yourself is great, if you make yourself seem pathetic then they’re less likely to go for you, since it would be weak of them to do so.
But if you’re asked “do you wanna go?” Then that’s it. There’s no answer that doesn’t start a fight. And this guy just came out of the blue, really fucked with me. No buildup.
I felt so stupid. I know there’s some chuds and chud-adjacents in that culture, even in good clubs. I was looking kinda queer, of course something was going to happen. Stupid.
So what do I do? Well I make sure I have at least legal cover, for if something bad happens. I loudly proclaim “no sir, I do not wish to fight you. Sorry for provoking you.” Maybe I’m lucky and I’ll get attention from those around me. A few half-glanxes thrown my way, but no one reacts otherwise.
Fuck.
The guy is big. Not super big, but bigger than me. And he’s a fighter, I’m not. I’ve been in fights, but mainly to get out of them. He fights often, and well you can tell. So I’m in for it.
What does he do? He shrugs, says “alright, have a nice evening” slaps my shoulder as he says “take care” and walks over to another guy, who he sizes up and asks if he would like to go.
The other guy says “nah man, not tonight” oh okay, see you around and on he goes. Fourth guy askedsays yes, they go outside.
Later on I catch them at the bar sharing a beer lol.
That’s cool. That is really fun. It’s good to have community outlet like that. I love when they light the Roman candles and flares! They look really badass in the pictures.
And, yeah, I had a friend from Ukraine a long time ago that said this was basically the same there too. Just fight clubs basically. That’s shit I would do in like elementary and middle school. Have your crew regularly fight the other crew, who you allegedly don’t get along with, but it’s all really a game. Grew out of it but I guess I see the appeal.
Yeah, and everyone can see this coming but, it’s possible he was even in it. He admitted to me later that when he was younger he started off with some fascist ultras because they were his friends but then he left it for some reason and eventually befriended some anarchists and joined their ultra crew. He said he allegedly never really cared about the politics, it was just whichever group his friends were in.
Sounds like a cop out, but meeting him much later in life I can kinda believe it. Kinda how he was. I haven’t talked to him in like 10 years.
That’s really funny. You really over thought it but I totally understand. There are some situations that seem like a trap. I’m glad you got out of it without any issues though, seems like a cool group.
It reminds me of one time I was walking around going to get lunch in very infamously rough downtown and I happened to be dressed up because I was working. Then as I was walking this bigger and tough-looking, street guy standing at a corner just one-armed shoved me out of no where. It didn’t push me back far nor made me lose my balance but it did make me stop. So I look at him, shake my head slowly and just clearly say “Nah, man” almost as if disappointed. He looked at me bewildered but didn’t say or do anything so I took the opportunity and I just walked away and nothing happened. I have no idea why I responded like that but I feel like because I confidently responded that way it defused it by virtue of being so surprising to him, granted my response surprised me too and was completely spontaneous. Worked out.
People get robbed and shit there all the time so it could have easily escalated. I used to walk around there alllll the time and that was the only instance of even coming close to an altercation or anything. I got lucky I guess.
I thought the existence and popularity of fantasy football was proof of how ruined the game is by corporate control of the league and the unwatchability due to ad breaks.
I say this as someone who used to watch when I was younger and then got bored by professional, switching to only watching college because the teams couldn’t just up and move to a new city. then I just quit watching after the CTE revelations and how shady the NCAA is.
but yeah, with fantasy football, basically people invented a game on top of the game on TV to create some enjoyment and purpose to watching the game. namely, to simulate their own team and bypass the existing ownership structure of capitalist dominance and have their own community of pseudo owners and fake teams to compete with.
Singing the national anthem before every game in US sports is so cringe. The NBA has 82 regular season games per team and they sing the damn thing before every one of them.
That I followed! That was fun and my first exposure to Drake and Lamar, coincidentally my best friend a week before that was begging me to finally listen to Lamar and assuring me I would like him. That worked out.
I just don’t follow American football. I was out doing errands today so I missed it on Hexbear too and found out when someone mentioned the Super Bowl to me like around 7PM and I was like ”Ohhh, today is the Super Bowl!” Explains why most spots I went to were dead. I’m such a nerd.
Oh yeah I also don’t follow American football. It’s like if someone designed a sport specifically with ad breaks in mind.
About a year ago there was a discussion here that started out with some guy disliking football (soccer) because there wasn’t any action. He argued that points scored = action and the low point scores of football was proof it was boring.
I’m not trying to disparage American football, I think I’m just too pessimistic and used to there being less ads, so I see all the stops not as part of the sport, but as some artificial thing installed by an outsider. But I haven’t been taught about the game and what goes on and so on, so that’s also a big part of it. I am of the opinion that any game can be made interesting, if you know what is going on. Heard a guy from Loading Ready Run say that years ago in relation to getting into curling, and it’s stuck with me since.
But I’m not gonna get into American football, there’s too many ads and militarism about it. Has a fascist vibe. Not that FIFA are saints.
Yeah, that’s fair. I will only watch World Cup every four years, even if I’m alone, and revel in the nationalism. Otherwise, I don’t really like any sports.
To your point, though, I can theoretically have a good time at a watch party or a bar with friends but not by myself or strangers watching the game. But I just annoy my friends because I don’t care about the game and just try to chat and always root for the team no one is rooting for, so I don’t get invited and no one texts me for these things. Everyone knows I don’t give a shit anyway so it works out. I did learn the mechanics of American football from Madden as a kid, but it doesn’t really do it for me.
You’re right about the ads too. So many fucking ads. The ads are horrific too. The entire country hyped to watch ads, peak USian brainworms. Not to mention the military worship. God, I hate American football.
I used to feel the same way about football - I’d just watch the world cup and that’s it. Then I got dragged to a local game and now I’m hooked. It’s a lower league, which means I can actually keep up with what’s going on. I can see when they’re making mistakes now. And I care! Oh how I care! They’re my boys out there on the field! Our tickets paid for their uniforms! We make songs for them, and they lose all the goddamn time! It’s brilliant. And there’s such a great sense of community.
Yeah I more or less know the rules to American football, but “knowing a game” goes deeper. Why do they do what they do? Strategies and so on. I tried to get into it, but the ads just took me out, everything is sponsored, everything is brought to you by some company and it’s commercialised to hell all the way through the leagues it seems.
Haha That’s fun! If I was outside the US I would probably end up going to local games too. Do you do hooligan shit?
Honestly, some people get really into it with fantasy football and other stuff. They know everyone’s stats. They know the strategies. It can get really intense. At the end of the day, it is a game so I understand. But I just ultimately get turned off by the culture around American football to the point that it’s virtually impossible for me to get into it.
Nah no hooligan stuff, though we do fire roman candles once in a while, but that’s just for the vibes. I know a few hooligans actually, but that’s more from my upbringing. It’s mainly the big leagues that have those, they’re surprisingly chill actually. Just dudes who found out they liked to fight and decided to meet up with like-minded individuals instead of assaulting random strangers in the street.
They agree beforehand on where to fight, with how many and with what allowed and when to stop. Really seems like there’s no (nonconsensual) harm in it.
Edit: related story. One time I was at a bar with some of them. A guy comes up to me, sizes me up, asks me if “I wanna go?”
I’ve been in fights before and I’m pretty good at talking myself out of them. Ridiculing yourself is great, if you make yourself seem pathetic then they’re less likely to go for you, since it would be weak of them to do so.
But if you’re asked “do you wanna go?” Then that’s it. There’s no answer that doesn’t start a fight. And this guy just came out of the blue, really fucked with me. No buildup.
I felt so stupid. I know there’s some chuds and chud-adjacents in that culture, even in good clubs. I was looking kinda queer, of course something was going to happen. Stupid.
So what do I do? Well I make sure I have at least legal cover, for if something bad happens. I loudly proclaim “no sir, I do not wish to fight you. Sorry for provoking you.” Maybe I’m lucky and I’ll get attention from those around me. A few half-glanxes thrown my way, but no one reacts otherwise.
Fuck.
The guy is big. Not super big, but bigger than me. And he’s a fighter, I’m not. I’ve been in fights, but mainly to get out of them. He fights often, and well you can tell. So I’m in for it.
What does he do? He shrugs, says “alright, have a nice evening” slaps my shoulder as he says “take care” and walks over to another guy, who he sizes up and asks if he would like to go.
The other guy says “nah man, not tonight” oh okay, see you around and on he goes. Fourth guy askedsays yes, they go outside.
Later on I catch them at the bar sharing a beer lol.
That’s cool. That is really fun. It’s good to have community outlet like that. I love when they light the Roman candles and flares! They look really badass in the pictures.
And, yeah, I had a friend from Ukraine a long time ago that said this was basically the same there too. Just fight clubs basically. That’s shit I would do in like elementary and middle school. Have your crew regularly fight the other crew, who you allegedly don’t get along with, but it’s all really a game. Grew out of it but I guess I see the appeal.
Yeah the candles are a lot of fun! Super hot though.
I can relate. Added a story in an edit.
Here’s a not so fun fact: Azov grew out of Metalist Kharkiv football ultras.
Yeah, and everyone can see this coming but, it’s possible he was even in it. He admitted to me later that when he was younger he started off with some fascist ultras because they were his friends but then he left it for some reason and eventually befriended some anarchists and joined their ultra crew. He said he allegedly never really cared about the politics, it was just whichever group his friends were in.
Sounds like a cop out, but meeting him much later in life I can kinda believe it. Kinda how he was. I haven’t talked to him in like 10 years.
Just reading the story.
That’s really funny. You really over thought it but I totally understand. There are some situations that seem like a trap. I’m glad you got out of it without any issues though, seems like a cool group.
It reminds me of one time I was walking around going to get lunch in very infamously rough downtown and I happened to be dressed up because I was working. Then as I was walking this bigger and tough-looking, street guy standing at a corner just one-armed shoved me out of no where. It didn’t push me back far nor made me lose my balance but it did make me stop. So I look at him, shake my head slowly and just clearly say “Nah, man” almost as if disappointed. He looked at me bewildered but didn’t say or do anything so I took the opportunity and I just walked away and nothing happened. I have no idea why I responded like that but I feel like because I confidently responded that way it defused it by virtue of being so surprising to him, granted my response surprised me too and was completely spontaneous. Worked out.
People get robbed and shit there all the time so it could have easily escalated. I used to walk around there alllll the time and that was the only instance of even coming close to an altercation or anything. I got lucky I guess.
Your story is fantastic! That guy must have looked over his shoulder for the rest of his day, thinking he accidentially interacted with some big shot.
And I definitely did NOT look like a tough, big shot which probably confused him more. Haha
I thought the existence and popularity of fantasy football was proof of how ruined the game is by corporate control of the league and the unwatchability due to ad breaks.
I say this as someone who used to watch when I was younger and then got bored by professional, switching to only watching college because the teams couldn’t just up and move to a new city. then I just quit watching after the CTE revelations and how shady the NCAA is.
but yeah, with fantasy football, basically people invented a game on top of the game on TV to create some enjoyment and purpose to watching the game. namely, to simulate their own team and bypass the existing ownership structure of capitalist dominance and have their own community of pseudo owners and fake teams to compete with.
Singing the national anthem before every game in US sports is so cringe. The NBA has 82 regular season games per team and they sing the damn thing before every one of them.
(82 games x 30 teams) / 2 teams per match = 1.230 renditions of the anthem every NBA season